From the Mixed-Up Files: Week 4

Final summary, Close Reading, Book Recs, Discussion Questions

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Summary

A good book is always about something more than it’s “about”. This is the trick of stories right? They lure us in with adventure and mystery, and end up being about something large and unexplainable that gives us a deeper understanding about ourselves. For most of this book we thought we were following the antics (thoughtful and planned antics, but antics nonetheless) of two siblings and we end up reading a book about self discovery.

Why does a secret intrigue us? Why do we sometimes yearn for more out of our lives? What do we do with experience and knowledge and how should that change us? This book dances so beautifully around asking the right questions and giving us the right answers. It is neither preachy nor condescending. It properly engages our hearts and minds giving the reader the space to imagine and discover.

Close Reading

Above all, reading is a pleasure. I fully believe that you should enjoy reading BEFORE you start “intellectualizing” what you are reading. And by that I mean that a love of books should come before everything. But once you have already caught the reading bug is there is so much reading can give us. And one of those is the ways we can conceptually balance large things like theme, plot, and character with small things like detail and verbal subtleties. And one of the best ways to do that is to practice close reading.

And also because I didn’t want you to miss out on this gem of a quote.

“The adventure is over. Everything gets over, and nothing is ever enough. Except the part you carry with you. It’s the same as going on a vacation. Some people spend all their time on a vacation taking pictures so that when they get home they can show their friends evidence that they had a good time. They don’t pause to let the vacation enter inside of them and take that home.” Pg. 140

Spoken by Frankweiler herself, this quote conveys a lot in a short space. It’s the heart and soul of the book you could say. Frankweiler finally puts into words what Claudia was feeling but couldn’t articulate- that the adventure will live on inside her. This quote reveals to us Claudia’s feelings as well as shows us the understanding and tenderness Frankweiler has for Claudia and why she would leave the secret of the Angel to her in her will.

It is part dialogue, part plot point, part narrative reveal all in a few sentences!

Further Reading

If you can’t already tell I am absolutely obsessed with this book. If you are interested in further reading or want to go deeper on some topics, here are some recommended reads.

1. The View from Saturday

2. Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth

3. Merchants and Masterpieces

4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Masterpiece Paintings

5. The Met Lost in the Museum: A Seek-And-Find Adventure in the Met

Discussion Questions

1. How does the decision to solve the mystery of the statue effect the outcome of the story?

2. Does your impression of Frankweiler change once she’s introduced as a “real” character?

3. What is Saxonberg’s relationship to the Kincaids?

4. What are Frankweiler’s files and why are they mixed-up?

5. Why does Claudia want a secret? And how does this help her return home?

6. Why do you think Jamie’s radio was brought up so many times considering that it is never used?

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