"From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler"

Summary of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
This story is a file from Mrs. Frankweiler's secrets collection.   A young girl is bored with her life and convinces her younger brother to run away with her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  They live in the museum for a week.  Their curiosity in roused by a statue in the exhibit hall that has the mark of Michelangelo, and seek to find answers from the owner.  The owner is the narrator of this story who enjoys collecting secrets.  The older lady is lonely and the children adopt her as their grandmother at the end of the story. 

Konigsburg, E.L. (1967).  From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

Personal Reflections of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
This humorous telling takes a different approach by the narrator being the character of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  She loves to collect secrets in files.  The two children have run away to live in the museum and were just about to decide to return when they uncover a mystery.  Is Michelangelo the true creator of the Angel statue?  They make a new friend in the older lady, and she convinces them to return to their family.

Reviews of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
"For 35 years, even readers who have never traveled to New York City have visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Claudia Kincaid, heroine of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Winner of the 1968 Newbery Medal, this novel charts one girl's mission to run away from her straight-As life to somewhere beautiful-the Met. In the process, she becomes obsessed with uncovering the secrets of a breathtaking statue. A 35th-anniversary dust jacket and a new afterword by the author caps this adventure that has captivated readers for more than a quarter-century."
Review by Publishers Weekly and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble Editorial Reviews on September 10, 2010

"Yes, I know most of you know this book, but I was at a book store the other day and a woman who was my age (you know, 25, give or take a few years) picked this up for her daughter and obviously hadn't heard of it. The adventures of Claudia and her brother Jamie as they run away to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is a book that every child should know. Their curiosity, independence and realistic sibling bickering resonates today as much as it did 35 years ago. E. L. Konigsburg, who I blame for turning me into an author groupie since she invited a then 10 year old Sharon into her home after I called her on the phone, has included an afterword, her letter from Jean Karl at Atheneum offering her a contract for this book, and a small, funny note that was distributed at Mrs. Konigsburg's Newbery Award acceptance speech. If you love this book, this re-issue is worth having; if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?"
Review by Sharon Levin of Children's Literature and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble Editorial Reviews on September 10.2010

Suggestions for Use in Library or School
Compliment this book with the illustrated biography Michelangelo by Stanley.