And Both Were Young

And Both Were Young by Madeleine L'Engle

A girl goes off to boarding school in Switzerland. She has trouble fitting in. She is seen as not good at sports, though she is good at drawing. With the help of a teacher, she gradually becomes more happy at school. She also meets a boy who she likes. Later some mystery man comes and claims to be the father of the boy. She has a plan to try to verify and ends up getting hurt. They later discover the man was a con artist and the boy's parents died in the holocaust.

The girl has been secretly training in skiing with the aid of the boy and the teacher that befriended her. She enters a ski contest (to the chagrin of the PE teacher.) She fails to win because she stopped to help a fallen classmate, but gets the grand trophy anyway. She sees her father friends with the teacher she liked - but he says it is too soon after her mother died for him to get serious. 

It is a nice boarding school story that has conflict, but does not get too extreme.

The Arm of the Starfish

The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L'Engle

A boy gets a job working with a marine science researcher in a remote area in Portugal. He discovers that he is actually involved in some complex system of international intrigue. His research on starfish involves potential regeneration of humans. This results in some concerns from religious figures as well as potential applications from foreign powers.

It is not clear which side is "in the right". There are two parties with adults and children that present convincing arguments to him. Which ones have his best interests? Who should he side with? It doesn't help that there are attractive girls. He picks one side, but then still does things with the others. There are a few crimes with a number of accomplices. The novel has some darkness in light surroundings. It explores aspects of science and ethics as well as different areas where people are interested.

Wrinkle In Time

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

I had trouble sraying awake listening to this audiobook. I remember having similar sleep issues reading it as a kid. It deals with tesseracts, space travel and science. Some kids, including a genius, Charles Wallace with the help of some other beings go to rescue their father from some evil beings. That's about it.