A Wind in the Door is by Madeleine L'Engle is a fantasy novel that explores the feelings and experiences behind bullying and hate motivated behaviors. The main character Meg's little bother is being bullied everyday for being different as he is an extremely gifted six year old. One day he claims to have seen dragons and then shortly after his health quickly deteriorates. Their mother, a research scientist, worries that something is was with his mitochondria so she consults with a doctor. Meg is enlisted by a cherubim who says it is up to her to save her brother. The cherubim tells her she needs to go through three trials, but she won't know what the trials are until she discovers them.
Through the trials Meg is shown the interconnectedness between everyone and stretched in many ways. She is a namer a person who needs to honor the essence of each person and remind them of their depth and purpose.
Can Meg persevere and defeat the Echthroi, the unnaming haters, who are trying to destroy the universe? Will Meg's love and strength be enough to counter the hateful Echthroi or will she be destroyed in the process.
The last three chapters are fast paced and intriguing. I found this book to be inspiring and quite philosophical. This would be a great read aloud to expose students to fantasy as well as great discussions about how seeing the good that resides in everyone, even those we don't particularly like, can positively affect each other everyday.
Why do I know this author? I have not seen this book before so am now going to go and figure out why I know her name and what other books she has written. I think my son read books by her in middle school...
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