runaways

A little trivia for you: E. L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery Medal and a Newberry Honor (the award for runners-up) in the same year. In 1968 Konigsburg won the Newbery Award for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, taking the Newbery Honor for, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. That's pretty impressive.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler's heroine, Claudia feels unappreciated at home and so hatches a plan to run away to New York City, to the Metropolitan Museum no less! Along with her younger brother, Jamie, (he's the money) they set out upon an adventure they'll never forget.

The book was fun. I would have enjoyed it as a kid. The only thing I didn't like was that the book definitely feels dated (the kids start out with just over $28, and buy meals for under $0.75/a piece), but kids might not mind that so much because the adventure of the story is the focus and moves things along.

Would I recommend it: Sure.

Ages: Amazon lists 9 and up.

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