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jds70 's review for:
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E.L. Konigsburg
I read this book when I was little, but I don't remember it, which is weird, considering the story involves art, which I've always loved.
11-year old Claudia Kincaid feels unappreciated by her parents, so she decides to teach them a lesson by running away. She chooses her little brother Jamie to accompany her because he has money. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as the place to stay. There, she becomes intrigued with a mysterious new acquisition - an angel sculpture sold to the museum for a paltry $225, which may make it the ultimate bargain because the angel is also rumored to be an early work of Michelangelo. Much to Jamie's chagrin, Claudia is determined to solve the mystery of the sculptures creator, which leads them on an adventure to find the mysterious Mrs. Frankweiler, and her mixed-up files.
I'm an adult and this makes me want to run away and hide in an art museum! E.L. Konigsburg writes wonderfully. The children are smart and funny, yet still act like normal little children. The adventure of living in a museum, along with Claudia's insistence on routines and planning, and bathing, and Jamie's complaints are really enjoyable, and I'm so happy they allowed me to join them! The story was written in the 1960s, which could make for a really fun conversation with your children about how things were back then (I wish I could eat at the Automat for $.25 a day, eating pie and mac 'n cheese for breakfast!). The mystery was engaging and suspenseful as well, but, then, I'm a sucker for art mysteries. I think it works well because it involves a real artists and because there are works that may or may not be Michelangelo's...I'm going to have to see if any of them involve angel sculptures...
11-year old Claudia Kincaid feels unappreciated by her parents, so she decides to teach them a lesson by running away. She chooses her little brother Jamie to accompany her because he has money. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as the place to stay. There, she becomes intrigued with a mysterious new acquisition - an angel sculpture sold to the museum for a paltry $225, which may make it the ultimate bargain because the angel is also rumored to be an early work of Michelangelo. Much to Jamie's chagrin, Claudia is determined to solve the mystery of the sculptures creator, which leads them on an adventure to find the mysterious Mrs. Frankweiler, and her mixed-up files.
I'm an adult and this makes me want to run away and hide in an art museum! E.L. Konigsburg writes wonderfully. The children are smart and funny, yet still act like normal little children. The adventure of living in a museum, along with Claudia's insistence on routines and planning, and bathing, and Jamie's complaints are really enjoyable, and I'm so happy they allowed me to join them! The story was written in the 1960s, which could make for a really fun conversation with your children about how things were back then (I wish I could eat at the Automat for $.25 a day, eating pie and mac 'n cheese for breakfast!). The mystery was engaging and suspenseful as well, but, then, I'm a sucker for art mysteries. I think it works well because it involves a real artists and because there are works that may or may not be Michelangelo's...I'm going to have to see if any of them involve angel sculptures...