From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler in Never too Late to Read Classics

Jun 01, 2017 midnightfaerie rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrens, classics

A beautiful story about a brother and sister running away and deciding to live at the metropolitan museum of art. They get embroiled in a mystery about who's the creature of an angel statue. Read from the first person point of view narrative of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, it gives a different kind of insight into the children's motives and behaviors since we are really seeing the events from the outside. The book is unique and heartwarming, and I especially enjoyed the relationship between the br A beautiful story about a brother and sister running away and deciding to live at the metropolitan museum of art. They get embroiled in a mystery about who's the creature of an angel statue. Read from the first person point of view narrative of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, it gives a different kind of insight into the children's motives and behaviors since we are really seeing the events from the outside. The book is unique and heartwarming, and I especially enjoyed the relationship between the brother and the sister, which reminded me of the spats and moments I had with my siblings as a child. Being a homeschooling mom, I try to read the books with my kids so we can discuss. This was one of those books. I believe the biggest thing that attributes to it being a classic is how it relates and portrays the human condition. In a very simple but elegant way it denotes how we are all searching for something for ourselves. Something like Claudia's secret. Something only we know that no one else does that makes us feel special. I also feel that E.L. Konigsburg's view on education is a good one - learning without speculation is meaningless. We have to take what we learn and figure out how we can use it and apply it to our own lives. While this might not necessarily be a new concept, I believe it's portrayed in a unique enough way to give it additional credence to being a classic. It does and will have longevity in that it's a book that I believe will be enjoyed through the ages. So it's a children's classic that I highly recommend. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes.

After hearing Claudia pronounce that everyone should learn one new thing a day, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler replied,

" No," I answered, "I don't agree with that. I think you should learn, of course, and some days you must learn a great deal. But you should also have days when you allow what is already in you to swell up inside of you until it touches everything. And you can feel it inside you. If you never take time out to let that happen, then you just accumulate facts, and they begin to rattle around inside of you. You can make noise with them, but never really feel anything with them. It's hollow."

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Sep 11, 2018 Audrey rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018-books, audiobooks, drama-romance-contemporary

This was written in 1967ish, and I can see why it holds its own through the years. There are some humorous moments and an interesting plot and good characters. The writing is great. I was just kind of bored through much of it. I’m not 12, and I’m not from the 60s.
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Dec 09, 2016 Nancy added it

I had fun listening to this book, as I addressed our Christmas cards. A brother and sister run away from home, and hide out in the New York Metropolitan Museum. They share all the money they have, and buy tickets to get to New York City. The sister plans what they will do, and the brother handles the money. They sleep, clean up, and explore the museum after it closes. There is a sculpture of an angel, that is thought to be a work of Michael Angelo. They set out to learn all they can about the an ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Nancy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children, children-s-book, good-reads-lds-challenge, 20th-century-challenge

This was a fun book, that I listened to on my MP3 player. Two children ran away from home, and found their way to New York City, and to the Metropolitan Museum, where they stayed. They focused on a statue of an angel, and tried to confirm the artist who did the work. It was fun seeing how they lived, and the adventures they had a long the way. I liked the narration.

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Apr 05, 2018 Audrey rated it liked it

Thoroughly enjoyed Claudia and Jamie's adventures at the Metropolitan Museum. Reading this book, I felt like I was staying in the museum myself. That being said, I did not like Claudia's behavior at all. I could not connect with her throughout the story and I felt like she was whiny and annoying. I thought her claim that she has to run away from home due to injustice is slightly over dramatic. I wish there was a more solid reason for running away. However, I love Jamie and I'm glad he was there ...more

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