An adventure in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City! I would have chosen a library if I were running away, but to each their own I suppose.

In Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiller, siblings Claudia and Jamie run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The bathe in the museum fountain, sleep in a royal bed, and glom on to school groups taking tours during the day. During their vacation from reality, the children stumble upon a secret involving a beautiful sculpted angel with curious markings on its base. Claudia and Jamie must solve the mystery of the statue with the help of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

The story is so realistic and timeless that I felt I was right there with Claudia and Jamie, standing on top of the toilets waiting for the museum to close. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiller is an engrossing and captivating read, full of page-turning good fun! ( )

My mom was the curator of a local history museum when I first read this book. As an adult, I find the book still holds a sense of wonder and excitement comparable to what I felt then. ( )

My mom was the curator of a local history museum when I first read this book. As an adult, I find the book still holds a sense of wonder and excitement comparable to what I felt then. ( )

This is a fun book about a little girl, Claudia Kincaid, who runs away from home because she wants to get back at her parents for not paying enough attention to her. She drags her little brother James along with her and they end up hiding out for a week in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Isn’t it great to be a kid? An adult would go to jail for that! During their week in hiding Claudia and James learn that the newest exhibit, a marble angel, may in fact be a genuine Michelangelo sculpture. Written in 1966, this is one of the few realistic books that do not center on life’s problems. The book combines the adventure of the Golden Age of children's literature with the new realism of the late 20th century. ( )

The dialogue has become stilted in recent years (when was the last time you heard a kid say, "Oh, baloney!"), but without presenting any modern-day conveniences, the book still rings true for young children and is a creative and engaging story. It rightfully deserves its status as a classic. ( )