From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg starts out with a girl named Claudia. Claudia decides to runaway with her brother, Jamie, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They leave quickly and decide that they will only runaway for a few weeks. They have a great time living in the art museum. Then one day Claudia sees a statue of an angel that holds a secret. The angel had a possibility of being made by Michael Angelo and the museum was trying to find proof. Claudia (being fascinated with the statue) tries to figure it out on her own. They look around for a while, but when it becomes clear an answer won't come up, they decide to go see Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler who sold the statue to the museum. When they got there Mrs. Frankweiler tells them that the answer is in her files and they can only know the answer if they can find it. They finally find it and learn that the angel was made by Michael Angelo. They agree to keep it a secret and they go back to there home later to decide they will visit Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler again soon.
The themes of this book are adventure and mystery. Claudia and Jamie leave home for adventure and they find that living in the museum is quite adventurous also. Quickly the mystery of the angel arises. Whether or not the statue was made by Michael Angelo was quite the mystery for Claudia. They try to solve it by researching in the library, looking around the museum (which was also pretty adventurous), and visiting Mrs. Frankweiler at the end of the book. At Mrs. Frankweiler's house, the mystery and adventure of digging around the files for the answer to the angel mystery happens to. That is why the themes of this book are adventure and mystery.
The two main characters in this book are Claudia and Jamie. Claudia is smart, a little bossy, and likes the comforts of life. She likes hot fudge sundaes once a week, showers, warm beds, and clean clothes. When they stay at the museum for a few days, it becomes clear that this kind of active adventure is not her thing. At the end of the book it is revealed that Claudia's type of adventure is secrets. Secrets have mystery, excitement, and they make people wonder what you know which makes you have a higher status. The book says, "She didn't like discomfort; even picnics were untidy and inconvenient: all those insects and the sun melting the icing on the cupcakes. Therefore, she decided that her leaving home would not be just running from somewhere but would be running to somewhere."In conclusion, Claudia is very precise and neat. Jamie's character is a little opposite from his sister, Claudia. He doesn't mind being dirty or a little cold. He likes adventure. Jamie is also smart and has lots of money which are the two reasons why Claudia picked him for running away. He is the typical annoying little brother who argues with Claudia for some time of the book. When the two characters learn how each other work, they start to get along better.
I would recommend this book to everyone, but some adults and teens might not like it as much. It is more a children's book but good enough to at least give it a try. I would consider it as a classic. The conflicting characters are interesting and sometimes funny. The plot is intriguing and the whole thing has this indescribable happy feeling. It's kind of like a happy glow. It's cute and fun to read. It's also easy to read. You will really like From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
MLA Citations-
Konigsburg, E.L. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs.Basil E. Frankweiler. New York: Atheneum, 1967. Print.
I got my picture at: http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=2477149
The themes of this book are adventure and mystery. Claudia and Jamie leave home for adventure and they find that living in the museum is quite adventurous also. Quickly the mystery of the angel arises. Whether or not the statue was made by Michael Angelo was quite the mystery for Claudia. They try to solve it by researching in the library, looking around the museum (which was also pretty adventurous), and visiting Mrs. Frankweiler at the end of the book. At Mrs. Frankweiler's house, the mystery and adventure of digging around the files for the answer to the angel mystery happens to. That is why the themes of this book are adventure and mystery.
The two main characters in this book are Claudia and Jamie. Claudia is smart, a little bossy, and likes the comforts of life. She likes hot fudge sundaes once a week, showers, warm beds, and clean clothes. When they stay at the museum for a few days, it becomes clear that this kind of active adventure is not her thing. At the end of the book it is revealed that Claudia's type of adventure is secrets. Secrets have mystery, excitement, and they make people wonder what you know which makes you have a higher status. The book says, "She didn't like discomfort; even picnics were untidy and inconvenient: all those insects and the sun melting the icing on the cupcakes. Therefore, she decided that her leaving home would not be just running from somewhere but would be running to somewhere."In conclusion, Claudia is very precise and neat. Jamie's character is a little opposite from his sister, Claudia. He doesn't mind being dirty or a little cold. He likes adventure. Jamie is also smart and has lots of money which are the two reasons why Claudia picked him for running away. He is the typical annoying little brother who argues with Claudia for some time of the book. When the two characters learn how each other work, they start to get along better.
I would recommend this book to everyone, but some adults and teens might not like it as much. It is more a children's book but good enough to at least give it a try. I would consider it as a classic. The conflicting characters are interesting and sometimes funny. The plot is intriguing and the whole thing has this indescribable happy feeling. It's kind of like a happy glow. It's cute and fun to read. It's also easy to read. You will really like From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
MLA Citations-
Konigsburg, E.L. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs.Basil E. Frankweiler. New York: Atheneum, 1967. Print.
I got my picture at: http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=2477149
