Recommended Read: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

A great read for children age 9 and up

E.L. Konigsburg's classic book, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, is the winner of the 1968 Newberry Award-- and rightly so. In fact, this was one of my favorite books as a child and I still own a copy today.

The book is about a precocious young girl named Claudia Kincaid. Claudia is bored with her humdrum life and, looking for some excitement, she decides to run away from home. But Claudia has no intention of roughing it. Instead, she plans to run away and hide out in New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But she needs some help. Claudia gets her brother Jamie to go in on the plan with her and soon the two venture off on their journey. While at the museum, the two study some of the pieces of artwork and stumble upon a mysterious statue called "Angel". Before long the two are obsessed with learning everything they can about this unusual piece of artwork and they come upon a life altering conclusion.

So who is Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler anyway? She is the narrator of the book (you'll see why later in the book). And she's involved in the surprising twist at the end of this book.

This book is great for readers age 9 and up. And, um….adults will love it too. I reread this well-written story about once a year and never tire of it.