From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - E.L Konisberg

 

 

Claudia Kincaid is fed up with her life at home, as the oldest sibling she has many chores, barely enough allowance and she is not satisfied. So to make a big statement, she decides to run away. But she doesn’t just want to run from somewhere, she wants to run to somewhere. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which to her is a space that is beautiful, comfortable, elegant and refined. She then invites her second youngest brother, Jamie, to come along with her - since she knows that he is smart with money and that will probably come in handy when living in the city.
Once Jamie and Claudia have settled into the museum, a mysterious new angel statue sparks their attention, a statue that the museum bought for only $225, a statue that might be a work of the renowned Renaissance master, Michelangelo - and could therefore be worth millions. 
Claudia is determined to find out the truth about the Angel and her undertaking leads her to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the woman who sold the statue to the MET from her private collection, and she makes a life-changing discovery and learns a lot about herself.

About the Author:

Elaine Lobl Konigsburg was an American writer and illustrator of children's books and young adult fiction. She is one of the six writers to win two Newbery Medals, the venerable American Library Association award for the years "most distinguished contribution to American children's literature."

Her book From The Mixed-Up Files won the annual Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1968.

What I thought of the book:

I liked this book, but felt like it didn’t live up to the hype.
Lots of people rave about it but I didn’t think it deserved that much praise.
It was ok, and a fun, quick read, but I didn’t really like it as much as I thought I would.
I also thought that Claudia's idea of running away was a little extreme, and I would definitely not have done it if I was in her position.
One part I really liked was Claudia and Jamie’s relationship, the way they interacted with each other and how she was forever correcting his bad grammar, it was very funny and I laughed a lot.

My favorite character was Jamie. I loved his personna and his exclamations of “Oh, Baloney!”. He is also funny, and adaptable (go-with the-flow) - which are both qualities that I admire. 

I would recommend this book for someone who likes mystery and reading about runaways and sibling relationships.  

I also learned a lot about the MET and the Renaissance period while reading this book.

MY Rating : 3 / 5 stars.