Reflections:
A Student Response Journal for…
From the Mixed-up Files of
Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg
written by Melanie Bosman
Copyright © 2001 by Prestwick House, Inc., P.O. Box 658, Clayton, DE 19938.
1-800-932-4593. www.prestwickhouse.com Permission to copy this unit for
classroom use is extended to purchaser for his or her personal use. This material,
in whole or part, may not be copied for resale.
ISBN: 978-1-60389-552-1
Item No. 202174
F ro m t h e M i x e d - u p F i l e s o f M r s . B a s i l E . F r a n k w e i l e r
Chapter 1
1. As one who insists upon comfort, Claudia chooses to run away to a “large
place, a comfortable place, an indoor place, and preferably a beautiful
place.” When we think of running away, most of us imagine running
away to a different city or state, rather than a building, like Claudia’s art
museum. Write a descriptive paragraph about a building you might like
to run away to. Be sure to include at least four reasons for your choice.
2. Claudia chooses Jamie as her traveling companion because he can be
counted on to be quiet, is occasionally good for a laugh, and has saved up
a lot of money. Write down the name of the person you would choose to
accompany you on such a journey; then list five reasons for your choice.
3. Would you say that you are “subject to a lot of injustice” in your home
life? Describe why or why not.
4. One reason Claudia is running away is because she is “bored with simply
being straight-A’s Claudia Kincaid.” What bores you most about the way
you and your life are now? Other than running away, what could you do
to make things a bit more exciting or interesting?
5. Claudia intends to return home after everyone has “learned a lesson in
Claudia appreciation.” What do you think of this strategy? If you ran
away for a short time, do you think your family would appreciate you
more once returned? Explain your answer in a paragraph or two.
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Response Journal
6. What do the people in your life most appreciate about you? Make two
lists: in the first, list the top three things your family would miss about
you if you left home. In the second, list the top three things your friends
would miss.
7. Claudia and the women in her mother’s “Mah-Jong club” have very different feelings about New York City. While Claudia finds it “elegant,”
“important,” and impressively busy, they find it nerve-wracking and
exhausting. What feelings do large cities (or the idea of them, if you’ve
never been in one) stir up in you? Describe them and the reasons for why
you would or would not like to live in a city when you grow up. Try to
make the tone of your writing reflect the feelings large cities inspire in
you, so that your reader can feel your excitement or anxiety.
8. Konigsburg writes that planning “long and well” is one of Claudia’s “special talents.” What other talents or character traits come to mind when
you read that someone is a good planner? Before reading further, write a
paragraph or two describing the sort of traveling companion you think
that Claudia will be. Include whether or not you think you would enjoy
traveling with her and why.
9. Claudia certainly has a flair for the dramatic when she announces to
Jamie, “I’ve picked you to accompany me on the greatest adventure of our
mutual lives.” Such an invitation would be hard to resist. You have
already carefully considered which person you would choose to accompany you on such an adventure. Write an irresistible invitation to that person in the form of a letter. To the best of your ability, write a letter guaranteed to convince the person to come with you.
10. In an aside to Saxonberg, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler writes, “Flattery is as
important a machine as the lever…it can move the world.” Do you agree
or disagree? Explain your answer, using examples from life or something
you’ve seen or read.
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© Copyright 2003, Prestwick House, Inc.
F ro m t h e M i x e d - u p F i l e s o f M r s . B a s i l E . F r a n k w e i l e r
Chapter 2
11. Does it surprise you that Jamie, who shares none of Claudia’s complaints
about life in the Kincaid household, so readily agrees to run away with
her? Do you think most kids imagine running away at some point in their
childhood, regardless of their circumstances? If so, why? Explore these
questions in a paragraph or two.
12. Plan your escape! In the form of a detailed list or a few paragraphs, write
out the plan you would use if you were to run away next week. Make
sure to cover the following questions:
Which day of the week would you choose—and why?
Would you leave during the night or during the day? Explain why.
When and what would you pack? What would you pack in so as to
arouse the least amount of suspicion—an instrument case, a gym bag,
something else?
Would you walk, bike, or take public transportation like the Kincaids?
Explain your choice.
What would you do to stall the possibility of anyone noticing that you’re
leaving and trying to stop you?
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Response Journal
13. Although we don’t hear about it, we can assume that Claudia—with her
obsession for planning—has thought out an excellent excuse to give
Herbert the bus driver should he discover the Kincaids crouched in the
back of the bus after he’s dropped everyone else off at school. Write the
dialogue you imagine would take place between Claudia and Herbert if
this happened. You might start like this:
Herbert: Well, if it isn’t one half of the Kincaid kids. What are you two
doing crouched down there like that?
Claudia: Well, you see, Sir, we…
14. Claudia appoints Jamie treasurer not because she particularly wants to, but
because she wants him to stop whining about hiding in Central Park
instead of the museum. Write about a time when you did something
seemingly nice for another person with the ultimate motive of getting your
way (for example, doing extra chores unasked in the hope of influencing
your mother’s decision on whether or not you can go to an “R”-rated
movie).
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© Copyright 2003, Prestwick House, Inc.
F ro m t h e M i x e d - u p F i l e s o f M r s . B a s i l E . F r a n k w e i l e r
Chapter 3
15. Jamie likes things to be complicated: he wants to eat Claudia’s instructions, hitchhike to New York, hide somewhere more dangerous and less
comfortable, and use a compass in the city where none is needed. Write a
detailed paragraph about Jamie doing something relatively simple like
making toast or deciding which video to rent. In your paragraph, exaggerate Jamie’s tendency to do things the complicated way. That is, describe
the most complicated way you can imagine Jamie performing a simple
task—one that he’s made complicated for the fun of it.
16. After watching Jamie with his silly compass, Claudia feels like she needs
an argument. If she doesn’t vent some of her anger, she thinks she’ll
explode. Write about a time when you were in a mood like this, when
you knew that arguing wouldn’t solve anything but actually went looking
for an argument just because you were in a bad mood. Try doing this in
the form of a poem or in made-up song lyrics.
17. In an aside, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler scolds Saxonberg for living near the
art museum but never taking the opportunity to visit it. Think of a place
in or near your town that you imagine may be interesting but that you
have never visited. In a paragraph, write about why you have not yet
gone, what you think you might be missing by not going, and whether
you will make plans to visit in the future. Be sure to choose a place that
you could go to if you made the effort to, not one that you are prevented
from visiting by your parents or because of financial considerations.
18. If you were in Jamie and Claudia’s situation, would you, like Jamie, try to
make your pennies go as far as possible and eat inexpensive meals? Or—
like Claudia—would you celebrate your freedom by indulging in luxuries
like taxi rides and expensive meals? Explain your answer in a paragraph
or two.
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