From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg


(This book jot is from June of 2021) I finished reading From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1967) by E.L. Konigsburg a few days ago. It’s a children’s novel I remember seeing around when I was a kid but had never read.

It was an enjoyable book with some good humor and funny banter between the two main characters, who are siblings. They run away together and live for a while in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s a story of self-discovery, as Claudia learns more about herself, her motivations, and the importance of one’s interior life.

At times I wanted the story to be more developed in places, but then again I’m an adult reading it. I very much enjoyed the character of Mrs. Frankweiler, who is the narrator of, and eventual character in, the story. She is likeable and intriguing, while projecting the appearance of being slightly eccentric.

Do any of you remember this book from your childhood?