Author and illustrator E.L. Konigsburg was born on this day in 1930. Her most famous work was From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, one of my favorite books growing up.

I grew up about an hour north of New York City. In 4th grade, the powers that be planned a class trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and to the Museum of Natural History. And to go along with this trip, they assigned two books for us to read. My half of the class was assigned Mixed Up Files, because it takes place in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The other half of the class read a book that takes place in the Museum of Natural History.

I was much more interested in the Museum of Natural History, because I was a science nerd. So I was disappointed to not be reading the other book. However, Konigsburg’s story won me over, and I loved it. Later, I did read the other book on my own (I wasn’t just a science nerd), but it was completely forgettable. I have no recollection of the title, the author, or anything else about the book besides the setting.

I still may not like the actual Metropolitan Museum of Art as much as the actual Museum of Natural History, but when it comes to books written about the two, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the clear winner.

Wash your hands, stay home if you can, wear a mask if you have to go out, get vaccinated as soon as you can, post cat pictures, and be excellent to each other.