From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Reading Guide
Claudia Kinkaid decides to run away from home, and manages to convince her little brother Jamie to join. With her brains and his “money,” they set out on an adventure full of elegant art exhibits, strange mysteries that need solving and a crazy challenge that Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler puts them up to.
Set in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Claudia and Jamie learn how to live as paupers while they attempt to figure out if the great Michelangelo (a minor figure in the art world) carved a marble statue of an angel that sits in the museum.
From tiptoeing through the library by day and hiding in strange exhibits by night, Claudia and Jamie manage to crack the biggest mystery in the art world. As a beautiful friendship blooms between them and Mrs. Frankweiler, they realize that she might not be the crazy old lady they thought she was. In fact, she and her mixed up files are so much more.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is such a big part of the book? What is the significance of her relationship with Claudia and Jamie?
Do you think it was smart of Claudia and Jamie to run away? What do each of them learn from their experience in the art museum?
Have you ever solved a mystery before? If so, what did you learn from your experience? If not, do you think it would be cool to solve one?
If you could go explore one place in the world, where would you go?
