The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics)
by Ellen Raskin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ellen RaskinBrand: Puffin Books
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-04-12
ISBN: 014240120X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Puffin
Book Reviews of The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics)
Book Review: Engrossing and Ingenious
Summary: 5 Stars
The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication Date: 1978
Pages: 182
Genre: Mystery
Reading Level: 6.1
Everyone would want to live in Sunset Towers, the flashy new apartment building in town, but oddly, only a few people receive invitations to move in. "Who were these people, these specially selected tenants? They were mothers and fathers and children. A dressmaker, a secretary, and inventor, a doctor, a judge. And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake." Soon, the town's rich and eccentric namesake, Samuel Westing, mysteriously dies in his mansion next door on Halloween night, and names 16 heirs from among the tenants and their friends. However, there is a catch: in his will, he charges these heirs with the task of solving his murder. The heirs are assigned partners, and each pair is given $10,000 and a few clues to use to solve the mystery, having been told that the object is simply "to win." Though the partners prickle at the forced teams, they must learn to work together: overlooked daughter with lonely dressmaker, friendly doorman with dignified judge, social-climbing housewife with the owner of a Chinese restaurant. As the partners struggle to make sense of these events, a snowstorm traps many of them in the building. A series of bombs and thefts in Sunset Towers make the Westing game even more dangerous. Why have they been chosen? How could Samuel Westing have predicted his own murder? What is going to happen when the mystery is solved? What kind of clues are "HIS, N, ON, TO, THEE, FOR"? Each partnership takes a different route towards finding the truth, and finds unique rewards along the way, until a final gathering of the heirs leads to a dramatic conclusion.
This book is appropriate for readers in 6th grade and up. The language is not overly difficult, but the plot is rather complicated, and may be too confusing for younger readers. Some elements of the story may be frightening to younger readers. Middle school readers may relate to protagonist Turtle Wexler, a plucky preteen and one of the cleverest heirs in the Westing game. I think this book could be enjoyed by even adult readers, due to the engrossing mystery plotline and clever puzzles embedded in the book. As a mystery, it draws the reader in quickly, and naturally leads to making predictions about what happens next, though the layered story always turns expectations on their head and keeps the reader guessing.
I have read this book several times, from age 11 through 25, and each time, it is as captivating and clever as ever. This book won the Newbery Medal, and after reading it, you will surely agree that this is a gem among young adult books. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to test their skill in The Westing Game.
Summary of The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics)
When an eccentric millionaire dies mysteriously, sixteen very unlikely people are gathered together for the reading of the will...and what a will it is!
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