Claudia Kincaid

Claudia is a sixth grader and sick to death of being the only girl in a household of four children. Tired of being the one to whom all of the chores (including babysitting) are assigned, she decides to assert her female independence and run away from home - but she's not completely independent because she takes her little brother with her. She believes that, by running away, she will finally earn some family appreciation and have an adventure in the process.

But Claudia wants to do things differently. She doesn't want to run away from something; she wants to run away to something. And that something is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And "different" is the watch word. She doesn't want to be the same when she returns, and hopes this adventure will make her different from everyone else.

While it is typical for just about every...