Walls Within Walls

Eloise and the Smithforks explore the layers of her father’s inheritance scavenger hunt by examining Mr. Post’s poetry book. Though the quest seems simple on the surface—find where Mr. Post hid his treasures—they soon discover that his poem selections were not accidental and that he was imparting messages for his children from beyond the grave. By portraying the treasure hunt as she does, Sherry recognizes the significance of solving mysteries: The joy of the hunt is not in the destination but in the journey and in what one learns along the way.

When the children present their initial findings to Eloise, she is skeptical and less than impressed. She tells them, “Perhaps there was only one mystery to solve, and that was the location of my father’s poetry book. That is probably the treasure he meant” (157). Years of no progress make Eloise cynical; rather than enjoying the thrill of exploring New York City, she becomes bitter toward her father; he led her and her brother on what she believed was a wild goose chase. When considering her father’s love, she further elaborates, “There have been moments over the years when I doubted that, but after you handed me the book, I felt happier.