One Mixed-Up Night

by Catherine Newman

Two best friends on the run... to IKEA.

Frankie and Walter aren't really running away. Just like the kids in their favorite book, they are running to somewhere. Specifically, a massive furniture store. They've been obsessed with the Ikea catalog for years. So they make a plan, pack their backpacks, give their parents the sleepover switcheroo . . . and they're in.

One night all on their own, with no grown-ups or little brothers.

One night of couch jumping, pillow forts, and unlimited soda refills.

One night of surprises and twinkle lights and secrets they have been keeping--and waiting to share.

One unforgettable night in Ikea.

A tribute to the beloved classic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler! Only, instead of running away to the Metropolitan Museum, these kids are running away to somewhere a little more modern...

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Childrens, Adventure, Fiction, Grief

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2017

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, fluffy read about spending the night at IKEA! Walter & Frankie have been obsessing over the catalogues for years; it's the perfect place to take a breather. They make it clear they aren't running away, but rather towards something. Frankie feels that Walter hasn't been himself lately & is hoping that a trip with just the two of them will heighten his spirits. And what better place to rejuvenate at than the massive chain store? (No sarcasm here; I've only been to the physical store once & it was both one of the best/worst experiences of my life. I just found Frankie & Walter's descriptions of admiration so 👌👌. Newman does such a great job of capturing this.)

Of course there is a dash of heaviness when it's revealed Walter is still reeling from his father's death from brain cancer. He explains the grief & feeling the weight on his shoulders, something he most likely wouldn't have felt safe sharing had they not taken the trip. The trip doesn't happen without flaws, but I liked that it raised the issue of Walter to the surface, that the trip prompted him to be able to receive the help his family needed.

I enjoyed the interaction between Walter & Frankie & smiled at some comical moments. The pacing felt right, though it wouldn't have hurt to be longer. I do wish a bit more time had been spent on the families. (I especially loved the concept of Frankie's mom being a recipe tester/reviewer.) ONE MIXED-UP NIGHT is loosely based off of 'Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler' & this modernized tale makes for a nice addition in a MG collection.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This juvenile novel is (enchantingly) set at IKEA, and is a tribute to The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a kid's book from the 1960s about kids who run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The children in The Mixed-Up Files sleep in historical beds and fish coins out of the fountains to use in the vending machines to get food. When I was a child and loved The Mixed-Up Files, this sounded like the most beguiling plan. In One Mixed-Up Night, two 11-year-old friends, Walter and Frankie, a boy and a girl, hatch a plot to spend the night in IKEA. They're not running away, because their families are great, affectionate and funny. They just want to spend the night in the special magicness of IKEA (and really, who wouldn't). Also, Frankie wants to recapture some of the closeness with Walter that feels like it's gone missing while he grieves a loss.

This is a lovely book, fun, sweet and satisfying. I do reference and reader's advisory at the library, and I have the perfect patron for this book, so after I finished it, I put it on a shelf to save for her. She likes books about friendship and books that make her both laugh and cry, and this is perfect, warm and funny and occasionally sad. I also like to find her books like this one with protagonists who just happens to be people of color (as opposed to books that are mainly about their race) as she is black, and there are still so few books that offer that.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a tough one for me. As a fan of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I appreciated the premise but some of the plot drivers just didn't work for me. Two kids madly in love with Ikea really stretched my suspension of disbelief. I realize the author based these two off of her son and her son's best friend who actually did/do love Ikea so obviously my disbelief was wrong, but it still had me scratching my head throughout most of the story. 

I will give Newman props for creating some great characters. Frankie and Walter's friendship is wonderful and Frankie's voice as she tells this story, is fun to read. Their are some great moments, funny, poignant, and ridiculous, that strengthen Walter and Frankie's friendship and improve some things in their home lives as well. There is a nod to capitalism that, I'll admit, I wasn't fond of. Frankie's love of shiny new things had me gritting my teeth. ("Girls" plus "shopping" is never a winner for me.) But Newman does have the kids discussing what they call "the wanties", that pesky desire to have all the things, even if you don't need them. And, in the end, Frankie does downsize both her wants and her actual possessions.

A big issue for me, though, was the lack of consequences. Especially since Walter is black. Our society is less tolerant of black males in all circumstances, and yet Walter and his family seemed untouched by this truth. The kids do a decent amount of damage inside the store. I wasn't surprised that two sixth graders could damage Ikea as much as these two do, but the end result--a security guard cleaning up the mess and basically lying about what happened to some of the merchandise--felt, well, considerably white privileged. And while I would hope that adults the world over would be as understanding as all of the adults in this story are, I have less faith in corporations.

Sorry Ikea. I do love you. My house is lined with your BILLY bookcases. But I know you have security cameras, policies about shoplifting, and lawyers. 

So, yeah, too many moments of disbelief led to a less than stellar experience. I'm afraid I won't be talking this one up any time soon.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Catherine Newman really understands the tricky emotions of 6th graders, family dynamics, and our complicated feelings about IKEA.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a twist on The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler, best friends Frankie and Walter "run away" to spend the night in their most beloved place - IKEA. This is a fun adventure story coupled with an emotional undertone as the reader and the kids themselves begin to understand why they needed this night of adventure so badly.

Young readers who love the concept of kids spending a night on their own in a place they're not supposed to be will dig this. Personally, it stressed me out a little bit ("You kids are NOT SUPPOSED to be doing that!!") and I think the ending was pretty romanticized. This also might be a good choice for kids dealing with grief or who have friends dealing with grief.

[D.J. Sylvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I'm glad I read this. I was expecting it to be fun (I'm a huge, HUGE fan of Mixed-Up Files), but I didn't expect it to be so deep and moving and ... just go read it. Now. Like, now. <3

[Kit Feral · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was completely ridiculous and adorable.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? I love a book about kids staying in places they're not supposed to overnight.

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should actually be 1 star but anyway. Has the author even been to IKEA!!!??? I wanted to love the story but so much was fantasy and then she slams us with dad's brain cancer and a gay, sympathetic security guard that lets the kids almost light the store on fire.

IKEA does not have:
pink cake
sofas on the wall
open toilet displays
hanging kids chairs
etc. etc. etc.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I woke up last night at two a.m. feeling too hot and I knew that my husband enjoying his just right temperature. So I decided to finish One Mixed UP Night by Catherine Newman in the livingroom with the ceiling fan going strong. There were two friends, both six graders who had known each other from kindergarten who thought of themselves as Nerds. They had a passion for a well known furniture chain store.

The two, Frankie (a girl) and Walter plan an overnight stay at the store and have a lifetime of different adventures and reveal their secrets to each other.

This not telling you much of what happened, that is for you to discover but one of the best things things in this book is that the author lets the kids think about the consequences and also discuss some very serious topics in their lives. The writing is spot on but I loved reading the thoughts of the kids.

I received this Advanced Reading Copy by making a selection from Amazon Vine books but that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in this review. I also posted this review only on sites meant for reading not for selling.

[Tory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This charming, funny book is a love letter to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by way of IKEA -- or is it the other way around? Whichever way you choose to look at it, it was a fast, fun read, with GREAT voice and tone. I loved the writing style; the dialogue was authentic; the characters were realistic; and Zeke, the toddler, was hilarious. I know I've already used the word "charming," but it just WAS! It's the kind of book that you'll breeze through in a couple hours (I think it actually only took me one) in bed on a lazy morning and finish with a nice long stretch and a big ol' grin. I can't wait to send my ARC off to my mom for her to read it! I'm also going to be looking for more of Catherine Newman's work, since her voice was just plain easy-breezy and fun.

(Plus, in the thank-yous, Newman mentions her cat, Craney Crow, which I can only assume is a nod to Elizabeth Enright's Gone-Away Lake. HEART EYES!)

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the surface this is the story of two upper middle class kids in love with IKEA. So much so that they plot to spend a night in the store after their parents take them shopping. But as we all know there is more to a story than meets the eye. While they discover all the joys that IKEA has to offer after hours, we discover that Frankie and Walter's lives aren't as joyful as we might think. We also discover that they aren't alone in that IKEA. A quick and engaging read for kids who've ever dreamed of spending the night exploring some place, or who enjoy stories about kids who overcome challenges.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet little read, with so much of Catherine Newman's charm baked in. I ding it a little just because the ending wraps up a little too easily (the kids either needed to have a smaller impact on Ikea and have it end as it did, or they needed to face a little higher consequence for the impact they did have), but it was just a fun, quick read and very moving at times. Also, my son and I are reading this right at a time when we're doing a lot of Ikea furniture shopping, so it's very relevant to us :)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun twist on the Mixed Up Files story. Two friends who love IKEA run away for a night at the store and have many adventures. It is a tale of two friends who have weathered a lot together including the death of one of the children's fathers from cancer.

[marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just so sweet and delightful and smart. Catherine Newman is the best. These two kids stole my heart.

[Genise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 13 year old. We both really enjoyed it.

[Abby Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this. A love letter to friendship, the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler and IKEA. What more could you want?

[Allie Rebenstock · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - cute easy quick read to help get me to good reads goal :)

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very intriguing, and I wanted to read it since FOREVER! I loved all the scary moments, and I would recommend this for 4-6 graders.

[Rachel Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my daughter. Suppose my nostalgia for that provided some bias for my rating… plus I love this author, plus it was great for a middle years book 🤪

[Joy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good for 4th-6th grade...Staying overnight in Ikea is cute idea for a story line for an adventure, but it's also a very tender way to incorporate the topic of a friend who's father has died. As I got to the middle of it, I was wondering how it would end, so I loved the way it ended.

[Yamile Méndez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Catherine's writing. The writing in this story is superb, as expected. The characterization wasn't on point in my opinion though. I wonder why the author chose to make Walter a biracial kid, but didn't consider the ramifications for a biracial family when the one who dies is the white parents. I also wondered if the author really considered how the consequences for a toddler pooping in a display bathroom at IKEA, or his brother staying at the store overnight when the kids in question are black. Not every book has to address "the struggle," but I felt like the author added this element to jump on the diversity bandwagon without thinking how the detail of the characters race affects several aspects of the story. For this reason, I didn't love it, and was, to tell the truth, really disappointed in the execution of a wonderful concept.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

any book that pays homage to e.l. konigsberg's from the mixed up files has a lot to live up to and this book does not do it. the last 1/4 tries to redeem itself as it delves into the characters a bit more, but too late.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about stowing away inside IKEA! Great tale of friendship and support. Also includes a nice lesson about how to relate to the adults in your life (for a kid). Recommend more for grades 4-6.

[Jennie K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt and adorable story about, yes, Ikea, but more deeply, about friendship, family, and loss. Newman nails a lot of feelings here. I can't imagine this sweet, fun adventure not appealing to the majority of middle-graders.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a heartfelt novel. Very much about the value of listening and about continuing to try to be friends. Also, just plain fun.

[Jvermeersch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last weekend I got an email that I had won a sleepover in an Ikea showroom in a recent contest. Call me silly, but spending a night at Ikea is something I had been wishing for for ages.
So I selected this novel because I could relate: I was as euphoric about this prospect as the children in this novel.

I expected a simple story about guilty pleasures.
But it had much more emotionel depth than I expected.
It was cute, joyful, heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, dealing with each character's family situation and their parents' quirks, how it is for a kid to start drifting away from your childhood best friend or to lose a parent to cancer.
Perhaps a few too many references to other popular culture, which will make it outdated sooner.
But overall very, very well written.
And the Ikea setting is integrated into the story lines to perfection, meanwhile described exactly as Ikea is in real life.
A quick read. Easily read on 2 days. Will recommend this to my children as soon as their English language mastery is sufficiently strong.

Things their sleepover and mine had in common:
- Swedish meatballs and pie for dinner
- spending a night in an Ikea showroom with a childhood best friend
- my parents' non-understanding of wanting to sleep in a showroom and perception of potentially involved risks.

My sleepover in the end was of course very different from their experience as mine was fully legal and part of an organized event, moreover including:
- 20 other participants and 5 staff members
- a goody bag
- a race to make your bed as quickly as possible, find certain objects, do an announcement over the intercom, dive for treasure in the children's ball pit
- a bingo session
- watching automated flying drones taking inventory in the dark self-service storehouse
- getting lost multiple times attempting to reach our "room" using unofficial shortcuts
- noisy airplanes taking off near the warehouse early in the morning
- a yoga session
- breakfast

Not experienced during my sleepover, luckily, even though I found these enjoyable reading:
- playtime in all sections of the store, unauthorized use of products, furniture crashing down a wall, furniture joyrides, improvised extreme sports, flooding, fire, having my parents being summoned to pick me up.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sixth graders Frankie and Walter have been best friends ever since they can remember. They have many things in common, including their love for the IKEA furniture store and its products, but they are clearly friends and not involved in some romantic entanglement. But Frankie is concerned about Walter whose father died of brain cancer last year. Despite her best efforts, it seems as though Walter is not himself, and she wishes he'd talk to her about his concerns. Frankie herself has her own issues. Although she loves her family dearly, she's also like to have some privacy and a doorknob for her bedroom so that she can decide who comes or goes. Inspired by their beloved From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the twelve-year-old friends concoct a plan to spend the night in the store without their parents' knowledge in partial celebration of Walter's birthday. At first, they explore the store, trying out all the beds, and jumping on the pillows, but then, they grow increasingly bold, climbing onto furniture hanging in midair and wreaking havoc in the store. I wasn't exactly sure how things were going to turn out or be cleaned up, but thanks to a kind-hearted security guard, they escape much punishment. Both spill their secrets, and life goes on, but both are grateful to know that they have each others' backs. Another reviewer mentioned the lost opportunity to explore how it might feel to be a biracial son whose African-American father has died, leaving him to be raised by a white mother, and I would agree. That issue could have been woven into Walter's struggles or just touched on gently. I enjoyed the book, but I would have liked a lot more--and I was freaking out with all the mess they were leaving for some poor worker to clean up the next morning. Their fun would be someone else's labor, which didn't feel right to me. And the references to Frankie's collections could have been built on a bit more; after all, there is nothing wrong with collecting things, but there is more to life than what we own, a point made in the book.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book that falls apart a little towards the end. The premise is that Walter and Frankie are sixth graders who have been friends pretty much forever, but after something awful happens in Walter's life, he grows distant from Frankie. In hopes of cheering him up and getting her best friend back, Frankie conspires with Walter to spend the night at the local Ikea, a la From the Mixed Up Files. Over the course of the night, Frankie reveals that Walter is dealing with his father's death (which I had a pretty good guess about well before the reveal), how it has affected her too, and tries to help him feel better. The friends get up to some wacky antics, including climbing up displays of sofas, trying to fill up a bathtub to have a beach party, and even making a zip line in the warehouse. The latter thing was where the novel lost me a little because it felt completely unrealistic and incredibly unsafe. It's a neat fantasy but it doesn't really gel with the tone the book had previously established. Unlike the book this is modeled after, there's no villainous plot for the kids to thwart - in fact, they manage to cause a fair bit of property damage in their night. Thankfully all the adults are relatively understanding, and there's a nice bit where the security guard who finds them can understand because she ran away from home because her family was homophobic. I will say that while some of the physical actions Frankie and Walter take are kinda unrealistic, their feelings and how they deal with them feel very true to life. I think this would be a great book for a kid around this age dealing with loss and grief, either their own or that of a friend. As an adult, I thought it was a kinda cute book, and it makes me want to reread the original Mixed-Up Files cause I haven't read it since I was a kid. I can't recommend it very strongly, since it's not especially revolutionary or thrilling, but it's a fun little book and reading it was a nice way to pass a few hours.

[Kevin Hogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the tribute to E. L. Konigsburg's classic. While some reviewers have a hard time fathoming two kids actually wanting to spend the night in Ikea, I had no problem believing it. Ikea has never been a big part of my life, but I'm sure almost anyone could name a store that they've dreamed of having to themselves. This is definitely a fun adventure--perhaps more destructive than I would have guessed, but I didn't mind it raising the stakes.

I'll admit that I was hoping it would stay light and funny, and quite a bit of the story was more serious than I had anticipated. I thought it was handled pretty well, though. It ended up making a lot of sense as the plot unraveled. The suspense was good, and many chapters ended with a cliffhanger that kept me reading later into the night than I had planned.

I wished that the adventure itself would pick up sooner, as it felt like it took a while to get there. Like other reviewers have commented, I'm also still unsure about the ending. With that said, I'm not sure what I would have wanted done differently? A heavy, sad ending with the kids having major consequences? Sure, it might not be true to life, but I thought the ending brought together some important topics and tried to meet in the middle--consequences, but not ending the book with devastating punishments. I'm reading it for fun, so I'm just fine for a happier ending than other reviewers think would have been appropriate.

One more comment that might be a bit of a spoiler, so I'll tag it here: I really appreciate how Newman resisting any urge to transform the friendship into a romantic relationship. The characters are great friends, and I didn't want to see them end up changing everything just to buy into the cliché of "they suddenly realized that one is a boy and one is a girl."