Plot Summary: Claudia Kincaid is unhappy at home. She is tired of all of the responsibilities that are thrust upon her as the oldest child in a large family. Claudia has her mind set on running away—and not just anywhere—she wants to leave her family in Connecticut and run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Claudia carefully plans which of her brothers she is going to ask to accompany her on her journey. She decides on Jamie, since he is very cost conscious and saves all of his money. They plan to stuff whatever clothes that they can into their instrument cases-Claudia plays the violin and Jamie the trumpet. Claudia and Jamie very carefully plan their trip and arrive at the museum as planned. Once there, they learn the schedule of the guards and the opening and closing routines of the museum. When it’s close to closing time, they creep into the nearest bathroom and perch on the toilet so that they will not be discovered. During the day, they blend in with classes that are there on field trips and venture outside of the museum to local places to eat. Claudia and Jamie very carefully budget their money so that they can afford meals and have the opportunity to wash their clothes at a laundromat. At Claudia’s insistence, they bathe in the fountain within the museum. Jamie is in charge of the money, and Claudia is in charge of their learning and personal care.
When crowds start appearing at the museum to get a glimpse of a newly arrived statue, Claudia and Jamie become curious and wonder what is so interesting. They find out that there is a question as to whether or not the “Angel” statue is a piece of art created by Michelangelo. They decide to try to do some detective work on their own, but are unable to find out anything significant, except for information about the person who donated the statue—a Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler of Farmington, Connecticut. Once their adventure at the museum seems to come to a standstill, they decide that they need to visit Mrs. Frankweiler to find out more about the statue. What they find is that Mrs. Frankweiler herself is something of a mystery, but that she welcomes the children’s curiosity and determination to find out the truth surrounding the statue.
Genre: Mystery/Detective Stories
Suggested age range: 9 through 12
Subjects/Themes: Metropolitan Museum of Art, runaways, NYC, Michelangelo.
Awards: Newbery Award (1968)
William Allen White Children’s Book Award (won award) 1970
Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award (nominated for an award) 1987
Reviews: Booklist and Publishers Weekly give this books a favorable review, noting that this particular story and adventure is still interesting to readers after 35 years
Annotation: Although I am certainly dating myself, this is one of my favorite childhood books. Re-reading it was a pleasure and it is a wonderful story filled with mystery and adventure.
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