A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine LEngle
I remembered this as being one of my favorite books as a child, and I was not disappointed! L'Engle is simply an amazing story teller.

She is a master of incorporating real life science into a fantasy novel, in such a way that:
1. I completely believed her, and
2. I could almost picture tessering myself, for a brief instant.

Her characters are flawed, and therefore completely realistic. Meg Murray is the typical hyper-critical teenager. She feels like she's awkward, ugly and unpopular. Although she's smart, this is little consolation. Her brilliant scientist father has disappeared, and the community suspects that he's run away with another woman, making Meg's life even more miserable.

Blown in with the storm, Meg's world begins to turn upside down. She, her brother, and her new found friend are sent on a mission, to other worlds, to rescue her Father. Yet, even the father, who Meg is counting on to save the day, simply isn't strong enough. All seems to be lost, as Meg rescues her father from his prison, but in the process loses her baby brother to It.

It's a story about love, and finding one's inner strength. Meg discovers that her flaws are not truly weaknesses, but when utilized, can be turned into strengths - strengths that are more valuable in saving her family than anything else. In the end, this story is a classic Arthurian Quest, sprinkled with three fairy godmothers, and written with a spark of scientific brilliance you'd more expect coming from Stephen Hawking and not a children's novelist.