Reading And Walking: From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Welcome to Reading and Walking, where I go for a stroll and attempt to listen to an entire audiobook. I’m going to review the book and show you what I saw on my walk. Simple, right? For this adventure, I chose to listen to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. I chose it because it won the Newbery Medal in 1968, and it’s short. The audiobook is 3 hours, 46 minutes. I knew I could walk for that long and finish the book in one afternoon.

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

Genre: Realistic middlegrade

Pages: 178 (3hr 46min audiobook)

Publication date: 1967

Content warning: Stealing, runaway children, mention of suicide
Available at: Amazon | Book Depository
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When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, 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. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Knowing her younger brother Jamie has money and thus can help her with a serious cash-flow problem, she invites him along.

Once settled into the museum, Claudia and Jamie find themselves caught up in the mystery of an angel statue that the museum purchased at auction for a bargain price of $225. The statue is possibly an early work of the Renaissance master, Michelangelo, and therefore worth millions. Is it? Or isn’t it?

Claudia is determined to find out. Her quest leads her to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the remarkable old woman who sold the statue, and to some equally remarkable discoveries about herself.

While listening to the book, I walked along Sulphur Gulch Trail. I know “Sulphur Gulch” sounds like an unpleasant place to walk, but there’s actually no sulfur in the gulch. The place got its name from the odd yellow rocks that explorers found in the area. I would have taken photos of the rocks, but I didn’t see any because mistakes were made. A really long time ago, mapmakers mixed up Sulphur Gulch with another nearby gulch. This is why double-checking your work is important, kids. Sulphur Gulch Trail does not actually go through Sulphur Gulch.

The majority of the trail winds through a town, which means I didn’t see much wildlife. I mostly saw the backsides of buildings. Apartment buildings, auto mechanics, grocery stores. Yeah, it’s not the most scenic place to explore. When I set out down the trail, it was about 60°F (15.5°C) and muggy from a night of rain and hail.

Apartments.

More apartments. This town has approximately one quadrillion apartments, and I walked past them all.

Artwork and an abandoned shopping cart under a bridge.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler stars eleven-year-old Claudia Kincaid and her younger brother, Jamie. The kids feel unappreciated by their parents and are sick of doing chores. They want to have adventures and be part of something important, so they run away and attempt to live inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This novel is like The Boxcar Children for upper-class urban kids in the 1960s. Claudia and Jamie have to figure out how to survive while avoiding museum security.

This novel would appeal to kids for the same reasons that The Boxcar Children does. I think most kids wonder what it would be like to live somewhere awesome without adult supervision. Claudia and Jamie learn that living on their own isn’t as fun as it sounds. They have to make food and do laundry, just like at home. You can’t run from chores.

I love the curiosity of the main characters. While they’re living in the museum, they join tour groups and ask thoughtful questions. Education is important to them. I also like that they want to make a difference in the world. When the museum acquires a mysterious new statue, they start a secret investigation to find out who sculpted it.

The book has funny moments that will keep kids engaged. Jamie carries around $24 dollars in loose change. The coins are so heavy that they keep pulling his pants down. The main characters have opposite personalities that lead to amusing conversations. Claudia is very logical, but she loves spending money. Jamie wants to keep his $24, but he enjoys creating “complications” that make life difficult.

I did see a few critters! These are swallow nests under a bridge. The ruler at the bottom of the photo is used for measuring flood heights. Gulches tend to flood often.

A brave (or stupid) prairie dog. This one barked and flailed around while its friends ran from me.

Since I’m an adult, I have quibbles with From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler that younger readers might not notice. First, we never get a good explanation of why Claudia chose the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She doesn’t seem overly interested in art until she sees the mystery statue. I’ve never been to New York, but I’m sure it has several elegant buildings. Why’d she choose that particular elegant building?

Second, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler’s motivations didn’t make sense to me. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but she gifts something extremely valuable to a couple of children who she just met.

Third, the child characters face no consequences for running away. The reader doesn’t get to see the reunion with their parents, and we never learn what happens when the kids get home. The kids know that their parents are frantically trying to find them, but they don’t care.

This is one of those books that I would have enjoyed more if I’d read it as a kid. I would have gotten wrapped up in the mystery and ignored everything else. I can see why so many children love this story. It’s about funny, independent kids trying to solve a mystery that will change the art world.

A railroad crossing for a railroad that doesn't exist anymore.

These clouds are about to rain on me . . . .

Yeah, I'm going to get drenched.

My walk down Sulphur Gulch Trail ended at a library. I didn’t plan to visit the library. It just happened because I seem to have an internal magnet that drags me to wherever books live. By the time I got to the library, I had walked through a rainstorm, so of course I had to go inside. I’m happy that libraries have low standards about who they let in because I was a mess. I was sweaty and soaked from the rain. I’m sure they were thrilled to have me pawing through their books.

My walk (plus library interlude) took over 4 hours. In that time, I finished a whole audiobook and walked nearly 9 miles (14.4 k). I spent the next day hobbling around on sore feet, but I’m ready to go reading and walking again.

The outdoors dried while I looked at books.

A statue near the library.

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What’s the farthest you’ve ever walked?