Running away from home is like a pipe dream to the typical kid—fun to think of when you're mad at your parents, but kind of hard to execute in real life. Well, in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Claudia and Jamie Kinkaid actually manage to escape from home and live out the dream. And in the process, they add some other ambitious plans to their roster. They set out to prove that Michelangelo carved a sculpture (yeah, no big deal, we know), and get this, they actually succeed. Who said that you need to go to school to do great things?
Questions About Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
- How do Claudia and Jamie's plans for running away evolve over time?
- Why are they so set on finding out the mystery behind Angel?
- What is the biggest dream that Claudia has for herself, and how does she end up achieving it?
- Does Mrs. Frankweiler have any of her hopes or dreams answered in the end?
Chew on This
Though Claudia thinks that she has it all planned out at the beginning, her plans for their adventure shift throughout the book.
The book focuses on Claudia's plans and dreams, but Jamie realizes his dreams of independence and being different, too.