Claudia is fed up with the injustices of life. She doesn't like anything to be out of sorts or messy—it drives her crazy. Her family is not always well-put-together. She is tired of these happenings to the point that she wants to run away to show her family how frustrated she is with unorderly situations. Rather than going alone, she decides to include her younger brother, Jamie. He can be relied on to hold the secret, he saves his money, he has a transistor radio, and he is quietly cunning. Claudia has the plan laid out. When they leave for school on Wednesday, they will have their school bags and instrument cases packed with the few belongings and clothes necessary for their escape, as well as all of their allowance money savings. After putting thought and research into their run-away destination, she decides they should camp out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City because it must be beautiful and neatly kept. Since they're in a suburb of the city, they will need to take into account the money for train tickets. Travel with Claudia and Jamie as they adventure away from home on their own, trying to show their family a lesson. Little do they know how much they will learn.
This special edition of the Newbery Medal Winner, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, features a soft velvet cover and an afterword from the author, E. L. Konigsburg. 162 pgs, pb.