from the mixed-up blogs of lyme kedic

Uh oh. Once again I blogged the individual book instead of group book. So sorry. Moving on. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg comes in at number two on my list of the best books read so far in this class. Granted, nothing has really compared to Tuck Everlasting, but this book is definitely a quality read. Konigsburg succeeds in the same way as Babbitt does in that they both transport the young reader to alternate realities. They lift the reader out of the mundane into an imaginative exciting reality; Babbitt, with the supernatural idea of immortality, Konigsburg with a more based in reality idea of two children living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although I am a little uncomfortable with the way the book almost romanticizes running away from home, I do appreciate the adventurous spirit of its main character, Claudia. The book was written in 1972, but I think the age helps more than hinders its success with young readers today. I think readers would appreciate Claudia’s and her younger brother, Jamie’s desire to explore and learn in the real world instead of the almost virtual education and exploration children experience today. Reading this book could motivate children to walk away from the computer and ask their parents to take them to see some art or any other adventure they may think of.