“In so-called primitive societies there are two words for power, mana and taboo: the power which creates and the power which destroys; the power which is benign and the power which is malign. Odd that we have retained in our vocabulary the word for dangerous power, taboo, and have lost mana.”

American writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry

Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She is best known for her 1962 children's book A Wrinkle in Time, which won the Newbery Medal. Her work spans several forms, but she is most closely associated with writing for younger readers. She later received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1998, an honor recognizing her lasting contribution to young adult literature.