100 Books, #32: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

[osprey_archer]

E. L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler has but one flaw: she told the story of two runaway children living in a museum so well that no one since has dared to touch the topic. I want a whole genre of stories about children living in museums, damn it!

But this unfortunate side effect of its flawlessness is the only thing I can criticize about the book, because otherwise it is 100% pure distilled awesome. Claudia and her little brother Jamie run away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

(Have I mentioned before that I think there is a children’s book conspiracy designed to teach young readers that high culture is totally awesome? I’m pretty sure there is. Blue Balliett may be the newest member.)

On that note: how much do I love that Claudia runs away from home in search of educational opportunity? She’s like, “We’re living in a museum! We’re going to use this time wisely and learn things!” Jamie is at first appalled, but eventually he gets as much into the museum as Claudia does - especially after they team up to figure out whether the Met’s new sculpture really is a Michelangelo.

I love the friendship that grows between Claudia and Jamie. At the beginning of the book, they’ve always taken each other for granted - they’re siblings, the other is just always there, and they’ve never been close. But once they run away together, and especially once they’ve got a project, they become a team.

And how cool is Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the crotchety yet awesome old lady who narrates the book? Her voice only intrudes occasionally, as we’re mostly focusing on the adventures of Claudia and Jamie, but she’s always incisive and hilarious. She’s the first amazing old lady that I remember reading about, and I’ve loved that sort of character ever since.

Comments

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

This was my very favorite book when I was a kid!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

For years after reading it I assessed all museums on their possible quality for a running-away story. But few can live up to the possibilities of the Met!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I always thought it was the BEST how-to manual for running away and living in a museum. I absolutely intended to use the toilet-stall technique.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I've always wondered if the Metropolitan Museum of Art had a rash of attempted runaway attempts after the book came out. Because it makes it look so enticing and fun! (Although I shudder to think what damage they might have done to the Elizabethan bed they slept in.)