From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (original 1967; edition 2007)

To honor E. L. Konigsburg, who passed away this week, I did a quick re-read of her Newbery winning book that I loved as a child. It did not disappoint, which is unusual because I so rarely enjoy the winning Newbery books. I remember when I read it as a child, I thought running away and living in a museum was the coolest thing ever. Now that I have actually visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was even easier to be impressed. I didn't see a lot of statues when I visited because I just wanted to sit in the Impressionists wing the whole time. It didn't matter that people were milling around, I could have sat there gazing at those paintings all day long, so I really related to Claudia and Jamie and their obsession with the Angel statue. However, it is interesting to read the book with adult eyes and feel the horror of 2 children on their own in New York City and to have such empathy for their poor parents. This is a fun story that encourages interest in the arts and good grammar! (You'll have to read it to find out ;) ) ( )

When I heard about E.L. Konigsburg's death last week, I was sure I'd never read any of her novels. But as soon as I started reading this book, it felt familiar. Some piece of my brain must remember reading this as a kid. Even as an adult, I could relate to Claudia -- she just wants something different. At times, I think we've all felt it. Great book, great charcters. ( )

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg won the 1968 Newbery medal. Claudia Kincaid decides she's had enough of her routine filled life and decides to runaway to a museum. She enlists the aid of her brother Jamie, mostly because he's good with money and has more than any of her other brothers.

After settling in to their new routine of living in the museum and taking tours with different school groups, the children begin to feel the need for something more. The museum obliges their wish with a beautiful and mysterious angel statue. The museum believes it to be the work of Michelangelo but as it was bought at auction without papers, they can't be completely sure. Claudia decides it is her calling to learn the truth of Angel's provenance.

All the while, there is Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler who is explaining and commenting on the Kincaids' adventures. How she relates to the adventure in the museum and the mystery of Angel is a big part of the fun of this novel.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler often elicits exclamations of fond memories from many of my friends. I have to admit that my recent car trip where I listened to the book on CD was my first time. I'm sorry I waited so long.

I probably would have read it in my childhood except for a well meaning but misguided school librarian. My best friend's sister who was briefly in the same elementary school as us (before she moved onto junior high) checked out the book. The librarian knowing full well that she had two young taggers along (in the form of her sister and me) warned her not to let either of us read the book until we were old enough. She gave this warning in a whisper which I suspect was purposely loud enough for us to hear. Now maybe she was trying reverse psychology on us — and I know my best friend promptly read the book right after her sister finished with it.

But I took her warning as being deadly serious. I didn't read the book even when I was in the upper grades. I was afraid of getting in trouble — which strikes me as odd since I found plenty of other ways to get in trouble at school back then. But somehow pissing off the librarian had put the fear of I don't know what into me.

What changed? Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick — that's what. In the afterword, he explains that he put a bunch of homages to the book in his novel. I decided it was time to rectify my ignorance of the book and read it.

As I listened, I tried to figure out what had caused the librarian to warn against first or second graders reading the book. I think it was Claudia's rant about doped up chocolate bars. Of course just as her concerns went right over Jamie's head, so did the whole thing go over my kids' heads. It probably would have gone over my head too back then. In other words, I should have read the book as a kid. ( )

Recently, this list of "67 Books Every Geek Should Read to their Kids" popped up through social media, and obviously caught my interest. It is an interesting look at what adult "geeks" feel contributed to their own geekiness, and what they would hope to share with their own offspring. The requirements for the list are bound only by submission, and some are a little more expected than others. Many of the books are familiar, and I've turned to the library for many that are not. The first of these is Frog and Toad are Friends, which the monsters and I enjoyed as a bedtime story recently. The second is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

This book has obvious geek appeal: two children run away from home, and decide to hide away in a museum (where it's probably easier to hide than in a library, which would have been my first choice at age seven). Determined to "learn one thing every day," the children set about visiting various exhibits, until they are caught by the mystery of a new acquisition - a statue that may or may not be an early work of Michelangelo. If the museum itself didn't appeal, then surely the mystery does. Determined not to return home until they mystery is solved - or, as Claudia more clearly relates, until she is different - the two search for clues in the library, the museum, and finally turned to the previous owner of the statue.

The story is charming, and the narrative is well-paced, which will hold a child's imagination without rushing them through. A positive perspective on voluntary learning, and the passion one has for discovering the unknown, is certainly a lesson worth encouraging in children of all ages. ( )

I was looking for something light to read on a Saturday night, and this fit the bill. I was struck, since I haven't read this in awhile, by how sympathetically I remembered Claudia. Really, she's a bit awful, but I was also the oldest and knew the injustice of having to wash the dishes and sweep the floor on the same night. (Dec 2011) ( )