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The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World
"ninety percent of who you are is invisible."
Amedeo Kaplan seems just like any other new kid who has moved into the town of St. Malo, Florida, a navy town where new faces are the norm. But Amedeo has a secret, a dream: More than anything in the world, he wants to discover something -- a place, a process, even a fossil -- some treasure that no one realizes is there until he finds it. And he would also like to discover a true friend to share these things with.
William Wilcox seems like an unlikely candidate for friendship: an aloof boy who is all edges and who owns silence the way other people own words. When Amedeo and William find themselves working together on a house sale for Amedeo's eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Zender, Amedeo has an inkling that both his wishes may come true. For Mrs. Zender's mansion is crammed with memorabilia of her long life, and there is a story to go with every piece. Soon the boys find themselves caught up in one particular story -- a story that links a sketch, a young boy's life, an old man's reminiscence, and a painful secret dating back to the outrages of Nazi Germany. It's a story that will take them to the edge of what they know about heroism and the mystery of the human heart.
Two-time Newbery winner E. L. Konigsburg spins a magnificent tale of art, discovery, friendship, history, and truth.
Amedeo Kaplan seems just like any other new kid who has moved into the town of St. Malo, Florida, a navy town where new faces are the norm. But Amedeo has a secret, a dream: More than anything in the world, he wants to discover something -- a place, a process, even a fossil -- some treasure that no one realizes is there until he finds it. And he would also like to discover a true friend to share these things with.
William Wilcox seems like an unlikely candidate for friendship: an aloof boy who is all edges and who owns silence the way other people own words. When Amedeo and William find themselves working together on a house sale for Amedeo's eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Zender, Amedeo has an inkling that both his wishes may come true. For Mrs. Zender's mansion is crammed with memorabilia of her long life, and there is a story to go with every piece. Soon the boys find themselves caught up in one particular story -- a story that links a sketch, a young boy's life, an old man's reminiscence, and a painful secret dating back to the outrages of Nazi Germany. It's a story that will take them to the edge of what they know about heroism and the mystery of the human heart.
Two-time Newbery winner E. L. Konigsburg spins a magnificent tale of art, discovery, friendship, history, and truth.
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First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
E.L. Konigsburg
62 books1,455 followersElaine Lobl Konigsburg was an American writer and illustrator of children's books and young adult fiction. She is one of six writers to win two Newbery Medals, the venerable American Library Association award for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American children's literature."
Konigsburg submitted her first two manuscripts to editor Jean E. Karl at Atheneum Publishers in 1966, and both were published in 1967: Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the 1968 Newbery Medal, and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was listed as a runner-up in the same year, making Konigsburg the only author to win the Newbery Medal and have another book listed as runner-up in the same year. She won again for The View from Saturday in 1997, 29 years later, the longest span between two Newberys awarded to one author.
For her contribution as a children's writer Konigsburg was U.S. nominee in 2006 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition available to creators of children's books.
Konigsburg submitted her first two manuscripts to editor Jean E. Karl at Atheneum Publishers in 1966, and both were published in 1967: Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the 1968 Newbery Medal, and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was listed as a runner-up in the same year, making Konigsburg the only author to win the Newbery Medal and have another book listed as runner-up in the same year. She won again for The View from Saturday in 1997, 29 years later, the longest span between two Newberys awarded to one author.
For her contribution as a children's writer Konigsburg was U.S. nominee in 2006 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition available to creators of children's books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
April 3, 2018
This is such an interesting read. This is a mystery about art. It happens to be modern art from the time period of Nazi Germany. It is a very mature middle grade read. I mean, this is something that as an adult I enjoyed as an adult. There happened to be young characters in the story.
I know as a child, I would have loved reading this as I liked books that were mature and smart. Amedeo is a very smart kid who grew up knowing art. This book discusses art and how to think about it. It taught me quite a bit about art and the art world. E. L. goes into the history of modern art in Nazi Germany in a detailed way. I really did not know about any of this, though it shouldn't surprise me. Hitler wanted to be an artist and wasn't accepted into art school as he lacked imagination. I wonder want would have happened if he had gotten into school. The arts can help people work through their issues. Anyway.
They also tell of a gay couple raising a child in this period. Hitler basically came to power talking about the gays. They were able to marry in Germany in this period of the 20s. It was a few time for gays. I give E. L. Props for letting us see healthy gay couples in a historical context. It is so important for every age from young children on up to have a chance to possibly see themselves represented in stories. It is important and I applaud E. L. for using this. Middle grade is finally showing more and more gay characters and this is wonderful. I hope this trend will only continue.
The story is a slow mystery. It is high brow and I don't know that there is a sense of fun in this novel. It is pretty serious. I don't really know what to think of it. I'm between 3 and 4 stars. I think I like it so that will make my decision. This will be for only the mature middle grade readers or even high school students.
I know as a child, I would have loved reading this as I liked books that were mature and smart. Amedeo is a very smart kid who grew up knowing art. This book discusses art and how to think about it. It taught me quite a bit about art and the art world. E. L. goes into the history of modern art in Nazi Germany in a detailed way. I really did not know about any of this, though it shouldn't surprise me. Hitler wanted to be an artist and wasn't accepted into art school as he lacked imagination. I wonder want would have happened if he had gotten into school. The arts can help people work through their issues. Anyway.
They also tell of a gay couple raising a child in this period. Hitler basically came to power talking about the gays. They were able to marry in Germany in this period of the 20s. It was a few time for gays. I give E. L. Props for letting us see healthy gay couples in a historical context. It is so important for every age from young children on up to have a chance to possibly see themselves represented in stories. It is important and I applaud E. L. for using this. Middle grade is finally showing more and more gay characters and this is wonderful. I hope this trend will only continue.
The story is a slow mystery. It is high brow and I don't know that there is a sense of fun in this novel. It is pretty serious. I don't really know what to think of it. I'm between 3 and 4 stars. I think I like it so that will make my decision. This will be for only the mature middle grade readers or even high school students.
September 27, 2007
A question was posed recently on the Horn Book blog run by Roger Sutton about what it would be like if reviewers never knew the names of the authors of the books they read and critique. It's an interesting idea. No human being is a blank slate, after all. You can't help but acquire little prejudices and preconceptions as you become more and more familiar with a writer's work. Sometimes you, the reviewer, are going to have to face facts about one author or another; You're just not that big a fan of their work. Take me, for example. If you asked me what I thought of E.L. Konigsburg I would yelp a quick, "I liked The View from Saturday," and hope to high heaven that you'd leave it at that. Fact of the matter is, I read "A View from Saturday" a long time ago. Maybe I'd feel the same about it now as I did the first time I perused it. Maybe not. You see as of right now I'm just not that into Konigsburg. I recognize her importance in the field of children's literature. I appreciate her stories and her characters and her plots. I'm just not that big a fan of her writing or her dialogue, and this makes it difficult for me to read her books. So when I found myself in possession of "The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World" I decided (yet again) to put aside my assumptions and just enjoy the ride. I failed in this. So basically I'm telling you right off the bat that if you want an unbiased review, look elsewhere. I can only write what I myself perceive, and what I perceive before me is a book that isn't quite sure who its audience is.
Sixth grader Amedeo Kaplan has just moved to St. Malo, Florida from New York and he's in a bit of a rut. He has no friends, Florida is really humid, there are lovebugs mating all over his arms, and he has yet to discover something. Amedeo would kill to discover something ANYTHING, but so far he's been plumb out of luck. Enter William Wilcox. A loner and the son of a woman who runs estate sales, William has recently been seen entering the home of the amazing Mrs. Zender and Amedeo wants to know why. After all, Mrs. Zender is a former opera star with a home full of antiques, treasures, and mysteries galore. It doesn't take long for Amedeo to insinuate himself into the home as well and soon he's helping William pack up Mrs. Zender's things. She'll be entering a home before too long, but before she does Amedeo is certain that this is the place to discover the one thing no one else could find except for him. Turns out, he's absolutely right.
One librarian I spoke to about this book noted that she liked it but that, "it wasn't a children's book." She may have a point there. The whole enterprise has a mature sensibility. Heck the conversations about how Mrs. Zender would always play a "boy or a bitch" and how her fans "all wanted to sleep with me", up the ante right there. It comes down to this; in the world Konigsburg has created here, the adults are far more interesting than the children. Reading through this book I got the distinct feeling that this would have made a far better stage play than title for the 10-14 set. The awkward sentences and too long pauses would fit better if read aloud by adults in front of an audience. Here they simply stand on the page looking awkward and out of place. The writing is fine but it doesn't always fit. The result is a frustrating title that doesn't quite know who it wants to speak to. Whenever a librarian faces a children's book that seems tailor made for only a particular kind of child we call it a "special book". I cannot say for certain, though, whether any child would enjoy "The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World". It seems not to have been written for them at all.
Sixth grader Amedeo Kaplan has just moved to St. Malo, Florida from New York and he's in a bit of a rut. He has no friends, Florida is really humid, there are lovebugs mating all over his arms, and he has yet to discover something. Amedeo would kill to discover something ANYTHING, but so far he's been plumb out of luck. Enter William Wilcox. A loner and the son of a woman who runs estate sales, William has recently been seen entering the home of the amazing Mrs. Zender and Amedeo wants to know why. After all, Mrs. Zender is a former opera star with a home full of antiques, treasures, and mysteries galore. It doesn't take long for Amedeo to insinuate himself into the home as well and soon he's helping William pack up Mrs. Zender's things. She'll be entering a home before too long, but before she does Amedeo is certain that this is the place to discover the one thing no one else could find except for him. Turns out, he's absolutely right.
One librarian I spoke to about this book noted that she liked it but that, "it wasn't a children's book." She may have a point there. The whole enterprise has a mature sensibility. Heck the conversations about how Mrs. Zender would always play a "boy or a bitch" and how her fans "all wanted to sleep with me", up the ante right there. It comes down to this; in the world Konigsburg has created here, the adults are far more interesting than the children. Reading through this book I got the distinct feeling that this would have made a far better stage play than title for the 10-14 set. The awkward sentences and too long pauses would fit better if read aloud by adults in front of an audience. Here they simply stand on the page looking awkward and out of place. The writing is fine but it doesn't always fit. The result is a frustrating title that doesn't quite know who it wants to speak to. Whenever a librarian faces a children's book that seems tailor made for only a particular kind of child we call it a "special book". I cannot say for certain, though, whether any child would enjoy "The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World". It seems not to have been written for them at all.
October 4, 2010
Since reading this book, I've discovered that many readers (and even some librarians) feel the subject matter is too mature for middle grade. When I was a reader of twelve years old or so, I was absolutely thrilled to discover a nugget or two of "adult" sophistication in books for kids, and I felt that was the case here. There are just a few racy moments that would raise an adult eyebrow or two (and thrill a reader nearing his or her teens). Part of the controversy about the "appropriateness" of this book for the middle grade level may be that one of the main (adult) characters is unabashedly gay. He is loved and accepted, and that love and acceptance is contrasted with prejudice and oppression from a historical perspective: the Nazi purges of gays, Jews, and gypsies. In a week of observance of Banned Books, I feel that The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World is particularly effective in raising awareness of the importance of letting all voices partake in a group discussion, not just a few who decide who deserves to speak. A book filled with hate is the only one I would consider removing from the shelf, and this is the opposite of that. For me, the message here is so important that it obliterates the one or two things that bugged me about it, one being a reference to Gone With the Wind, a book that I think only I read as a twelve year old!
October 2, 2008
I have mixed reactions to this book. Like other books which I have read by E.L. Konigsburg, this book is quirky, interesting, and well written. But it has older, more disturbing themes like the way people use other people, and elements such as homosexuality and Nazi persecution. Other themes are rather esoteric for children--opera and modern art. A piece of art which is central to the story is a nude drawing. There is also some language and sexual innuendo. None of it is explicit, but I found it definitely edgy. What really bothered me was that I found this book in the children's section of the library! The author is a two time Newbery winner, but that doesn't mean all her books belong there. I don't think elementary school kids would "get" this book at all, and it wouldn't appeal to many middle school kids, either. The two main characters are middle school boys, but I would classify this book as older YA lit. I decided to register a complaint with the library about its placement, but nothing changed. One great thought from the book: "Ninety percent of who you are is invisible."
June 6, 2014
This book is linked to "The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place" which is linked to "Silent to the Bone". I love these 3 books. They are not a series but characters are linked through each book. This is the last one, Silent to the Bone being the first. Last night was family movie night...we watched The Monument's Men. I have been dying to see this movie, I read the book. I have not had much time to finish this book. It just happened that the movie and finishing the book collided. It was amazing how they enhanced each other.
This is the last book Mrs. Konigsburg wrote. It is beautiful and masterful. It is simply a wonderful story.
This is the last book Mrs. Konigsburg wrote. It is beautiful and masterful. It is simply a wonderful story.
November 11, 2024
The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World was just ho-hum. The characters were likable, but the plot was a bit boring, and the big denouement felt very stilted. 2.5 stars, rounding up.
March 9, 2011
Hm. I am normally a huge fan of E.L. Konigsburg but frankly, I'm mystified by this book. First of all, I do not think it should have been labeled or sold as a Children's or Juvenile book. It seems much more Young Adult. I work extensively with young kids, and I don't know any, never mind two, that act like the sixth graders in this book. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I'm just mystified by the whole thing, and I hate that feeling.
June 22, 2017
I always somehow manage to forget how incredible E.L Konigsburg's writing is until I'm reaching to shelve one of her books and flip through it "just to see which one this is" and then end up reading a chapter and a half before I've realised. She has an unmatched way with words and I adore it.
September 11, 2016
I was hoping this would be better.
January 12, 2010
Having just reread From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (which I originally discovered in 4th or 5th grade), I was struck by the similarities between it and The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World (wow, Konigsburg's titles are quite a mouthful!). Written 40 years apart, both books vividly recreate the environments (New York City & Florida) where the author was living when she wrote them. In both stories, an elderly woman's treasure plays a key part in a young person's life. Both books are about art, emotional negotiation, and self discovery. Other than that, they're pretty different!
I have a hard time rating The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World. The audio narrator was outstanding, transitioning deftly between characters and accents (Southern in one breath, Dutch in the next!). Konigsburg writes so very well (two time Newbery winner, hello!), with subtle turns of phrase & nuance that take your breath away. I learned a bit about opera & antiques and even more about art during the Holocaust. I also thought a lot about integrity. It was a good book. But . . .
In The Mixed Up Files, Jamie says to his sister, "Make it complicated, Claude. I like complications." I think E. L. Konigsburg likes complications, too! The Mysterious Edge has too much history & philosophy for most middle grade readers. The plot is rather convoluted, and Amadeo & William are far more introspective and mature than any 11 year old boys I know. And while integrity is an appropriate theme for any age, Nazi persecution of homosexuals is not. Either Konigsburg missed her audience, or she never intended it to be a children's book.
I have a hard time rating The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World. The audio narrator was outstanding, transitioning deftly between characters and accents (Southern in one breath, Dutch in the next!). Konigsburg writes so very well (two time Newbery winner, hello!), with subtle turns of phrase & nuance that take your breath away. I learned a bit about opera & antiques and even more about art during the Holocaust. I also thought a lot about integrity. It was a good book. But . . .
In The Mixed Up Files, Jamie says to his sister, "Make it complicated, Claude. I like complications." I think E. L. Konigsburg likes complications, too! The Mysterious Edge has too much history & philosophy for most middle grade readers. The plot is rather convoluted, and Amadeo & William are far more introspective and mature than any 11 year old boys I know. And while integrity is an appropriate theme for any age, Nazi persecution of homosexuals is not. Either Konigsburg missed her audience, or she never intended it to be a children's book.
July 1, 2022
I loved this book.
For the writing.
And that is a rare and wonderful thing.
Unconventional similes dot the pages. I first noticed it when “William raised his shoulder slowly and tilted his head slightly like a conversational semicolon before continuing.” But they're everywhere.
Little gems of wisdom pop up in unexpected places, and so are saved from being trite. I especially loved this one: "Friendship is a combination of art and craft. The craft part is in knowing how to give and how to take. The art part is in knowing when, and the whole process only works when no one is keeping track."
The characters are lifelike (just like Mixed Up Files and View from Saturday)--idiosyncratic, full of mistakes, affectations, disappointments and secrets...but still heroic in the ways they learn to listen to each other's stories.
So, while Mrs. Zender suggests that 90% of every person is hidden from view, Konigsburg manages to unveil another few percentage points with her impeccable craft.
For the writing.
And that is a rare and wonderful thing.
Unconventional similes dot the pages. I first noticed it when “William raised his shoulder slowly and tilted his head slightly like a conversational semicolon before continuing.” But they're everywhere.
Little gems of wisdom pop up in unexpected places, and so are saved from being trite. I especially loved this one: "Friendship is a combination of art and craft. The craft part is in knowing how to give and how to take. The art part is in knowing when, and the whole process only works when no one is keeping track."
The characters are lifelike (just like Mixed Up Files and View from Saturday)--idiosyncratic, full of mistakes, affectations, disappointments and secrets...but still heroic in the ways they learn to listen to each other's stories.
So, while Mrs. Zender suggests that 90% of every person is hidden from view, Konigsburg manages to unveil another few percentage points with her impeccable craft.
June 15, 2014
Such a disappointment... and definitely not appropriate for children younger than 8th grade!
September 27, 2023
Hard to follow. This book has way too many adult themes for being a kid’s book. Definite agenda with social engineering.
April 15, 2018
I book was really good. Two seemingly unrelated story lines weave together to show us how we are all connected.
Amedeo has moved to a new town as he begins to make friends he finds there is a mystery that connects him not only to his Godfather's family, but can be traced back to Nazi Germany.
Amedeo has moved to a new town as he begins to make friends he finds there is a mystery that connects him not only to his Godfather's family, but can be traced back to Nazi Germany.
December 8, 2011
Loved this book! I had read From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler when I was young and had neither a close library or internet access for library searches. So, I didn't read any more of her books for years. At some point I picked up The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place and really enjoyed it as well, but somehow didn't pick up on the fact that it was the same author. Today I read this book and put it all together, especially as it had a reference to and characters from The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place.
These books all contain quirky "down home" type characters, even if they aren't all southern or country people or small town people. This and the Mixed Up Files both contain a bit of a mystery at the end, but they're not by any means mystery books. They're just an unfolding of life. They remind me quite a bit of Fannie Flagg books.
Not much to warn you of. They have some talk about homosexuals, but I don't object to people choosing that lifestyle, I object to the obligatory gay character in a book as if we all have the obligatory gay neighbor or friend and the assumption in some books that we must all accept and embrace what should be considered totally normal, gay lifestyle. However, this just involves some basic facts, not a political tirade. I also object to descriptions of sexual acts and/or a lot of swear words or vulgarity. This book has none of those.
There is a little bit of history as well. I thought I had read about everything out there in regards to WW2 and Nazis, ok, not really, but I've read a lot, and I learned something new in this book about why the Nazis stole the art that they stole. Not just for financial gain, but the other reasons.
These books all contain quirky "down home" type characters, even if they aren't all southern or country people or small town people. This and the Mixed Up Files both contain a bit of a mystery at the end, but they're not by any means mystery books. They're just an unfolding of life. They remind me quite a bit of Fannie Flagg books.
Not much to warn you of. They have some talk about homosexuals, but I don't object to people choosing that lifestyle, I object to the obligatory gay character in a book as if we all have the obligatory gay neighbor or friend and the assumption in some books that we must all accept and embrace what should be considered totally normal, gay lifestyle. However, this just involves some basic facts, not a political tirade. I also object to descriptions of sexual acts and/or a lot of swear words or vulgarity. This book has none of those.
There is a little bit of history as well. I thought I had read about everything out there in regards to WW2 and Nazis, ok, not really, but I've read a lot, and I learned something new in this book about why the Nazis stole the art that they stole. Not just for financial gain, but the other reasons.
December 14, 2007
I admire Konigsburg's writing and plotting, and her willingness to attack unlikely and even uncomfortable issues, but perhaps she's attempted too much with this book.
The art mystery here is intriguing (and much better than that from Chasing Vermeer), and Konigsburg does a wonderful job bringing together the storylines from many different directions. The idea of art stolen by Nazis and recently being rediscovered seems very topical. However, I felt that bringing together two families, from two different sides of the stolen art saga, was not only incredibly coincidental, but maybe had a theme ringing a little deeper than could be handled in even a mature YA book.
One drawback to having won two Newbery Medals is the perceived need to follow up with something, better, stronger, deeper. Yet perhaps rather than focusing on the issues, more attention could be paid to the characters and situations.
Not my favorite Konigsburg book, and not a recommended book.
The art mystery here is intriguing (and much better than that from Chasing Vermeer), and Konigsburg does a wonderful job bringing together the storylines from many different directions. The idea of art stolen by Nazis and recently being rediscovered seems very topical. However, I felt that bringing together two families, from two different sides of the stolen art saga, was not only incredibly coincidental, but maybe had a theme ringing a little deeper than could be handled in even a mature YA book.
One drawback to having won two Newbery Medals is the perceived need to follow up with something, better, stronger, deeper. Yet perhaps rather than focusing on the issues, more attention could be paid to the characters and situations.
Not my favorite Konigsburg book, and not a recommended book.
March 18, 2015
A coming of age novel about friendship, trust, history, art history, and relationships. I adored Mixed-Up Files and found this book to be more complex. I appreciate that. Some reviewers knocked off stars in their ratings due to content dealing with homosexuality and Nazism and didn't think it was appropriate for middle grade readers. The beauty of YA lit is that topics such as these are a good way to start conversations with your child. I love YA novels and art history so this book was a delightful book.
February 18, 2009
So, this turned out to be a really great book. When it first started, I was like, where is this one going, but it picked up speed and wrapped up nicely.
Take two kids helping to clean out an old opera singer's estate (while she's still around), mix it with a museum curator organizing a showing of art banned by Hitler, and throw it all it the blender. Mix well. Yields a good result. Surprisingly tasty.
Take two kids helping to clean out an old opera singer's estate (while she's still around), mix it with a museum curator organizing a showing of art banned by Hitler, and throw it all it the blender. Mix well. Yields a good result. Surprisingly tasty.
November 15, 2009
I love From the Mixed... But This Book was NOT for a childrens section of a library. Homosexuality, sexual innuendo, abuse is mentioned briefly. I am sorry to those who hold other views, and I DO NOT agree with what the Nazi's did, but I'm with Carrie Prejean. Marriege and bf/gr are the way to go.
Changing the subject from a book: Is anyone else on goodreads doing NaNoWriMo?!??!? If so please reply!!!
Changing the subject from a book: Is anyone else on goodreads doing NaNoWriMo?!??!? If so please reply!!!
August 31, 2011
The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World combines the technicalities of estate liquidation with the history of Hitler's "Degenerate Art" and his practice of stealing and banning modern art. It is an interesting premise with intriguing jumps between present and future. I was interested in the history of Nazi confiscated art, but I felt the story was rather jumpy and just raced together at the end. Again my problem might be late night reading, but I wasn't as impressed as I hoped to be.
March 31, 2008
I desperately wanted to be Claudia in "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" when I was little. The prospect of being able to spend the night in a museum may have even influenced my choice of Art History as an undergrad. I guess I went into this book with the expectation of the same sort of magic, and whether due to my age or Konigsburg's, it just wasn't there.
January 5, 2018
Thought of the "The Berlin Boxing Club."
“Before you can be anything, you have to be yourself. That's the hardest thing to find.”
― E.L. Konigsburg
Two young men find who they really are and others around them as they try to do something heroic.
Found this to be a good mystery like book about the past of some characters.
“Before you can be anything, you have to be yourself. That's the hardest thing to find.”
― E.L. Konigsburg
Two young men find who they really are and others around them as they try to do something heroic.
Found this to be a good mystery like book about the past of some characters.
February 26, 2016
Konigsburg is a master. I appreciate how she plunges kids into serious characters encountering the serious forces of history but in a way that's funny and gripping. The final tie-it-in-a-bow scene was a bit labored but otherwise this was a great read.
March 4, 2013
I'm a sap---
February 20, 2021
What an unusual, captivating story: part mystery, part WWII memoir, part art history, part friendship tale. A couple of the less likeable characters slowly grew on me, unexpectedly, as their dignity and wisdom was gradually revealed. In fact, I don't really want to comment on the evolution of the characters or story, because it will give away some aspects of the surprises and mysteries!
Amedeo had seen Mrs. Zender behind the wheel of that car. He had watched her backing out of her garage. Top down, she twisted around in the driver's seat, kept one hand on the wheel and an elbow on the horn, and never looked in the rearview mirror and never slowed down until she was at the end of her driveway. The she stopped - paused, really - long enough to shift gears before zooming down Mandarin Road, scarves fluttering and squirrels scattering.
The writing is impeccable; Konigsburg has just the right touch of humor, just the right words to describe a character or an emotion, and just the right sense of pacing in her storyline. No wonder she's won multiple awards, including 2 Newbery awards.
William had many silences, just as he had many shrugs. Sometimes he entered a silence as if it were another language, and Amedeo would have to wait. This one was a silence from which William emerged slowly.
Many other reviewers have commented that this book seems too mature, and/or too abstract, in content for middle-school readers. It does seem to lean more toward a YA label than juvenile, in my opinion. I can tell you this: it is perfectly geared to this 57-year-old woman!
Mrs. Zender was in a full-length fox fur. The shoulders of her coat were so wide that anyone who did not know her might think she had forgotten to remove the hanger before putting it on. She wore white leather gloves up to her elbows, which had yellowed with age and stiffened with cold, and her fur hat [was) as wide as medium pizza.
I just finished rereading "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler" last month, and now think I may just have to commit to reading one of her books each month, until I've read them all!
Amedeo had seen Mrs. Zender behind the wheel of that car. He had watched her backing out of her garage. Top down, she twisted around in the driver's seat, kept one hand on the wheel and an elbow on the horn, and never looked in the rearview mirror and never slowed down until she was at the end of her driveway. The she stopped - paused, really - long enough to shift gears before zooming down Mandarin Road, scarves fluttering and squirrels scattering.
The writing is impeccable; Konigsburg has just the right touch of humor, just the right words to describe a character or an emotion, and just the right sense of pacing in her storyline. No wonder she's won multiple awards, including 2 Newbery awards.
William had many silences, just as he had many shrugs. Sometimes he entered a silence as if it were another language, and Amedeo would have to wait. This one was a silence from which William emerged slowly.
Many other reviewers have commented that this book seems too mature, and/or too abstract, in content for middle-school readers. It does seem to lean more toward a YA label than juvenile, in my opinion. I can tell you this: it is perfectly geared to this 57-year-old woman!
Mrs. Zender was in a full-length fox fur. The shoulders of her coat were so wide that anyone who did not know her might think she had forgotten to remove the hanger before putting it on. She wore white leather gloves up to her elbows, which had yellowed with age and stiffened with cold, and her fur hat [was) as wide as medium pizza.
I just finished rereading "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler" last month, and now think I may just have to commit to reading one of her books each month, until I've read them all!
August 15, 2021
★★★★☆ | four stars
like all e.l. konigsburg always is: fabulous. also artistic, imaginative, funny, and sUpER DaRK aCaDeMiA!! ✨✨✨
also, peter vanderwaal might be my favorite person in the history of the world. just thought i'd mention.
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pinterest section!
https://www.pinterest.com/chaoticdayd...
like all e.l. konigsburg always is: fabulous. also artistic, imaginative, funny, and sUpER DaRK aCaDeMiA!! ✨✨✨
also, peter vanderwaal might be my favorite person in the history of the world. just thought i'd mention.
_______________
pinterest section!
https://www.pinterest.com/chaoticdayd...
January 13, 2019
I think Konigsburg's writing process must include looking up archaic words that no one uses and building a story around them.
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August 5, 2022I love the work of E. L. Konigsburg, and when I did an event with the people making a musical of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I met Konigsburg's three children; when her son said this novel was his favorite, I realized that somehow I'd never read it.
December 8, 2021
I very much enjoyed this book. The art mystery is clever and beautifully written. I disagree that the subject matter is a little old for middle grades. As the boys in the book, kids these days understand more than we give them credit for. The audio I listened to was done by Edward Hermann, which made this even more of a thrill.
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March 13, 2011
I find that Konigsburg is an author who I can read again and again and again. Her stories are good. Her style is engaging. She's just good to read. What I like about this book are the main characters, Amedeo and William. They're an unlikely pair, but you see how well they work together. What I also like about this book is the deftness with which Konigsburg flows in and out of and blends multiple story lines. It really is rather genius. But I guess I'm not surprised at her skill.
And then there's her use of and approach to theme. It's a more subtle approach to the atrocities of Nazi Germany than you find in other books such as Number the Stars or Briar Rose or The Devil's Arithmetic (all of which I thought were wonderfully written). The Nazi story is underneath the primary story, but you're given the pieces of it throughout. And then, and I guess this is one of the reasons I liked it as I did, it doesn't focus solely on the Jewish element. Even more, what I liked is how Konigsburg took this element to translate it to the larger picture of identity and labels and love. I know I shouldn't spoil this marvelous moment in the book, but this was the most moving passage I've come across in a long while:
Anyway, this is a good book. A wonderful book. I recommend it.
And then there's her use of and approach to theme. It's a more subtle approach to the atrocities of Nazi Germany than you find in other books such as Number the Stars or Briar Rose or The Devil's Arithmetic (all of which I thought were wonderfully written). The Nazi story is underneath the primary story, but you're given the pieces of it throughout. And then, and I guess this is one of the reasons I liked it as I did, it doesn't focus solely on the Jewish element. Even more, what I liked is how Konigsburg took this element to translate it to the larger picture of identity and labels and love. I know I shouldn't spoil this marvelous moment in the book, but this was the most moving passage I've come across in a long while:
To me at fifteen years, that Pieter wore the Rosa Winkel was for me both a surprise and not a surprise.
Pieter was a homosexual, but he was much more than that. He was my brother, my parent, my guardian, my friend. . . .
It was the Nazis who made a label for Pieter. The Nazis made a label for everyone. Besides the Yellow Stars, they had triangles of brown for Gypsies and purple for Jehovah's Witnesses. The Nazis believed that if they know how you were born as a Jew or a Gypsy or a homosexual, they know everything about you and can make a label for it. But what did these labels tell you about the person who wore them? The Nazis did not have labels for kind and generous and brave and smart and a good friend and a good son and a good, good, good brother.
I had known my brother, Pieter, all of my life—all fifteen years of my life—and yet I did not know him. I knew only the parts that I could see through my eyes and feel in my heart. That was a lot, but the rest was like listening in the back-back room, where from behind the wall, you must guess at what you are seeing from what you are hearing, and the sounds, they are muffled.
The Nazis could never make a label for Pieter van der Waal. The Nazis knew about as much about Pieter van der Waal as the amount of him that the Rosa Winkel covered: a small flat Pink Triangle.
Anyway, this is a good book. A wonderful book. I recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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