Happier with Gretchen Rubin Move Happier: Would You Spend a Week Hiding Out in the Metropolitan Museum?
May 10, 2026
Sophie Gee, English professor and host of The Secret Life of Books, leads a literary walk through the Metropolitan Museum tied to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. They explore the book's 1968 setting, narrative framing, and why it reads as both children's and adult literature. The tour highlights Egyptian galleries, memorable objects, museum lore, and clever hiding tactics.
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Mixed Up Files Uses Two-Level Storytelling
- From the Mixed-Up Files blends a child's adventure with an adult frame narrative for deeper meaning.
- Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler narrates with adult commentary while Claudia and Jamie provide the unfolding run-away mystery, creating layered interpretation.
Use Audiobooks To Combine Reading With Movement
- Listen to audiobooks while you move; they provide similar cognitive benefits to reading and pair well with Gretchen's Move 26 plan.
- Sophie recommends audiobooks as low-friction ways to rediscover classics while walking.
Konigsberg Packs Sophistication Into Children's Voice
- E.L. Konigsberg writes children's fiction that includes sophisticated ideas adults can only fully grasp later.
- The narrator inserts adult parenthetical commentary that reveals psychological and social complexity beyond the children's perspective.
