Review of 'From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E.Frankweiler' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Listened to audiobook on commute.
I'm not sure how this book escaped my notice when I was a kid, but it did. It's a gem.
At first I wasn't sure I would like it. The main character is pompous and superior and I got tired of her grammar nitpicking. But I was utterly charmed by the relationship that blossoms between Claudia and her brother, and it eventually becomes clear that Claudia's pomposity is as much a hindrance to her creativity and intelligence as it is inspired by them--neither inherently good or bad. It's an interesting and rather sophisticated position for a children's book to take. And there's an entertaining mystery to keep it speeding right along.
It's also an entertaining time capsule. Imagine eating a meal in NYC for less than 50 cents... And imagine a world where security is so lax that kids can live in the metropolitan museum …
Listened to audiobook on commute.
I'm not sure how this book escaped my notice when I was a kid, but it did. It's a gem.
At first I wasn't sure I would like it. The main character is pompous and superior and I got tired of her grammar nitpicking. But I was utterly charmed by the relationship that blossoms between Claudia and her brother, and it eventually becomes clear that Claudia's pomposity is as much a hindrance to her creativity and intelligence as it is inspired by them--neither inherently good or bad. It's an interesting and rather sophisticated position for a children's book to take. And there's an entertaining mystery to keep it speeding right along.
It's also an entertaining time capsule. Imagine eating a meal in NYC for less than 50 cents... And imagine a world where security is so lax that kids can live in the metropolitan museum of art without anyone noticing--no CCTV, no alarms, no army of security staff to catch them.
I wasn't thrilled with Mrs. Frankweiler's skepticism re. the scientific process and willful hoarding of historical documents that, in my view, belong to the world. At 31, I can step back and recognize that her viewpoint is a consequence of wealth and privilege. But I don't think I could have made that connection at 10, and it makes me a little uncomfortable to think I probably would have romanticized her and the fortress of secret files that is essentially a shrine to selfishness.
