From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Title: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Publication Year: 1967
Age Group:Mid Elementary, Late Elementary
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Comments: Our family chose From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler for our party school book club. The ages of kids reading or listening to this book ranged from about 6 to 10 years. I do think the older kids liked it more than the younger kids. I think the adults all enjoyed it. However, there were definitely parts of the book that seemed confusing to the younger kids.

One aspect of this book is the point of view. It is written as a letter from Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, who doesn’t enter the plot until the last few chapters, to her lawyer, Saxonburg, who never enters the story. When I read it to my children (ages 4, 6, and 8 years), I would stop to explain to them what was going on. I think my kids really liked the book. However, kids that just listened to the audiobook were left a little confused.

The story is about 2 kids, Claudia (age 11) and Jamie (age 9), who run away from home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While there, they try to solve a mystery regarding a recent museum acquisition. People suspect, but do not know for sure, whether the statue of an angel was sculpted by Michelangelo.

Personally, I loved the story. I thought it was charming. I loved the relationship between the two siblings, the way they worked together and complimented each other so well. I know my 8 year old also really enjoyed the book. After we finished reading the book, we watched the movie, The Hideaways. Although there are some differences, overall the movie is pretty faithful to the book. Even though it was fairly dated, my 6 and 8 year olds really liked the movie as well.

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