Awards
Winner of the 1968 Newbery Medal.
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Having runaway with her younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twelve-year-old Claudia strives to keep things in order in their new home and to become a changed person and a heroine to herself.
Reading Group Guide
- There are many ways to show humor in a novel. Sometimes the humor is in what the characters do, other times it is in what the characters say. Name some situations in the book that you think are funny. E. L. Konigsburg uses sarcasm to add humor to the story. Find examples of sarcasm in the book. Which character is the most sarcastic?
- Mrs. Frankweiler tells her lawyer, Mr. Saxonberg, that "Manhattan called for the courage of at least two Kincaids" (page 27). What is courageous about Claudia and Jamie's adventure? How does running away to a city take a different kind of courage than running away to a rural area?
- Planning is one of Claudia's talents. She also is extremely resourceful. How does being resourceful help the planning process? How is Jamie resourceful? Discuss whether Claudia and Jamie could have survived their week in the museum had they not been resourceful.
- Mrs. Frankweiler says that before Claudia and Jamie ran away, they only "acted like a team." Their adventure made them "feel like a team" (page 39). At what point in the story do the children become a team? Why is teamwork important to the success of their caper? Discuss Claudia and Jamie's chances of continuing to "feel like a team" once they get home.
- Describe Claudia and Jamie's relationship. Why does Claudia need Jamie? Claudia is described as being "cautious" and Jamie is said to be "adventurous" (page 17). Find evidence in the novel that supports these descriptions of the children. Ask students to make a list of words that best describe themselves and another list that describes one of their siblings or a close friend. Then, ask them to write a paragraph contrasting their personality with that of their brother or sister or friend.
- Claudia says that she didn't "run away to come home the same" (page 98). How does the week in the museum change Claudia? What does Mrs. Frankweiler have to do with helping Claudia go home "different on the inside"?
Teacher Guide
ABOUT THIS BOOK
When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone for just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would live in comfort -- at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She invited her brother Jamie to go, too, mostly because he was a miser and would have money.
The two took up residence in the museum right on schedule. But once the fun of settling in was over, Claudia had two unexpected problems; she felt just the same, and she wanted to feel different; and she found a statue at the museum so beautiful she could not go home until she had discovered its maker, a question that baffled even the experts. The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. And without her help Claudia might never have found a way to go home.
TEACHING IDEAS
Suggested Classroom Activities
Pre-Reading Activity
Claudia and Jamie Kincaid discover the Italian Renaissance room in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Invite a social studies or art teacher to speak to the class about the Italian Renaissance. How did this period change the way people looked at art? Have students go to the library to find information about Filippo Brunelleschi, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, Michelangelo, and other artists whose work might be exhibited in the Italian Renaissance room. Allow them to share their findings with the entire class.
Thematic Connections
Humor -- There are many ways to show humor in a novel. Sometimes the humor is in what the characters do, other times it is in what the characters say. Name some situations in the book that you think are funny. E. L. Konigsburg uses sarcasm to add humor to the story. Find examples of sarcasm in the book. Which character is the most sarcastic?
Courage and Honor -- Mrs. Frankweiler tells her lawyer, Mr. Saxonberg, that "Manhattan called for the courage of at least two Kincaids" (page 27). What is courageous about Claudia and Jamie's adventure? How does running away to a city take a different kind of courage than running away to a rural area?
Resourcefulness -- Planning is one of Claudia's talents. She also is extremely resourceful. How does being resourceful help the planning process? How is Jamie resourceful? Discuss whether Claudia and Jamie could have survived their week in the museum had they not been resourceful.
Teamwork -- Mrs. Frankweiler says that before Claudia and Jamie ran away, they only "acted like a team." Their adventure made them "feel like a team" (page 39). At what point in the story do the children become a team? Why is teamwork important to the success of their caper? Discuss Claudia and Jamie's chances of continuing to "feel like a team" once they get home.
Family and Relationships -- Describe Claudia and Jamie's relationship. Why does Claudia need Jamie? Claudia is described as being "cautious" and Jamie is said to be "adventurous" (page 17). Find evidence in the novel that supports these descriptions of the children. Ask students to make a list of words that best describe themselves and another list that describes one of their siblings or a close friend. Then, ask them to write a paragraph contrasting their personality with that of their brother or sister or friend.
Self-Discovery -- Claudia says that she didn't "run away to come home the same" (page 98). How does the week in the museum change Claudia? What does Mrs. Frankweiler have to do with helping Claudia go home "different on the inside"?
Interdisciplinary Connections
Language Arts -- Claudia is constantly correcting Jamie's grammar. Ask students to spend a day listening to the way people speak. Instruct them to write down the grammar misuses that they hear. Use the students' findings as a grammar lesson by asking them to share some of their examples of incorrect grammar. Give the class the opportunity to correct each example.
Social Studies -- Ask students to refer to the map of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on pp. 48 and 49 of the novel. Tell them that each of the rooms is called a gallery. Divide the class into small groups and ask each group to select a gallery to research. Instruct them to use reference sources to find the type of items that might be in their assigned gallery. They also might enjoy choosing one or two specific items for detailed research.
Jamie says that Claudia wanted to be Joan of Arc, Clara Barton, and Florence Nightingale. Ask students to research these women and share why Claudia might admire them.
Science -- Claudia and Jamie join a school group that is touring the Egyptian room. They are fascinated with the mummies. Find out the ancient process of mummification. Why might this be considered a science? How did the Egyptian method of embalming differ from other ancient peoples'? What embalming techniques are used today?
Math -- Ask students to consider the amount of money that the Kincaid children had at the beginning of their adventure and the amount they collected in the fountain. Then, ask them to write down all of their expenditures. Which of their expenditures are absolutely necessary for their survival? Invite students to discuss their reasoning.
Art -- Claudia had studied art appreciation in school. She decides to use her time in the museum to learn something new each day. Ask each student to select one of the artists from the Italian Renaissance that the class discovered in their research in the pre-reading activity. Instruct them to read about the artist's style, subjects, and where some of his/her art is exhibited.
Vocabulary/Use of Language
Ask students to look at words such as inconspicuous (page 30), impostor (page 55), and stowaway ( page 24). How do these words refer specifically to the two runaways? Students also may enjoy searching the novel for new words pertaining to art such as sarcophagus (page 44).
FURTHER READING
The Egypt Game by Zilpha K. Snyder[0-440-42225-6]
The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed by Bruce Coville[0-553-15827-9]
The Ghost Wore Gray by Bruce Coville[0-553-15610-1]