The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place [Paperback]

E., L.; E. L. Konigsburg Konigsburg (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks/ An Imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division/ Simon & Schuster, Inc. (2004)
• ISBN-10: 0689866364
• ISBN-13: 978-0689866364
• ASIN: B0028BNWZY
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,269,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E. L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery Medal and be runner-up in the same year. In 1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the Newbery Medal and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was named Newbery Honor Book. Almost thirty years later she won the Newbery Medal once again for The View From Saturday. She has also written and illustrated three picture books: Samuel Todd's Book of Great Colors, Samuel Todd's Book of Great Inventions, and Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's. In 2000 she wrote Silent to the Bone, which was named a New York Times Notable Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, among many other honors.

After completing her degree at Carnegie Mellon University, Ms. Konigsburg did graduate work in organic chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. For several years she taught science at a private girls' school. When the third of her three children started kindergarten, she began to write. She now lives on the beach in North Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Candidate for 2004 Newberry, January 25, 2004

By 

Craig H. French (Toledo,OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place (Hardcover)

Respected author E. L. Konigsburg is in fine form and high spirits in this latest book. While the characters are witty and sure to appeal to readers who often find themselves on the fringes of society, the real strong point of the book is its message. The first matter handled here is the need to be an individual. Margaret, as well as much of the cast, prefers to march to her own beat and is capable of handling the pressure. This theme runs as an undercurrent, something that is taken for granted rather than presented as the leading difficulty. The second major theme is the purpose or 'apurpose' of art. Taking a page from Wilde, Konigsburg proudly stands up for all art- art in school, art at home, art in public- as being quite useless and beautiful for it. While once or twice almost getting weighed down in expansive speeches, this theme shines through. The third and most subtle theme is one of life. It took me a while to realize what about this book was so stunning and it is that unlike most books, 'Outcasts' recognizes that no event or set of events can ever make life perfect. Regardless of the Towers' fate (I wouldn't dare tell you), Margaret's life goes on. People hurt one another, people change, people die and nothing can alter that. But it is art and the experience of a life lived artfully that can make all things bearable. Many books tell children that by overcoming some obstacle, everything that goes wrong in life can be fixed. Konigsburg teaches here that while much can be fixed, life will never be without struggle. And that it is how you live your life that makes the difference. For that reason, I think the book makes a wonderful read and a stong candidate for 2004. 'Outcasts' is a thing of beauty- from its glorious cover art to the detailed craft of the writing and it has certainly set the standard for any books premiering this coming year.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, October 30, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place (Hardcover)

The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place is an awesome realistic fiction book written by author E.L. Konigsburg. After being rescued from camp, 12-year- old Margaret Kane is living with her unique uncles for the summer. Suddenly she finds out the plot for a horrendous deed that threatens the whole reason she loves her uncles house so much. Join Margaret as she tries to rescue her favorite piece of history.

This was an overall excellent book but it had its rough spots. The ending is what I didn't like about the book. It was okay, but it wasn't an "happily ever after". On the flip side, my favorite part was the uncles' philosophy about life. It made me think about how I live mine.

My favorite characters in this book were Alex and Morris Rose, Margaret's uncles. They are so old-fashioned; it's hard not to enjoy their personalities.

The most meaningful lines to me in this book comes from Morris on page 147." History has no end. As soon as I say this word history, it is part of history. No one should be allowed to take away some ones history. No one." The first part made me realize that everything becomes part of some ones history. A compliment and an insult could be remembered for a long time. I really agree with the second part. If you destroy a picture of someone, you are destroying a memory that could never be replaced.

If you asked me about this book, I would probably tell you that it is a really cool book that makes you think a lot, but don't expect everything to be all right in the end. The only question I have after reading this book is how Margaret's uncles feel about the end result of what she did.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richie's Picks: THE OUTCASTS OF 19 SCHUYLER PLACE, February 2, 2004

By 

Richie Partington "Richie's Picks" (Sebastopol, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place (Hardcover)

Having first read OUTCASTS last October (My review is online at RichiesPicks) I laughed and cried my way through it for the third time today. In the way that I knew immediately upon reading them that BUD NOT BUDDY and HOLES would be Newbery Medal winners, I am confident that this literary masterpiece will at least earn a Newbery Honor next January, will gain dozens of state awards over the next 3 or 4 years, and will be taught in classrooms all over the place. Yes, it's THAT good. Packed with enough humor, heart, and mischievousness for a dozen books, THE OUTCASTS OF 19 SCHUYLER PLACE becomes the yardstick by which I'll measure 2004.

Richie Partington