Madeleine L'Engle was born on November 29, 1918.

Most of L'Engle's writing was novels for young adults. Her best-known book is the 1962 Newbery Award winner, A Wrinkle in Time (e-book, e-audio, print, audio). It's the story of Meg Murry and her siblings, who must rescue their father, a scientist who has been kidnapped and taken to a distant planet; they are aided by three supernatural beings, Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit. A film adaptation, directed by Ava DuVernay, is due to be released in early 2018, with the three Mrs. W's played by Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, and Reese Witherspoon.

The Murry children appear in three sequels: A Wind in the Door (e-book, e-audio, print, audio), A Swiftly Tilting Planet (e-book, e-audio, print), and Many Waters (e-book, e-audio, print). The story continues further with four novels about Meg's daughter, Polly O'Keefe. These books have less fantasy than the the first quartet, but there are occasional elements of science fiction. A subplot of The Arm of the Starfish (e-book, e-audio), for instance, focuses on a scientist working on organ regeneration. The O'Keefe books continue with Dragons in the Waters (e-book, e-audio), A House Like a Lotus (e-book, e-audio), and An Acceptable Time (e-book, e-audio, print).

Almost all of L'Engle's fiction is at least loosely linked together. Characters from the Murry and O'Keefe novels show up, usually in small background roles, in several of the books in her other major series, about Vicki Austin and her family. The Austin books are mostly realistic fiction, with only minor science fiction elements. Vicki grows from seven years old to seventeen over the course of the series, although (like the Murry/O'Keefe books), the publication order of the books does not always match their internal chronology, and Vicki may be older in one book than she is a book that was published later.

There is often a religious theme to L'Engle's fiction, which frequently puts its characters in the middle of stark battles between good and evil. That theme is sometimes understated and not specific to any faith, as in A Wrinkle in Time, in which the children include Jesus and Buddha in a list of people who fight against evil. Sometimes, the religious story is central to the book and more specifically Judeo-Christian; Many Waters sends its main characters through time to take part in the Noah story, and includes angels among its characters.

L'Engle's inclusion of religious themes brought criticism from both ends of the spectrum. Some secular critics complain that her books are preachy attempts to convert the reader, and some Christian critics find her theology too inclusive. L'Engle was an Episcopalian who believed in universal salvation -- the idea that everyone would be redeemed and enter into heaven, even non-believers.

Relatively little of L'Engle's writing was specifically intended for adults, and most of it was nonfiction. Her Genesis Trilogy is three books of commentary on Biblical stories and other religious themes – And It Was Good (e-book), A Stone for a Pillow (e-book), and Sold Into Egypt (e-book). The Crosswicks Journals are four volumes of memoirs, available as an e-book bundle.

Madeleine L'Engle wrote her major works between 1960 and 1995. She was mostly inactive for the last decade of her life, as health problems kept her from writing or making public appearances. L'Engle died in 2007.

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