The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics) by Ellen Raskin
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Book Reviews of The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics)
Book Review: The Westing Game
Summary: 5 Stars
The Westing Game
By Ellen Raskin
Murder mysteries are always exciting--especially Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game. Mysteries keep you hooked until the last word, and that's probably why this is one of my favorite genres. You may think the plot is very odd... a murder... in a game? Who would play? Well, the real question is, who wouldn't play? You could win a million dollar estate by figuring out clues!
Mr. Sam W. Westing has been missing for years, but suddenly he is found dead in his abandoned house. His heirs were chosen to live in a nearby apartment building and are called to figure out the mysterious murder case. They are frightened to learn that the murderer is one of them! Each heir is assigned a partner to work with, and the competition gets rough. The isolated apartments overlook a lake peacefully, but insecurity drifts over everyone as baffling bombs go off--all taking place in the apartment building!
None of the clues make sense to the heirs, and when no one can figure things out by themselves, they decide to work together. A name is uncovered, but many wonder if it is the right one. They realize that cooperating makes things easier, but only one person could inherit the prize and no one would own it with happiness thinking the person they accused was innocent. After playing chess, sharing identities, and bruised shins are healed, the heirs find out the real answer, and who the million dollar estate is awarded to.
Would you play a murder game? Some would quit after no success, and others would hang in there, trying to get the mansion. Even if you're in fourth grade you will understand this book and won't be able to put this book down! Every page begs you to turn the next! Once one mystery is found out, another is uncovered! Every character has their own way to figure out the murderer. Someone sets off bombs, another mixes up letters, and someone even plays chess! See for yourself who the murderer is, and see if you are ready for your own game of chess. Don't forget--the queen is the most valuable piece, and your opponent will probably try to take her and forget the object of the game... look out!
Book Review: Keeps you intriqued to the very end!
Summary: 5 Stars
First off: The book is superb!
Secondly: The author [Ellen Raskin] is nothing less than a genius writer!
Third: Nobody would have seen the ending coming, if it slapped you in the face!
As I stated above, the author is just amazing in how she organized the book and made all the characters so different from each other, yet they all can be classified as "normal enough" (for the most part anyways). Yet in their own way, all the people were a bit puzzling. Ellen definitely has her own unique writing style and it is clear to see that she took her time to ponder on this storyline (and it's for the better that she did).
Okay, enough about the author! Let me tell you a bit about the storyline:
Samuel Westing (AKA "Uncle Sam"--because he was a very patriotic man) has been located in his mansion.... DEAD. Everyone who was in his will were all (coincidentally, of course) invited to check out the apartments in Sunset Towers (which weren't even towers). Also, (again coincidentally) all members-of-the-will accepted the apartments (of course the surprise of finding out that they are in this man's will, would come after they move in).
Anyways, when they finally come together to read the will... all 16 heirs are in for a real shocker! The will turns out to be this clever puzzle they have to solve. There's 8 teams and each team only gets 2 clues, so they'll do anything to peek over someone's shoulder to find new clues staring them in the face.
Oh! And did I mention that whoever figures out the answer to the puzzle first, will win $200 million? Yeah, sorry if I forgot to mention that.
I guess what I'm trying to say is this: You just have got to read this book! It's one of those stories that once you start it, there's no way you can think of anything else, until you finish the book (and yes, I'm talking about the VERY last page!)
Book Review: Wonderful book
Summary: 5 Stars
In the Westing game Mr. Westing dies and in his will there is a game to which his heir must play in order to gain his immense wealth you must play the game. His 16 heirs all have a role to play in his game whether they know it or not. One of the heirs is a thief, one is a Bookie, one is a bomber, and one was a mistake. Near lake Michigan in Wisconsin there is a place called Westing town not so far from here is a place called sunset towers. In sunset towers there all the heirs live or work. They were all summoned to the Westing mansion (which is not to far away from sunset towers) to discuses the will. The heirs were paired up with their "perfect" mach to play Westing's game. They all got clues to the answer of Westing's will. Over the time they spent trying to figure out Westing's puzzle bombs went off things were stolen. Almost all of the heirs didn't have a clue that Mr. Westing was alive...and watching them. Soon each pair of heirs had to give an answer to the will. Near the end of the meeting one of the Heirs Sandy McSoutherns Dies and the heir named Crow said that she was the answer to the riddle. Realizing some thing was not right she had a trial to try and figure out what was really going on. It is then she discovered Mr. Westing faked his Death and acted as sandy McSouthener. What she didn't tell everyone else is that she realized that Sandy also faked his death and was still alive, and she knew who he was pretending to be. She later finds Mr. Eastman (Mr. Westing) and wins the game. After that all the Heirs (minus sandy) become good friends. They all get what they wanted. In the end of the book before Mr. Eastman died. Turtle tells him how everyone is (though in some cases she lied.) Then Mr. Eastman dies for the First and final time. The Westing Game is a vary good book and is one of the best mystery books I ever read.
-Sean
Book Review: It's No Mystery; This Book is Fabulous.
Summary: 5 Stars
The tile of the book I'm reviewing is The Westing Game and the author of the book is Ellen Raskin, and I give this book a rating of five stars.
One of the many reasons I gave this book five stars is because it keeps you on the edge of your seat. From bombers, to bookies, to burgalars theres plenty of action in this mystery. Throughout the whole book you're trying to find out who is the murderer of Mr. Westing. With 16 main characters this book can get a little bit confusing at times, but in the end it all makes sense. The book is written like a game, you're given clues and you have to figure out who murdered Mr. Westing and who the bookie, the bomber, the burgalar, and the mistake are. Along with all this mystery and confusion Ellen Raskin is able to add humor too.
Ellen Raskin gives this book humor in several different ways. She adds humor through characters like Turtle, Sandy and Sydelle with their quirky personalities and they're ability to make everyone laugh. She makes funny situations like when Turtle had to enter the old Westing estate by herself, on Halloween. She also creates fun little ways that everyone ends up knowing each other, although they're strangers when they first meet. Ellen adds humor to the story also when they characters start to play tricks on each other. Although the book is not based all on humor I don't think it would be as fun without the humor. I think by adding humor to the book she makes the reader feel as if they can relate to the characters more.
Some other titles I would recommend are; Summer of the Swans, The Giver, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Notebook. (...).
Book Review: One of my favorite books in early adolescence
Summary: 5 Stars
These days, I'm a bonafide adult, and it's been several years since I last picked up The Westing Game. Fifteen years ago, though (and maybe more), this was one of my very favorite books, and I read it so many times I think I still have much of it memorized.
It had been recommended to me by a young aunt a couple of years before I first picked it up, but I hesitated to read it, assuming that because it was about murder, it would be "scary". With the exception of one or two scenes, there was nothing much at all to scare *very* easily scared 11-year-old me. While I got nightmares from the ghost stories my classmates shared, this book did nothing but thrill me.
It's an intellectual mystery, rather than a physical one, and a great deal of fun.
I'm saddened to see that the advent of 9/11 has made us so sensitive than many reviewers feel the need to warn of fireworks-bombs and, well, death. Maybe it sould also be pointed out that there's some gambling (I think after about the dozenth time I read this, I finally asked someone what a bookie was), and even some apparent drinking (by adults).
I work with kids of all ages, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Westing Game to a sharp ten-year-old on up to a thirteen-ish year old. Those who like wordplay and puzzles will probably enjoy it more than others, but I also suspect that this book contributed to my own interest in wordplay and puzzles as much as that interest contributed to my love of this book. I would urge teachers not to assign it as required reading, as it's far too delightful a book to ruin it with schoolwork drudgery.