In light of the posthumous release of Madeline L' Engle's The Joys of Love I decided to revisit her most famous book A Wrinkle in Time. I hadn't read it in years and I must say, it brought back a lot of memories. One in particular was of my friend Jen presenting her book report on the title to our 6th grade class. I vividly remember her describing the principals of the tesseract to our class and thinking "Huh?" I also remember thinking the cover was really cool and how different it was that my friend, a girl, liked science fiction. It's funny what our memory filters out and retains: I also remember her book report on The Wolves of Wolloughby Chase, and ironically, a science report on long and short term memory. I digress.

No joke. A Wrinkle in Time begins with "It was a dark and stormy night." I love it! And so it begins — the tale of a motley crew of children and ex-stars (literally) "tessering" through time and space and fighting the dark forces of evil. Meg Murry, her youngest brother Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin O'Keefe embark on a quest that takes them to distant planets as they search for Meg's missing father, a genius physicist working for the government on a top-secret project. On their journey they discover the truth about good and evil and of course, the power of love.

Madeline L'Engle wrote A Wrinkle in Time after a long cross-country trip with her own family. At the time she was reading about Einstein and his various theories. Her tesseract and the concept of traveling through time and space are based on those principles. (This NPR piece is a fun and informational look at L'Engle's famous time traveling tool through the eyes of a real-live scientist.) Throughout the book L'Engle quotes historic figures that challenged our concepts of reality. A Christian herself, she also quotes the Bible and includes Jesus in a long list of artists, philosophers and scientists who have fought against the dark force of evil. For this reference, among other things, A Wrinkle in Time has been one of the top 100 censored books of all time.

I love reading books from my childhood because I notice so many different things the second time around, and they mean something totally different to me as an adult. Take Meg's mother for example. Her physical beauty is emphasized over and over again and I can't decide if it's simply used to help romanticize her enduring relationship with her missing husband or if it's necessary to make her more lovable in general. After all it's 1962 and she's a woman in the sciences. She's a brilliant microbiologist with a Ph.D — and she's gorgeous too. Phew! God forbid she be plain, or worse ugly like Calvin's toothless mom. In fact, she's so lovely Calvin comments during his first visit to the Murry house. Here's what he says after meeting Dr. Kate Murry:

"Do you know how lucky you are?"

She {Meg} smiled wryly. "Not most of the time."

"A mother like that! A house like this! Gee, your mother's gorgeous! You should see my mother. She had all of her upper teeth out and Pop got her a plate but she won't wear it, and most days she doesn't even comb her hair."

Poor Mrs. O'Keefe. Cut her some slack, she had 11 children!

I liked A Wrinkle in Time when I was in 6th grade, but I have to say I had a hard time getting into it the second time around. I'm not sure why. It's a magical and wonderful book. The characters are earnest and the ideas are very thought provoking. I was aware I was reading a classic, a book at which I was supposed to marvel, but I kept getting distracted. I think I've concluded that it's as simple as this: science fiction and fantasy for tweens and young adults has just gotten more sophisticated and grown-up since 1962. Good and evil are nothing new to today's readers. Strong girls in sci-fi are no longer revolutionary. While there is no doubt that A Wrinkle in Time is legendary, and no one would argue the impact it has had on children's literature, unfortunately, I think it will be slightly disappointing for anyone who has already read Harry Potter.

Recently browsing at a bookstore, a friend asked me what she should read. I showed her some of my stand-by faves and then picked up Twilight. "People love these," I told her. "They're all the rage." She loves vampire stuff and is new to the YA genre. Perfect. Well, she devoured it and New Moon and was super disappointed when she couldn't get the third. Later, when she asked for other suggestions, I thought about it a while. "Why not start with Anne Rice? I dunno, it might be fun to compare them."

I'd never read Interview With the Vampire but I remember it was huge when I was in high school. It was up there with Clan of the Cave Bear; cult-y, but shopping center-available, yet slightly risque. It was the kind of book that I thought too frivolous for me, but wondered about. I think I was a little scared. Like the paperback of L.Ron Hubbard's Dianetics that was always kicking around my college cafeteria; I didn't want to know.

In light of the vampire craze, and in anticipation of the inevitable onslaught of more on the way, I took my own advice and decided to finally read Interview with the Vampire — begin at the beginning, sort of. Let me say there were many things I liked about it: The fast pace, for one, was exhilerating. To span 200+ years, from the states to Europe and back again, so briskly gave it that really big feeling without the weight and volume so many epics suffer from. Also, I loved the notion of the interviewer, Daniel. I liked his presence and I could feel his titillation as he listened to Louis' ghost story. From the very first pages it had an old-fashioned "twas a dark and stormy night" quality that I found fun. But honestly, at the end of the day, the prude in me was repulsed. There are only so many overtly sexual teachings one can bear–only so many violently detailed descriptions of submission, murder, and the lust for flesh this reader could take.

Of course, it's horror. It's goth. It's supposed to be graphic and vile. It's just doing its job. I appreciate that. In its defense–and my friend agreed–it was ultimately riveting and I could not put it down! I confess, Louis and his story of angst and duplicity as a vampire were totally believable to me and like one of his victims, I surrendered. I'm not saying I enjoyed it, or that I'm interested in reading more of Rice's 'Vampire Chronicles,' but I was enthralled.

As stated in this Observer article, it's clear vampires are back. Actually, some might argue they never went away (ask any "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fan). The most recent and popular manifestation is the aforementioned Stephenie Meyer series, but there are others and no doubt there will be more. Why? What is it about vampires? The YA vampires of today are watered-down shadows of what they have traditionally been in folklore and in other literary arenas, but their essence lingers in our consciousness. We want them around for some reason. Do they satisfy our need to be scared? Do they represent a repressed human desire to witness the depraved? YA or not, let's not forget vampires suck blood, they live by feeding on others. Vampires are death, the paradox being they can't die.

I did a little research, (just a little) and when I started to think about it, teens' love affair with vampires makes total sense. In ancient times vampires were created in the minds of people to address death. We've been trying to understand death since we've been walking on two feet and the idea of escaping death, cheating death is irresistible to us. The "un-dead" are equally exciting to us. Not yet alive but unable to "cross-over." Ghosts, witches, zombies, and spirits from the "other-side" are part of our intricate relationship with the unknown. While the sympathetic, thoughtful vampire is relatively new to us, the idea of living forever is not. The interesting thing to me is the issue of what price is paid for living eternally and the internal conflict it causes. The modern vampire struggles with this and it sets him apart from the other ghouls in an elegant way.

I think reflective teens get this on some level and are struggling with some of the same existential dilemmas, albeit not eternal life, but the meaning of life in general. The idea of immortality is both exciting and scary for teens. Developmentally, they are right on the cusp of understanding their own humanity in a sophisticated way. I would argue that knowing vampires is one way they work out their understanding of death.

(And perhaps develop a life-long penchant for the forbidden fruit, the archetypal "bad-boy"… Ahhh, but that's another post isn't it.)

This week I re-read the iconic, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret. The groundbreaking young adult novel by Judy Blume was written in 1970, but I found it smart, realistic, and in spite of a few corny words here and there, quite relevant. Margaret's voice is sometimes shrill but remarkably mature–even for todays' tweens. She gracefully manages the pressures of a new town, new friends, and a new body with honesty and a believable sense of self.

Twelve year old girls haven't changed that much and tweens continue to look for characters that they can relate to — characters that describe similar experiences and feelings. It's possible that they have surpassed the shame and confusion of adolescent issues such as menstruating. It's possible that they don't blush with embarrassment when topics like growing breasts and buying bras come up. These rites-of-passage are commonplace now. They are the stuff movies, television, commercials and magazine articles are littered with. Sexuality is everywhere and most issues pertaining to our bodies are fair game for discussion. Shame and embarrassment are out, right? Maybe not. I'm not completely convinced that growing up is any easier for girls today than it was 30 years ago. Sure, books like Are You There God, It's Me Margaret paved the way to making adolescence an acceptable topic of discussion, but they didn't alleviate what it feels like to experience it.

Margaret is a character who is still capable of resonating with 12-year-old readers. She's caught up in the excitement and anxiety of all of these "firsts" and talks about them in a way that is still fresh. I think 'tweens still obsess about perspiration and their first kiss no matter how casual it becomes to us culturally. That is why Are You There God, It's Me Margaret is great and why it will always be a classic.

How many people do you know that can read the epic Dickens novel Great Expectations in the time it takes their 2 1/2 year old son to nap? Add me to your list. Today I was trying to organize all of the Ypulse complimentary books I have in my tiny San Francisco apartment and I discovered the new comic-style version of the tragic tale of love, loss, class and convicts.

As part of the new "Classics Illustrated" series from Papercutz, Great Expectations has been adapted by artist Richard Geary. The books have a bit of a bratty edge and of course, are super-condensed, but what I appreciated was the sense of fun. In spite of how naughty I felt reading such an obvious departure from the original, I think they've done a good job attempting to convey the spirit of the language and overall story-line.

Papercutz is a graphic and comic book publisher for teens and tweens. The "Classics Illustrated" series will re-introduce the original "Classic Comics" series first brought to life in 1941 by Alfred Lewis Kanter. Kanter believed that comics could deliver literature to kids in a modern and young way and published more than 200 adaptations of great books ranging from Shakespeare to Twain.

I had fun reading Great Expectations. I enjoyed my afternoon with Dickens very much. (OMG. How stuffy does that sound?) That's what's really valuable about these kinds of books — their ability to appeal to reluctant readers. They make fresh something kids often see as stale and foreign. Not only can a book like Geary's Great Expectations serve as an introduction to classic literature, for the most remedial students it may be their only experience with such an important book and author.

BTW, We're going to try and feature a monthly round-up of titles we receive from various authors and publishers. I am not able to read even half of the books that come my way, but I want to extend my thanks to all of you who send them and to give some sort of shout-out. At this time, Ypulse Books isn't doing reviews per se, but we really want to let people know what we're seeing and what's standing out. Stay tuned…

NPR is doing a series about famous and memorable characters called, 'In Character'. Andrea Seabrook recently interviewed Tobias Wolff (Author, This Boys Life) and Stephanie Savage (Producer, 'Gossip Girls') about Holden Caulfield, the preppy protagonist from J.D. Salinger's seminal novel Catcher in the Rye. This was so fun for me to listen to. Catcher in the Rye is hands-down, my favorite book ever, and Holden is my all-time favorite character.

After being cut from the field hockey team (Honestly, I'm over it.) I joined the speech and debate team. For which, and anyone who knows me will agree, I was far better suited.

One wintry, early Saturday evening on the short-bus home from a "meet" I met a boy from another school. We must have partnered with a local team for some sort of far-away regional thing. I was sitting behind him and he kept turning around to talk to me. Finally, uninvited, he moved back to sit with me. He proceeded to tell me all about an affair that he had with one of his friend's mother. I didn't believe him but he was so sincere and serious about it, I pretended to. I think on some level I understood that for whatever reason, he really wanted to tell me about this. I very vividly remember the way he looked too. He had large features for a boy, and thick wavy light brown hair. He was wearing a Paddington-style wool coat with a hood. His style of talking was quiet but also somewhat aggressive. Slightly affected and overly mature, his story felt like a put-on to me. Ultimately, I felt pity for him.

Now that I'm a bona-fide grown-up and have seen a thing or two, I'm not sure he was lying about the affair. I also don't know if I read Catcher in the Rye before or after meeting him, but in my minds-eye, I have always imagined that boy as Holden Caulfield.

J.D. Salinger wrote Catcher in the Rye in a series of stories first published in The New Yorker in 1946. It was later published as a book in 1951. It was hailed by critics but also criticized for its sexual content and profanity. It was groundbreaking because as Savage put it, it arrived on the "cusp of an explosive time" for American youth. This was before teens had their own culture, before they were a demographic. It was pre-Elvis. Pre-James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause." Many people consider Catcher in the Rye the first young adult novel, and Holden Caulfield the original teenager, especially if you consider how we know that population today. It was published in the New Yorker so it would seem that it was meant for adult readers. Does it matter? Salinger wrote from the POV of a teen, strictly seeing the world through Holden's eyes, which gave the book its authenticity and characteristic honest beauty. We meet Holden during a time in his life filled with great angst and drama, both true and exaggerated tragedy. So sensitively, Catcher in the Rye describes the crucial time in one's life when you become aware that things are changing. Childhood is coming to a close, yet maturity alludes you. Fear and panic about adulthood and the real world loom.

I decided after listening to the NPR piece that I was going to re-read Catcher in the Rye. Most of us were introduced to it as teenagers ourselves and while it remains one of the most censored titles, it is also one of the most assigned in high schools across the country. It's been many years, and I want to see how it feels to experience Holden with adult sensibilities. What can he teach me now? How have teens in literature changed, or not?

I encourage anyone to do this with me and post your before-and-after impressions and insights at Ypulse Books. As adults who read books for teens, I think this is an amazing exercise. I've re-read many favorite titles from my teenage years and it's really interesting to see what turns out to be different and new to me as an adult. More importantly, I think it's helpful to compare it with what we understood as a younger reader.