I'm a longtime fan of the late Madeleine L'Engle, but I much prefer her _Time Quintet_ to any of her other books. Still, since this is one of only two celluloid adaptations of her works ever made, I gave this one a shot. It was fun to see a young Mischa Barton (_The O.C._) and Scarlett Pomers (_Reba_, _Star Trek: Voyager_), and the fantasy-tinged plot was decent. Unfortunately, Barton turned out to be an annoying leading lady, and I still found this one hard to finish. Fans of the book may feel differently.

Content Concerns:
Sex: Innocent romance; one kiss. 4/5
Nudity: The female lead has a penchant for off-the-shoulder, bare-midriff, or low-cut outfits; shirtless guys are also seen. 3/5
Language: An occasional misuse of God's name. 4/5
Violence: Animals and people in dangerous situations; a guy nearly drowns. 3/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The aforementioned dangerous situations; [spoiler]the grandfather dies at the end.[/spoiler] 2/5

Score: 2.5/5