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

Mrs. Frankweiler an elderly woman is writing a letter to her busy lawyer, where she explains her wishes to make some changes to her testament. It seems like she have a secret to reveal. On the other hand, there is a story of Claudia and his brother Jamie Kincaid. She is twelve and he is nine, but she is planning an escape from her house to the Museum of Art in New York City. The first reason to leave her house is because she feels a lot of injustices against her in comparison with her brothers.

Claudia decides to involve her brother to her plan, and he accepts excited. One Wednesday, when they supposed to go to their music lesson, both hide on the school’s bus and then take a train. Claudia mails a letter to her parents explaining that they leave the house for their will and no to call the FBI.

They have a reduced budget; as a result they have to walk on the New York streets instead to take a taxi. When they arrive at the museum, the children multitude allows them to get into, then the plan is check out and re-enter for an alternative door. The museum closes its doors and they remain hidden inside the museum successfully.

They begin to explore the museum and find a luxury bed where they decide to fall asleep. The night watchman walk by the aisles, but he does not realize they are there. The next day morning, they back to the restrooms where they hide again while the museum opens its doors. A janitor stumble upon Jamie in the restrooms, but the museum is already open, so Jamie leaves the restroom carefree.

Claudia and Jamie decide to explore a different art gallery every day. They are excited learning about international art, and then they read an article on The New York Times about a statue called Angel, located there into the museum. They notice that the statue is property of a wealthy widow, called Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but they do not notice there is an announcement about two lost children.

After three days they go out to the laundry to wash their clothes. The next stop is in the New York Public Library to read more about the statue. Claudia and Jamie are so hungry, that they spend some money in a huge meal before to go back to the museum. Once they are inside again, they take a shower in a fountain; suddenly they see many coins into the fountain and do not hesitate in take some.

On Sunday morning, they go to see the statue again and notice a symbol that they saw in one book at the library. Claudia is very interested in the statue and she want to find the meaning of that symbol. They go back to the museum bookstore and discover that the symbol is a sign of the artist Michelangelo. Claudia and Jamie want to reveal their finding, and type a letter to the director of the museum.

Claudia and Jamie rent a post office box to stay in contact with the person who would receive the letter. They want to remain anonymous, and they need to find a way to deliver the letter. Jamie hear some familiar voices, there are his classmates visiting the museum.

The siblings decide that could be an opportunity for Jamie to deliver the letter as a student of that class, following instructions of his teacher. Jamie accomplishes the mission, and he go outside the museum with his sister. They opt to tour the city, and then stop by the post office. Finally, they have a letter; it seems like the museum already knows who the creator of the statue was. Also, they explain there is missing some evidence and experts are coming to investigate.

Claudia is disappointed with the answer, but they decide to return at home.  At the last moment, she decided to purchase tickets to Farmington, Connecticut, to visit Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. She argues to Jamie that she must know more information about her statue, and they want to hear more about it. They arrive to their destiny and take a taxi to Mrs. Frankweiler’s house.

Mrs. Frankweiler have a huge mansion; Claudia and Jamie are allowed to enter with the argument of seek some information about art possessed by Mrs. Frankweiler. The butler guides them to the study, where they talked to her and were discovered as the children who ran away from home. First, they talk about art, and then they end up talking about their disappearance. Mrs. Frankweiler offers them a warm bath and a delightful dinner, she want to know how they can spend an entire week away from home. Jamie prefers that Claudia give the details, he just can say they are broken, and cannot return to home.

Mrs. Frankweiler suggests to the children to call their parents, but Claudia is not agreeing with that idea. Claudia only wants to know information about the angel statue, so Mrs. Frankweiler takes them to her study and let them there to find some papers about it. Claudia finds the file with the design of the angel and the signature of Michelangelo. Mrs. Frankweiler offers the file to them in return of information about their feat inside the museum. Claudia thinks the sketch could be helpful to the investigators at the museum, but Mrs. Frankweiler doesn’t care about it. The elderly woman says to them she never had children and cannot imagine how their mother feels.

The siblings spent the night in the mansion talking about their stay in the museum, when their mother calls desperate for their children. Mrs. Frankweiler promises her to return the children safe and sound by the morning. Mr. Saxonberg probably tells her, there was a relationship between him and the children. He is their grandfather. When the children were on their way to home, they talked about visit again to Mrs. Frankweiler and adopted her as a grandmother. Mrs. Frankweiler is delighted with her decision and want to Mr. Saxonberg to rewrite her will on her testament. Also, confirming the relationship between him and the children, and the secret that she only knows.

1967 by E.L. Konigsburg

Main characters:

Claudia Kinkaid: girl twelve years old creator of the adventure
Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: rich widow
Jamie Kinkaid: sister of Claudia
Saxonberg: lawyer of Mrs. Frankweiler
The Kinkaid Family: Parents of Claudia and Jamie

Tale: a narrative that relates the details of some real or imaginary event, incident, or case; story.

Feat: a noteworthy or extraordinary act or achievement, usually displaying boldness, skill, etc.

Butler: the chief male servant of a household, usually in charge of serving food, the care of silverware, etc.

Counterfeiter: made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine;

Tease: to irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling raillery, or other annoyance, often in sport.

Snatch: to make a sudden effort to seize something, as with the hand; grab (usually followed by at).

Humble: having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.:

Lullaby: a song used to lull a child to sleep; cradlesong.

I recommend it to ESL students because is not complex and is not bored.

Also, it has a little of real facts of the art history.