Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L'Engle, born into a prominent family and educated at Smith College, was a prolific and beloved author, best known for her young adult science fantasy novel, "A Wrinkle in Time." Her work often explored profound questions of faith, good versus evil, and the nature of the universe, earning her numerous accolades and a lasting place in literature.

Despite her deeply spiritual writing, which occasionally touched upon themes that resonated with Jewish thought or mysticism, L'Engle was, in fact, a devout Christian. She was an active member of the Episcopal Church and served as a writer-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City for many years. Any perceived Jewishness by her readership was, it turns out, merely a testament to the universality of her spiritual inquiries.

Her "Jew or Not Jew" score for Identity is a clear zero, as she self-identified and practiced as a Christian throughout her life. Origin also nets a zero; her lineage traces back through various European roots without any discernible Jewish ancestry. However, her enduring literary legacy, particularly her Newbery Medal-winning "A Wrinkle in Time," brings significant "kvell-worthiness" to anyone who appreciates thoughtful children's literature, even if her characters weren't plotting a bar mitzvah on another planet.