From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Have you ever wondered about running away from home? Well, Claudia did. And she planned her escape very carefully. She would take one of her brother's, Jamie with her. They would both live very comfortably at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She would be gone long enough to teach her parents a lesson. Everything went as planned. Then, Claudia set her eyes on a beautiful angel sculpture. Everyone wants to find out who made "Angel". Claudia is determined to find out the maker of it. The answer lies with the former owner of the statue, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Join Claudia and Jamie on their adventure to solve the mystery!
I liked the book very much. The adventure in the story was exciting. I can relate myself to some characters in the book such as Claudia. We both plan very carefully for anything and we both know what it feels like to be the oldest child in the family. I was surprised to find out that Jamie gambles and cheats (so much for an innocent boy). There were some things that I didn't like in the book. For example, it didn't tell you from whose point of view the story was written from. You found out in the middle of the book. Also, some parts of the story were confusing. I had to read those parts more than two times.
As you go on reading the book you have the urge to finish the whole story to find out the answer. It's hard to put the book down in the middle of the story. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and mystery books. Boy or girl, big or small, this is a great book to read.

-Namrata Garg

Like many of the reviewers here, I read this book as a child and loved and remembered it. I grew up and now I work at the Met and I have gotten the book for my kid.

When I told my kids the basic idea of this story, they were excited. When they heard it, they were mesmerized. They enjoyed it so much, we had to extend a bedtime so that they could hear the end. Very well done.

I loved this book at age 10 and just gave it to my 8 year old niece. It is a G-rated mystery about a sister and brother who "run away" from sub-urban Connecticut and hide out in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. How they get there and hide out inside is entertaining. Along the way, they get involved in a mystery. No violence, no sex, very innocently entertaining. It was written in the 1960's so the setting might be somewhat dated to the text-messaging 10-year-olds of today. I would set that aside if I was you - it is a fun read for a young person who has moved on from "childrens books" but it not ready for Young Adult fiction.

I read this when i was about 9 or 10. I thought it was amazing. I loved how the author describes Michaelangelo's "David." This book is one of the first teach me how to enjoy amazing literature, and not just read the book, but analyze it's meaning.

Enjoy,
Loran