A Ring of Endless Light

Book four of the Austin Family Chronicles, an award-winning young adult series from Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, about a girl who experiences the difficulties and joys of growing up.

A Newbery Honor Book

"L'Engle has the magic storytelling gift that makes it a pleasure to lose yourself in her spell." --Newsweek

After a tumultuous year in New York City, the Austins are spending the summer on the small island where their grandfather lives. He's very sick, and watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate matters, she finds herself as the center of attention for three very different boys.

Zachary Grey, the troubled and reckless boy Vicky met last summer, wants her all to himself as he grieves the loss of his mother. Leo Rodney has been just a friend for years, but the tragic loss of his father causes him to turn to Vicky for comfort--and romance. And then there's Adam Eddington. Adam is only asking Vicky to help with his research on dolphins. But Adam--and the dolphins--may just be what Vicky needs to get through this heartbreaking summer.

Praise for A Ring of Endless Light:

"With customary grace and firm control of an intricate plot, L'Engle has created another irresistible novel about familiar characters, the Austin family. Vicky, 16, narrates the climactic events with Grandfather Eaton on a New England island, where he is living his last days." --Publishers Weekly

"L'Engle has the magic storytelling gift that makes it a pleasure to lose yourself in her spell." --Newsweek

"L'Engle writes eloquently about death and life with provocative passages that linger in the thoughts of the perceptive." --Booklist, starred review

Books by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time Quintet
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters
An Acceptable Time

A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle; adapted & illustrated by Hope Larson

Intergalactic P.S. 3 by Madeleine L'Engle; illustrated by Hope Larson: A standalone story set in the world of A Wrinkle in Time.

The Austin Family Chronicles
Meet the Austins (Volume 1)
The Moon by Night (Volume 2)
The Young Unicorns (Volume 3)
A Ring of Endless Light (Volume 4) A Newbery Honor book
Troubling a Star (Volume 5)

The Polly O'Keefe books
The Arm of the Starfish
Dragons in the Waters
A House Like a Lotus

And Both Were Young

Camilla

The Joys of Love

Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Publisher: Square Fish
Published: 09/02/2008
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.63lbs
Size: 7.64h x 6.36w x 0.91d
ISBN: 9780312379353
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.2
Point Value: 11
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 135 / Ring of Endless Light

About the Author

Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) was the Newbery Medal-winning author of more than 60 books, including the much-loved A Wrinkle in Time. Born in 1918, L'Engle grew up in New York City, Switzerland, South Carolina and Massachusetts. Her father was a reporter and her mother had studied to be a pianist, and their house was always full of musicians and theater people. L'Engle graduated cum laude from Smith College, then returned to New York to work in the theater. While touring with a play, she wrote her first book, The Small Rain, originally published in 1945. She met her future husband, Hugh Franklin, when they both appeared in The Cherry Orchard.

Upon becoming Mrs. Franklin, L'Engle gave up the stage in favor of the typewriter. In the years her three children were growing up, she wrote four more novels. Hugh Franklin temporarily retired from the theater, and the family moved to western Connecticut and for ten years ran a general store. Her book Meet the Austins, an American Library Association Notable Children's Book of 1960, was based on this experience.

Her science fantasy classic A Wrinkle in Time was awarded the 1963 Newbery Medal. Two companion novels, A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet (a Newbery Honor book), complete what has come to be known as The Time Trilogy, a series that continues to grow in popularity with a new generation of readers. Her 1980 book A Ring of Endless Light won the Newbery Honor. L'Engle passed away in 2007 in Litchfield, Connecticut.