There are certain, special books that I don't want to give up once finished. I guess to prolong the separation and perhaps to somehow physically absorb whatever magic it possesses, I'll find myself pressing my palms against the book, sandwiching it. It doesn't happen very often. But it did happen with this book.

I had never read this book growing up. But I'm so glad that I finally got around to it.

What is it that makes this book so wonderful? Let's begin with Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler's clever narration. Her voice(like the character) is frosty and matter-of-fact but only on the surface. There's also a warm undercurrent that shows the esteem she has for these kids and their adventure.

Then add to that the relationship between Claudia and her brother Jamie. It's terrific and so well done. Like many siblings, their dynamic is a balancing act between affection and irritation, respect and disdain.

And then you've got the "cool factor" to the story: Who hasn't thought about interacting, let alone living, with the artifacts in a museum? The author clearly respects kids, a must if you want to create decent children's literature. By allowing Claudia and Jamie to treat not only the Met but New York City as their home and playground (and not get caught) exemplifies Konigsburg's apparent belief in how capable and astute children can be.

And like all great children's literature, the book possesses a wisdom, a lesson, and a worldly vision that will benefit the reader -- young or old -- and provide him with a better understanding of his surroundings.

There's a bittersweetness to this book that I can't quite put my finger on. Why was I teary-eyed at the end of this book? Was it because I felt compassion for the childless Mrs. Frankweiler who seemed to have finally found the family that had escaped her before? The portrayal of a New York and the Met that will never be again and that I'm sorry I missed? The conclusion's truth in the importance of having secrets and wanting to feel special?

I think I was just sad to have this one end.

3.5 Stars

I used to love this book as a kid- the story of two siblings who run away and stay at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was so magical to me. I'm happy to say it still holds up as an adult. I can't wait to read this to my girls when they're a bit older.

3.5

Inventive, imaginative, and a lot of fun to read. The story of a girl and her brother who run away...to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY City. A very charming book. Makes one yearn for a visit to the Met or any museum, preferably a behind the scenes one! And it contains seemingly helpful instructions on how to sucessfully run away. ;-)

This was one of the key books of my American childhood. All these years later, phrases were still familiar to me, such as Jamie’s frequent exclamation of “Oh, boloney!” I clearly remembered the delicious overall sense of adventure and secrecy. On this reread I found it a tiny bit dated, what with the impossibly low prices and Claudia wearing a petticoat. Some things haven’t changed, though. Konigsburg captures school group chatter and brother/sister banter perfectly. The museum and archive settings are a great way to get children interested in art, history and library research. This was the original Night at the Museum before that franchise was ever dreamed up.

See my full review at The Bookbag.

Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, but she is not the one to run away without a plan, and she is not the one to run to the woods. It is too dirty, too hard, and she has some classy dreams. She decides to take her brother Jamie (yes, she did consider her other brothers, but decided that they are not right for this). And now, with a plan, she tells her brother that they are running away on Wednesday. Why Wednesday? since it is band day, and you will find Claudia's plan enchanting and really smart.
To her luck, or smart choice, she find out that Jamie is rich. He has a lot of money that will help the two of them in the running away plan, She slips an envelope in the snail mail to tell her parents about the running away, and that please they should not worry or call the FBI. And off they go, on their way to New York, to hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Oh, yeah, this is Claudia Kincaid for you. Hiding in an sixteenth century luxury bed.

The fist half was outstanding. I loved it and it was a true five stars fun and bold. I started liking it a bit less when the two kids got into solving the museum mystery of the angel sculpture. So that part was a bit more 3 stars for me.

Overall, it is a really great book. And it is great to go back to read children's books. Highly recommended. 4 stars.

I defy you to tell me you didn't, at some point in your life, want to run away and live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. E.L. Konigsburg so perfectly captures the ultimate fantasy of any child who has ever visited this amazing place so brilliantly it almost feels like I got to go too. I DEMAND that you make your children read this and yell "YOU CALL YOURSELF A BIBLIOPHILE!" at you if you haven't read it yourself.

12/30/20

Re-read this for the first time in years as a bed time read aloud for my sons. There's nothing more wonderful than rediscovering a childhood favorite and experiencing in an entirely different, equally wonderful, way.

I would read a hundred books narrated by Ms. Basil E. Frankweiler, the lovely, ancient, melancholy millionairess who tells the story of two disaffected suburban children on a grand adventure as runaways in the greatest museum in the world. She's hilarious, very wise and sadder than I remember and I imagine she speaks in that lovely, Gatsbian fake English accent they taught in NY finishing schools in the 30's. She probably weighs fifty pounds soaking wet and dresses in perfectly tailored cashmere sweaters and tweed skirts.

You can practically feel her longing to be part of Jamie and Claudia Kincaid's story and just a bit under the surface is her longing to be part of their lives.

This is one of those perfect books that is just as good now as when it was written. Yes you'll have to explain to your kids what an automat is and (this was painful) a telephone booth but its well worth it.

Cute story of a brother and sister running away from home and hiding out for days at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. They get caught up in a mystery involving one of the statues. Fun read, but not my fave.

A book I’d throw into the categories of “Book With Titles that are Better than the Actual Story” and “Books with Plot Summaries that are Better than the Actual Story”.

I grew impatient with this book. Why did Claudia want to run away? If it was her family that was the problem, why did she take one of her brothers along? She picked the Metropolitan Museum of Art as her refuge, but she didn’t seem to enjoy much of the art there. The whole story is written as if Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is telling it to her lawyer, but we don’t really see Mrs. F well and the lawyer doesn’t seem that interested in the story. The resolution of the story seemed too easy (Mrs. F already had a document that solved the mystery). Claudia and her brother seem oblivious to the pain and fear they have inflicted on their parents. And for what? A rather unsatisfying week spent in a museum? What was it Claudia wanted? To be a celebrity? To be recognized? I honestly can’t believe the document Mrs. F promised Claudia would satisfy her in those ways.

OK, I'll admit it: I freakin' hate the Newbery Medal. Any time I see it on the cover of a book, I'm 98.5% sure it sucks. All of the books that have been given this "honor" seem to have been written with the intent of teaching kids some crappy history lesson. There's no magic or mystery to any of them...reading these books is akin to eating dry toast when you know damned well you could cover the bread with butter, cinnamon, and sugar. I mean, if you really want to martyr yourself, do it creatively, like St. Agatha, who got her breasts cut off. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and enjoy life, because nobody wants to hear your whining.

I digress. The point of this rant is that there is a major exception to my "I Hate Newbery Rule," and it's this book. The idea of two kids hiding out in The Metropolitan Museum of Art is so brilliant, it sends me running running to the stereo to do a wild, naked dance to The Muffs's version of KIDS IN AMERICA. I love Claudia's obsession with art and mystery, as well as Jamie's passion for gambling. And the siblings' interplay just can't be beat. Snappy dialogue, brilliant plot, evocative subject...what was the Newbery panel thinking when they awarded this book its highest honor?

This book has been on my TBR forever, and now that I’ve finally read it, I understand its popularity.
The book is charming, and I loved the spunkiness and independence of its main characters, and how they run away from home on elder sister Claudia’s insistence, following her carefully laid out plans, which took them by train to New York City, then to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I liked how the kids found ways to keep themselves amused, fed and clean, with both kids growing more appreciative of the other's qualities, such as Claudia's head for planning, and Jamie's handle on finances. I particularly enjoyed the siblings' encounter with the straight-talking Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler about one of her donations to the Met, and how the piece had been so appealing to the three.
This was such an enjoyable story, and I thought the idea of the two kids escaping to the big city and having a weeklong adventure was just so appealing, which explains the book’s staying power.

We expected to like this book a lot, on the whole we liked it, we found it well written and it kept us guessing what would happen.

We enjoyed the start, the planning of running away was fun. The idea of running away to a museum really appealed to us, when I was small I so wanted to spend a night in a museum and look around whilst it was dark and quiet, so I was really looking forward to this part. We were both full of admiration that these runaways had remembered to take their musical instruments, full kudos for keeping up the practise whilst on the run  oh it was a trick to stow away their clothes on a music lesson day

We read this as a read aloud and after the beginning which we enjoyed it went a bit flat for us. For some reason we thought this might have some night time adventures in, but it didn't. I thought there might be some sort of magic or time slip or some interaction with history or art but there wasn't. The mystery of Angel didn't really interest either of us  it didn't interest us if Michael Angelo made the statue or someone else did really, if we liked something it would make it no more appealing to us to be made by someone famous, although we did like the way the evidence tied in with the will and why Mrs Basil. E. Frankweiler was narrating the story and talking to her solicitor.

We read a copy with an afterword by the author and two pages that were what the author described as, as close to a sequel as you will get.

We hoped Claudia and Jamie did go to see Mrs Basil. E. Frankweiler again, we liked her