walls within walls

I walked by the Bluebonnet Nominee shelf at Helen Hall Library and this book caught my eye.  Or, well, actually, the eye (on the cover) caught my eye.

When I read the jacket summary, the storyline sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a try.
I really enjoyed it.  I even stayed up late a few nights to read and find out what was going to happen next.  I do love good children's literature and while this book isn't the best I've ever read, it was really good.
The story is cute and one that I would have loved as a child.  A treasure map is hidden in the walls of a Manhattan apartment.  A Brooklyn family moves into the apartment so there's a little fish out of water story there.  The children that move in stumble upon a treasure hunt, team up with an super fun elderly woman and end up learning a whole lot about each other through the book. 

The two main characters are an older brother and his slightly younger sister.  The negatives:  the children lie mulitiple times and skip school, but they do get caught and feel bad about it.  The mother is preoccupied, but by the end realizes the need to be present more in the older childrens' lives.  The father realizes that his work is not as important as his family.