Book Review: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Genre:
Realistic Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 9 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 700, Grades 3 and up

Book Theme:
Running away, museum visits, the value of imagination, brother and sister relationships

Books with Similar Themes:  
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, The Sixty-Eight Room by Marianne Malone

Bibliographic Information:
Konigsburg, E. L. (1967). From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. New York: Atheneum.

About the Author:
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/mtai/konigsburg.html

Plot:  
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is the story of two siblings, Claudia and James Kincaid, who decide to run away from home to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. The two children stay at the museum for several days, spending the night there as well after sneaking past the guards. They spend their time studying the art and having adventures like bathing in the fountain. They discover a beautiful statue of an angel that was just donated by Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, one that is rumored to be made by the artist Michelangelo. Claudia becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about the statue and the two children begin doing all the research they can to find out if it was indeed made by Michelangelo. When they run out of answers they decide to go to the very person who donated the statue, Mrs. Frankweiler, but will she tell them the truth, or send them back to their family?

Review:  
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is an amazing story of two tweens who strike out on an unforgettable adventure. It's a story filled with imagination and mystery. The relationship between Claudia and James is very typically for tweens, especially because they are fighting one moment and then the best of friends the next. Despite their fights the two are very close and work as a team, something many tweens do with their own siblings. Tweens will love Claudia's boldness and James' ability to stand up to her stubbornness. Claudia is a tween who longs to be independent and grow up like many tweens. The characters both have many elements tweens to relate do, as does the story. It's one that tweens will love and return to again and again, not to mention instill a love of art and museums.

Notable Tweens:

Claudia Kincaid- Claudia is a headstrong, brialliant, and sometimes bossy twevle-year-old. She is the oldest of four children. She often feels like she is ignored by her family or not treated as well as the rest of her sibilings. She likes to do things differently from everyone else and decides to run away to something instead of running away from something.

James Kincaid- Nine-year-old James is the third of the four Kincaid children. He loves saving money and has earned quite a lot of it by cheating his friend when they play cards. He refuses to spend lots of money on their adventure and often insists on walking instead of taking a taxi or the bus, which doesn't make Claudia especially happy.