Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away....She didn't like discomfort....Therefore, she decided that her leaving home would not be just running from somewhere but would be running to somewhere. To a large place, a comfortable place, an indoor place, and preferably a beautiful place. And that's why she decided upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.-- fromFrom the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. FrankweilerWhen Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would go in comfort -- she would live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She saved her money, and she invited her brother Jamie to go, mostly because he was a miser and would have money.Claudia was a good organizer and Jamie had some ideas too; so the two took up residence at 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 discovered its maker, a question that baffled the experts, too.The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Without her -- well, without her, Claudia might never have found a way to go home.For thirty-five years E. L. Konigsburg's story has entranced readers of all ages. This special anniversary edition contains a new afterword from the author, along with a few extra surprises to delight readers old and new.

E. L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery Medal and been runner-up in the same year. In 1968, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the medal and Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, was named Honor Book. Almost thirty years later she won the Newbery Medal once again for The View from Saturday. She has also written and illustrated three picture books: Samuel Todd's Book of Great Colors, Samuel Todd's Book of Great Inventions, and Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's.

After completing her degree at Carnegie Mellon University, Mrs. Konigsburg did graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh. For several years she taught science at a private girls' school. When the third of her three children started kindergarten, she began to write. She lives on the beach in North Florida.