Literature Guide: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

by Terry Cooper

Introduce your students to these award-winning books with these engaging teaching guides. Each guide includes an author biography, background information, summaries, thought-provoking discussion questions, as well as creative, cross-curricular activities and reproducibles that motivate students.

Genres: Childrens, Realistic Fiction

16 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

another oldie but goodie :-) kids run away to the Met in NYC and all their adventures......... (gears towards Youth)

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Um, I couldn't find the goodreads listing for the orginal book--what's up with that?)

While the good parts of this book were just as good as I vaguely remembered from 5th grade--the bathing in the fountain and sleeping on historic furniture and all that "how we lived" adventure that appealed to me in that "Hatchet" and "My Side of the Mountain" way--my 21st century sensibilities told me that maybe the moral of "it's fun to keep secrets from the parents" was too dangerous for kids growing up in the same world as all those pedophile/incest books I was reading earlier this summer.

[Lizzie Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to live in the MET and swim in the fountains. This is a childhood classic.

[Katherine Relf-canas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just prior to Olivia's first trip to Manhattan, we read this book together. It was exciting to anticipate going to the Met ourselves as we read through this fascinating book. I think I would have enjoyed it as a 12-year-old. I loved art. And, I loved running away. That still holds up after decades of living. I still love those things, and so will most readers. Museum-hounds will especially enjoy it. On another personal note, the movie version of the film features a prop made by an artist I met in the Bay Area when he was teaching at BACAA, one of the country's premier venues for studying classical realism. Ted Seth Jacobs told me about how he was allowed to create a copy of the original drawing of the Angel by Michelangelo. This drawing features in the book and they needed to include it in the film version as well. But, they certainly couldn't let the original be handled by the cast lest it be damaged. So, Ted copied it. When the copy was complete, the museum made sure they registered it as a copy for fear that it would be mistaken for a Michelangelo original. During our trip to the Met, we all got lost from one another and couldn't reach each other due to bad phone reception for awhile. This was quite fitting (life imitating art) as this is a story of children adventuring on their own. There are a few spots that were a bit shocking such as the kids discussing drugs. Guess it was an attempt to reflect what was going on during the era in which it was written, those crazy times! 1967. The author uses an interesting device. The narrator pulls you in with a few unexplained comments, and we are snooping in on a communication she has written to the executor of her will. She's kind of alluding to having no patience for him either; she finds him insufferable. You start wondering why. You have to wait to find out. Kind of a sophisticated tale for kids. It includes a map of the Met. It's 110 degrees in New York today or thereabouts. I'm sure the Met is full of people trying to escape the heat. I recommend an iced coffee from the Dean & DeLucca just a few blocks away. I also recommend not taking a bath in the fountain. I am sure the security technology in place these days would prohibit even the savviest of children from pulling such a stunt these days. So, kids, don't try this. By the way, some museums let you pay $150 or so to sleep overnight. I'm sure this book had something to do with starting that trend.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must have read this 20 times growing up, definitely one of my favorites. Claudia is so mature and smart.

Claudia is extremely bored with her normal routine. She wants to feel different and grown-up. She convinces her younger brother Jamie to run away with her. Claudia has the plan, and Jamie has the piggy bank, so together they should make a great team. They take the train from their small Connecticut town into New York City, where they take up residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Living at the museum is harder than you'd think. They have to hide from security guards, take baths in strange places, and they're on a fixed income. But they have plenty of time to admire and learn about art. Claudia becomes transfixed by one statue in particular, called Angel. Claudia suspects it was created by the famous artist Michelangelo, and she is determined to solve the mystery and find out the truth.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my older niece when she was twelve because she was having a restless year. I remember reading this book for the first time when I was at an age of rebellion. As a child you have moments where you want to reject the rules and say, "I could just pack up and live at the mall!" This story lets you have that experience (the girl and her little brother live in an art museum) but they have a hard time keeping up the adventure. Bathing in the water fountain, unlocking the mystery of "Angel" and meeting the elusive Mrs. Frankweiler, I think every kid should read this book at the time in their lives when they want to run away with the gypsies. ;0)

[Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives me the same sense of adventure now as it did back in the fourth grade. Even as a 24 yr old, who wouldn't want to run away from home for a few days? I read this when I find myself wanting to escape my responsibilities. It gives me just enough excitement to help me get through the remaining work week. I can see how some don't like the message that it sends that it's fun and exciting to run away from your parents, but at the same time it is an honest portrayal of many young children's fantasies. It will definitely be one I encourage my kids to read one day.

[Merinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story. I loved the conclusions and the author's reasons for why these children ran away in the first place. In a way, this story teaches how, though we may be different, we are able to become a team with someone else. We still squabble, but we are on the same page working towards the same end.

[Alissa Faust · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remembered this being better...It was still a cute story and the idea of running away to a museum would probably appeal to many younger readers, but it wasn't my favorite. It felt like something was missing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

[Kerry Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot count how many times I have read this book. While I frequently had ideas to run away as a child, I would never have imagined something as grand as running away to a museum. Even as a adult I am amused and intrigued, and no matter how many times I read it, I still love love love it!

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I hadn't read this, so I finally picked it up one night, and I think I DID read it a long time ago, when I was a kid. Pretty solid kid's caper novel, and though the setting is dated I don't think it will bother kids.

[Sojin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good.
Sojin

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really good book. IT had great writing and a great plot. It was a little juvinile for me but i still loved it :D

[Lizz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing fantastic about this book. Some parts seem to unrealistic. Other parts are pretty entertaining.

[B.szoke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this back in 4th grade. Good book that brings back many fond memories.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like the book. I had to read it for school.

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not the classic running away and hiding out in the woods but where 2 children run away and hide out in the metropolitan mueseum of art. It's a great book.

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son LOVED this story. I think I read it to him a few hundred times. Each one better than the last.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. I haven't read this book in over 20 years, but enjoyed it again. The story is timeless.

[Katheryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for lesson planning on this book. Super ideas.