DPG Sleepover

This Autumn Dulwich Picture Gallery will partner with Pushkin Press to host its first ever children’s sleepover. Pillows and Paintbrushes will take 7 – 13 year olds on an exciting night-time adventure. After an evening of creative activities and storytelling children can enjoy a special night’s sleep in the company of the Gallery’s Old Masters.

This year the sleepover will delve into the world of the bestselling American children’s classic From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler recently re-published by Pushkin in the UK. Since its launch in June this year, the book has met critical acclaim with The Times saying; “Meet the ultimate escape fantasy which conveys the thrill and fear of being a minor loose in the big city.”

The evening will bring to life the adventures of the book’s young characters Claudia and Jamie Kincaid who run away from home to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York where they become involved in a mystery that leads them to the remarkable Mrs Frankweiler.

During the evening children will be able to pay a  visit to the house of Mrs Frankweiler and listen to her tales, explore the mysteries of the Gallery with a special trail and make their own autographed book bag to take home, all whilst experiencing the enchanting atmosphere of the Gallery after hours. It’s then lights out for a sleep like no other alongside baroque masters including Rembrandt and Canaletto.

The following morning includes a healthy breakfast and screening of a film adaptation of the book before the Gallery opens to the public.

Event details

Age: 8 – 13 yrs old. Please note all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Date – Saturday 3 October

Time – 6.45pm – 8.30am

Price – £50 or £60 including a copy of From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler (postal delivery prior to the event).

Booking available at www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

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

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is one of America’s best-loved and biggest selling children’s novels. Published in 1968 it won the Newbery Medal (awarded to the year’s most distinguished contribution to American literature for children) with Konigsburg going on to win the Award again some 30 years later.  Translated into more than 20 languages and with sales of over 2.5 million copies, this classic has been available in the U.S for nearly 50 years but has been out of print in the UK for over 10 years.

E. L. Konigsburg is one of the most celebrated writers of books for children and young adults. Her books have inspired generations of American children, writers and artists. E. L. Konigsburg died in 2013.

The story:

Set in New York City, 12-year-old Claudia Kincaid, has had enough of being good and decides to run away. Commandeering her younger brother, Jamie (who has a stash of money from playing cards) she knows their destination must be beautiful, comfortable and preferably indoors and so it is that they head off to the grand, elegant, all-encompassing Metropolitan Museum of Art.

There they sleep in a bed owned by a queen, bathe in a fountain with bronze dolphins and get caught up in the mystery of an angel statue bought by the Museum for a bargain price. Is it in fact an, as yet, undiscovered work by Michelangelo worth millions? Claudia is determined to find out and her quest sets them on the trail of an eccentric old lady, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and to some life-changing discoveries of their own.