I have many items on my bucket list and along with "skydiving" and "drinks with Ruth Bader Ginsburg," spending the night at IKEA is definitely up there. (Honestly, who doesn't want to spend the night at IKEA?)
Sadly this will likely remain a pipe dream forever, but at least a new book has arrived that will let me live out my fantasy. Catherine Newman's new middle grade novel One Mixed-Up Night tells the story of sixth-graders Frankie and Walter, two BFFs who are obsessed with the IKEA catalog.
Although rare visits to the IKEA store are their favorite thing in the world, the friends spend their days laying in Frankie's hammock eating popcorn and combing through the catalog. The two play the "picking game," in which they name their favorite item from each page.
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But that doesn't hold a candle to spending time in the store itself. "Every showroom is like a perfect fake room pulled out of a perfect fake house," explains Frankie. "Like a life-size diorama of the idea of living somewhere stylish."
Inspired by E.L. Konigsburg’s classic novel From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Frankie and Walter come up with a scheme to spend the night in IKEA.
"One night all on their own, with no grown-ups or little brothers. One night of couch jumping, pillow forts, and unlimited soda refills. One night of surprises and twinkle lights and secrets they have been keeping — and waiting to share. One unforgettable night in Ikea," the book's synopsis reads.
This modern-day twist on a classic may be aimed at the middle grade audience, but I'm definitely adding it to my reading list. If spending the night at IKEA isn't the definition of "living your best life," I simply don't know what is.