This beloved classic turned 50 years old in 2017 and has never been out of print.
In this winner of the Newbery Medal from E.L. Konigsburg, when suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away from her home in Connecticut, she knows she doesn’t just want to run from somewhere, she wants to run to somewhere—to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and, preferably, elegant.
Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away…so she decided not to run FROM somewhere, but TO somewhere. And so, after some careful planning, she and her younger brother, Jamie, escaped — right into a mystery that made headlines!
About the Author:
Elaine Lovel (E.L.) was born in Manhattan in 1930, but grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. As a stay-at-home mom of three, she began writing while the kids were at school. She raised her family in the suburbs of NYC and they often ventured into the metropolis. According to Smithsonian.com, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was a common destination for the children while Ms. Konisburg took art lessons in the city. Art lessons certainly paid off as the author illustrated Mixed Up Files herself. When Mixed Up Files won the 1968 Newbery Medal, E.L. achieved a goal unmet by any other author – another of her novels also won Honor Book. Ms. Konisburg died in April of 2013.
Novel Destinations to Pair with the Book:
If you are close enough to New York City, you simply must visit the actual museum featured in the book, the world famous Metropolitan Museum of Art, affectionately referred to as the Met. While you won’t find any payphones or automats at the Met these days, you’ll still be able to experience the same wonder that inspired a classic. But, if you really want to see what the Met looked like when Claudia was roaming around inside, check out the Hideaways, a movie based on the book. It was the very first feature film ever filmed inside the Met, circa 1973. According to the NY Times, the Metropolitan granted the request for use of its premises “because of the integral role of the museum in the film, the warmth and charm of the story, and the educational aspects of the film.” That’s quite different from how the American Museum of History thought of filming Relic in its museum.
P.S. If you are a fan of museums and looking for more novel destinations and literary pairings, you’ll enjoy these novels set in museums around the world.
Buy From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler on Amazon here or pick up a copy at your nearest library!
