From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Claudia Kincaid was tired of how unappreciated she was by her family, so she and her little brother, Jamie, decided to run away from home. But where should they go? As every good runaway should know, the point of running away is not only to make a statement, but also to have fun doing it. Claudia and Jamie found the ultimate place. Where better to hide than somewhere where you wouldn’t be noticed among the crowds and at night would be alone in peace and quiet? The siblings decided to hide in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” is the story of how the siblings escaped from the monotony of their everyday lives and learned to appreciate the true beauty of art in our world. When a new sculpture turned up at the Met that was supposedly sculpted by Michelangelo, the two siblings used the library to reach their conclusion about the sculpture’s origins. They also heard of the mysterious background of the statue in which a rich art connoisseur sold the statue for a few hundred dollars. How could it be possible that someone so interested in art could make such a mistake? Find out about the two siblings’ quest for the elusive answers to all of their questions in this excellent and riveting story.

One day, a man named Barney Northrup decided to advertise for his new apartment complex named Sunset Towers. Across the street from the apartment building was a mansion belonging to Samuel Westing, the owner of Westing Paper Products, a massive company. One fateful day, Samuel Westing passed away and he named the heir to his mansion as the winner of a complicated game that he wrote about in his will. The contestants in this game are 16 of the tenants in Sunrise Towers including a track star, a dressmaker, a doorman, a judge, a podiatrist and a restaurant owner, to name a few. In The Westing Game, the task presented to these people is to find Samuel Westing’s murderer. The tenants were presented with a cryptic list of clues that seem to be impossible and meaningless. They are challenged to the very core and even have to betray one another in the hope of receiving a fortune. Who is the person who is planting bombs around the building? Could Sam Westing have just been a crazy old man who, in his senility, had this excellent idea of how to annoy people from his grave? These intense questions and their shocking answers are what make “The Westing Game” such an excellent story.

Stanley Yelnats III knew that he was in big trouble when he was accused of stealing an athlete’s shoes, but even worse, he knew that he was innocent. Stanley is the main character in Louis Sachar’s “Holes.” His concerns about his family’s terrible luck are justified when, upon arriving at “Camp Green Lake,” which was to be his sentence for the crime, he discovers that the camp is neither green, nor has a lake. In fact, it is a harsh facility in the desert for juvenile delinquents to build character by forcing “campers” to dig holes in the hot sun all day. For unknown reasons, the camp’s cruel directors, Mr. Sir and The Warden, want the boys to report anything they find in the holes. The boys are horribly mistreated. Naturally, when Stanley meets Zero, who is indifferent to their predicament, Stanley befriends the boy and tries to figure out the reason behind his uncaring attitude. Stanley discovers that the other boys cruelly gave Zero his nickname because they thought that his silence was from him not knowing how to talk and therefore thought he was stupid. When Zero explains to Stanley that he doesn’t know how to read, Stanley makes a deal with him, where in exchange for help with his daily hole Stanley will teach Zero how to read. One day, Zero decides to run away from the camp and Stanley realizes just how awful Camp Green Lake is. He soon has to make a terrifying decision—help his friend, or stay safe in camp. Stanley thinks about his options and then formulates what he thinks is an excellent, well-thought-out plan. This hilarious story teaches a lesson on friendship and courage that you won’t be able to put down.

By Josh Stiefel

 Josh Stiefel is a fifth grader at Yeshivat Noam. He’s been known to devour books. He also likes raisin challah.