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The Westing Game
by
Ellen Raskin
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!
Kindle Edition, 220 pages
Published
(first published 1978)
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this is what i am going to do: i am going to take a red panda, and i am going to learn genetics and i dunno - neuroscience. and welding. and i am going to take a little bit of my brain, and a little bit of everyone's brain here on goodreads.com (you'll be asleep, you wont feel a thing) and then i am going to moosh it all together, and put it in the brain of the red panda. and then i will have the perfect book-recommending resource. because if i had had one of these when i was little, then it wou...more
99 likes · like · see review
view all 64 comments
Nov 13, 2009
Jen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
elementary girls with long hair
I think I first read The Westing Game in third or fourth grade. I checked it out of a public school library in Missouri. I loved it, returned it, and checked it again a few months later on another weekly library visit. Two things: 1. Why should children only go to the library once a week? My education would have been brighter and fuller had I just stayed in the library. Other kids could have had more time with the restroom pass, but instead I hoarded that thing and sat on the white raised seat...more
32 likes · like · see review
A well-written, twisty puzzle of a mystery, filled with fantastic clues, unforgettable characters, and countless red herrings. Turtle Wexler will always be a hero to me.
16 likes · like · see review
Mar 20, 2008
Isaac Blevins
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
children, children at heart, puzzle fans
Shelves:
ya-literature
I read this little book for the first time not as a child - but as an adult. I was looking for a book to kick off our Junior High book club and picked up the Westing Game to see if it might be a good place to begin.
I wish that I had found this book earlier in my life. What kid wouldn't be captivated by wonderful characters thrown together to play a game hosted by a dead millionaire? Don't get me wrong...Mr. Westing isn't a vampire or a zombie - he's just decided that his heirs need to do a lit...more
I wish that I had found this book earlier in my life. What kid wouldn't be captivated by wonderful characters thrown together to play a game hosted by a dead millionaire? Don't get me wrong...Mr. Westing isn't a vampire or a zombie - he's just decided that his heirs need to do a lit...more
30 likes · like · see review
The Westing Game is about 16 heirs competeing for Sam's Westing's inheritance. This book is a clever mystery full of excitement, danger. and suspicion. There are 8 teams, each team has a set of clues and together they must understand them. Together you must find out who Mrs. Westing is and who killed Sam Westing. You too may strike it rich, who dares to play...The Westing Game. We really loved this book it keeps you on your toes and every little thing matters. If you like a suspenseful, exciting...more
9 likes · like · see review
Feb 24, 2008
Tamara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
childrens-lit
Alright, I finally read it. The copy I read has a copyright date of 1978. So it was kind of interesting to read a book that was born the same year I was!
Amazingly, the fact that it was such an old copy was slightly distracting. The changes in stylistic trends is quite obvious. I didn't realize how much of the way I read is based on how things are organized and addressed in type and breaks and alignment.
I'm not used to reading mysteries, so for me this was a little hard to follow (quite sad, huh...more
Amazingly, the fact that it was such an old copy was slightly distracting. The changes in stylistic trends is quite obvious. I didn't realize how much of the way I read is based on how things are organized and addressed in type and breaks and alignment.
I'm not used to reading mysteries, so for me this was a little hard to follow (quite sad, huh...more
5 likes · like · see review
This book sounded like it would be lots of fun, and I read it hoping for a great mystery. In the end I think there were too many characters, and not enough information to make any of them seem real to me. I never really got why they were who they were, except on the most basic level. Each character was just glossed over, and even though they were described in a basic way, there was nothing to really draw me in or make me care about them.
23 likes · like · see review
Dec 29, 2007
Jessica Donaghy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
As a child, I probably read this book as many times as I watched the movie "Clue" (brilliance), and that is a lot! I loved (and still love) anything with a clever girl as a protagonist. Turtle can stand her ground among Nancy Drew and her ilk. Raskin's cast of characters feels somehow simultaneously real and fantastical, and the mystery is juicy enough to keep you hooked until the final moment of checkmate.
12 likes · like · see review
I first picked up this book in high school, if I remember correctly, from the high school’s library. I fell in love almost immediately, and when I recently saw a copy at Half-Price Books I picked it up so that I could own it.
“The Westing Game” is a wonderful, clever and engaging book. It’s a murder mystery, a puzzle, and a treasure hunt, all in one, centered around the unique cast of characters that inhabit Sunset Towers apartments. The reader essentially becomes a participant in the mystery as...more
“The Westing Game” is a wonderful, clever and engaging book. It’s a murder mystery, a puzzle, and a treasure hunt, all in one, centered around the unique cast of characters that inhabit Sunset Towers apartments. The reader essentially becomes a participant in the mystery as...more
8 likes · like · see review
Yes, this is a children’s book – a Newbery Medal winner from 1978. This was also my absolute favorite book from when I read it as a third grader until I was in middle school and discovered fantasy fiction. I saw it in a used bookstore and decided to press my luck and re-read it, hoping it wouldn’t disappoint me as other childhood favorites had done upon a re-reading (I’m looking at you, Hitchhiker’s Guide…). It didn’t. The Westing Game begins with sixteen seemingly random individuals invited to...more
8 likes · like · see review
The writing is straightforward, but the plot is anything but simplistic. An eclectic group of persons gather for the reading of a will. Sam Westing, multi-millionaire, has a mystery for them to solve — the winner receives the entire inheritance. But what, exactly, are they supposed to discover? And, though it’s only a game (the Westing game!), is one — or more — of the heirs in real danger?
The author herself describes this as a “puzzle-mystery” in the dedication — and it truly was like a jigsaw...more
The author herself describes this as a “puzzle-mystery” in the dedication — and it truly was like a jigsaw...more
4 likes · like · see review
Summary: Seemingly unrelated families and individuals receive invitations to rent in a new apartment complex. Two months later, a millionaire is found dead in a nearby house, and most of the building's residents are invited (through the dead man's will) to solve his murder for the opportunity to win his inheritance.
I was really impressed with this book - it has a large cast of characters that I found enchanting, and I felt like Raskin did an excellent job of giving all of them face time, so to s...more
I was really impressed with this book - it has a large cast of characters that I found enchanting, and I felt like Raskin did an excellent job of giving all of them face time, so to s...more
Jan 06, 2008
Joy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
older children and adults
Shelves:
newbery-medal,
mysteries
The Westing Game is one of my all-time-favorite mysteries. Mr. Westing is found dead in his mansion, and in order to win his fortune, sixteen would-be heirs must compete to win the Westing Game. Full of complexity and suspense, the plot lays all the clues before the reader but still manages to keep the solution secret until the very end. Funny and scathing in its portrayal of its characters, this is no warm and fuzzy fairy tale. In this cast of antiheroes, everyone is suspect and no one is truly...more
The Westing Game
By Cynthia Saravia
The Westing Game is a Thiller book. It is about the death of Mr.Westing. He has 16 people to
take his money. They are paired into groups and the group who figues out the puzzle wins
the money and his land. But what they don't know is that mr. Westing isn't actully died and
the body that Turtle saw wasn't his, it was fake, Mr.Westing is playing the part of ... and he is
in the race to what they don't know is that he is making the will as he goes and he is the on...more
By Cynthia Saravia
The Westing Game is a Thiller book. It is about the death of Mr.Westing. He has 16 people to
take his money. They are paired into groups and the group who figues out the puzzle wins
the money and his land. But what they don't know is that mr. Westing isn't actully died and
the body that Turtle saw wasn't his, it was fake, Mr.Westing is playing the part of ... and he is
in the race to what they don't know is that he is making the will as he goes and he is the on...more
2 likes · like · see review
Mar 13, 2008
Jennifer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
my-favorite-books,
i-actually-own
To me, this book is so my childhood. I remember reading it over and over again growing up and somehow it never got old... the ridiculous antics of the characters, which were somehow realistic despite the fact that they're obviously caricatures, the mystery behind it all, and the constants twists and turns of the plotline. And behind all of it, my joy at being able to cheer on the most obnoxious character of them all, because I connect with her. Somehow it never gets old to me, I'm still always s...more
Wow! I liked everything about this book. I like the way Ellen Raskin writes. I love the characters she created in this book and I enjoyed the heck out of the mystery. This was just fun all the way around.
2 likes · like · see review
I really got into this book. I was surprised at how well Raskin did at character development with such a short book and so many (16) characters. It very much reminded me of the movie Clue. I was writing down notes and trying to solve the puzzle as I went. Hahaha.
In the end, I was kinda satisfied. There were some questions that Raskin didn't even attempt to answer (I'll put them in spoilers below in case you've read the book and want to comment). The final chapter or two was too cute and neat for...more
In the end, I was kinda satisfied. There were some questions that Raskin didn't even attempt to answer (I'll put them in spoilers below in case you've read the book and want to comment). The final chapter or two was too cute and neat for...more
3 likes · like · see review
happened to email a friend the other day about some old, nostalgic childhood reads; was about to recommend this book to her, when i realized i could remember almost nothing of the plot or characters, nothing but the memory of me reading this book in 4th grade and falling immediately, irrevocably, unshakably in love with ellen raskin. that's it; that's all that remained.
some ten years later, and here i am reading the westing game again but also, in a way, for the first time. the ghost of the pas...more
some ten years later, and here i am reading the westing game again but also, in a way, for the first time. the ghost of the pas...more
4 likes · like · see review
This book is one of my all time favorites. I love the plot twists and the ending is great, although I won't spoil it for you. The characters have a lot of personality, the book is funny, and it keeps you turning the pages every time you read it. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys unexpected turns, mystery, and basically anybody that enjoys a good book. In my opinion, this is a must-read.
Oct 28, 2008
Jessica
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Children (11-13)
Recommended to Jessica by:
My teacher
Read in 6th grade. An amazing book, that I still own, that weaves a surprise ending. It's not a work of art, but the detail and the sheer complex that it's written with blew me away. Angela is that little sweetheart that everyone adores, but she has many surprises, Turtle is the cool underdog, and so on. The only thing predictable may be the result of Turtle's intellect and her crush on Ted.
Unless you love driving chainsaws through your innards, please do not read The Westing Game. The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin, is an extremely horrible clue-chasing mystery. The books main events take place in a 5-story apartment called Sunset Towers and the Westing Estate. The book takes place in Michigan around 1975. When reading the Westing Game, it is no more fun than jumping off a cliff for fun.
Barney Northrup, a sixty-two year old salesman, is selling apartment spaces in Sunset Towers to...more
Barney Northrup, a sixty-two year old salesman, is selling apartment spaces in Sunset Towers to...more
7 likes · like · see review
Feb 06, 2009
Tina
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
tryggestad-family-book-club
There was a lot that was really cute about this book. There were some wonderful characters but there was an awful lot of them. It kind of seemed like this would be a lot for an elementary student to keep track of. And only someone REALLY smart could have figured out the mystery on their own the way the jacket suggested. We'll have to see how our girls liked it and understood it.
Awesome well-written children's mystery. While this book is written for and very approachable as a children's novel, it is enjoyable as an adult as well. I only discovered this book this past year and I absolutely enjoyed it. It's not as deep or thought provoking as heavier adult mysteries, but that's part of what makes it so much fun.
Read this book. You won't be disappointed.
Read this book. You won't be disappointed.
Apr 21, 2008
Stephanie A. Higa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
A dazzling, brilliant novel. It is by and large considered a "children's book" (hence the well-deserved Newbery Medal), but the ingenuity, humor, and portrayals of racial and socioeconomic diversity are notches above those of many "serious adult novels." I read it when I was eleven and will probably continue to rave about it for the rest of my life.
2 likes · like · see review
Great story, one of the only mysteries I have ever enjoyed. It's just as good the second and third time as it is the first, maybe even better because you pick up on more of the little clues and don't get thrown off track as much. It's really meant for kids in fifth or sixth grade, but the characters are so fun that adults can have fun with it too.
3 likes · like · see review
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Original review by Kate
Publication Information: Speak (Penguin Group) / 1978 / 192 pages
Format: Paperback. Or rather, I should say, my fourth copy of the paperback?
Genre: YA (technically “middle grades”, meant for readers 7-12), crime, mystery, thriller.
Where I heard about it: In 3rd grade, while my gifted class read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the 4th graders were reading The Westing Game. I, as only a nine-year-old can, became obsessed with the book, but my te...more
Original review by Kate
Publication Information: Speak (Penguin Group) / 1978 / 192 pages
Format: Paperback. Or rather, I should say, my fourth copy of the paperback?
Genre: YA (technically “middle grades”, meant for readers 7-12), crime, mystery, thriller.
Where I heard about it: In 3rd grade, while my gifted class read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the 4th graders were reading The Westing Game. I, as only a nine-year-old can, became obsessed with the book, but my te...more
My 11 year old read this with his class last year and he is the one that recommended it to me. I really liked it! It is a fun, easy, and fast read. A little book of mystery with a fun ending.
2 likes · like · see review
I loved it. You have to take notes though, otherwise nothing makes sense!
The Westing Game
The Westing Game is a mystery about sixteen people who are mysteriously chosen to live in the Sunset Towers apartment building in Chicago.
It turns out that they are all the heirs to millionaire Sam Westing, who was allegedly killed. The group of 16 are brought together to hear the reading of Westing’s will, which is in the form of a puzzle.
The will divides 16 people into eight pairs, each with a different set of clues as to who killed Sam Westing. Each person is given $10,00...more
The Westing Game is a mystery about sixteen people who are mysteriously chosen to live in the Sunset Towers apartment building in Chicago.
It turns out that they are all the heirs to millionaire Sam Westing, who was allegedly killed. The group of 16 are brought together to hear the reading of Westing’s will, which is in the form of a puzzle.
The will divides 16 people into eight pairs, each with a different set of clues as to who killed Sam Westing. Each person is given $10,00...more
This was a WONDERFUL, charming read. I read it to my son's 6th grade class (a very tough crowd) who actually loved it, interacted with it and begged for more books like it.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In the end everyone gets what they deserve. | 1 | 9 | Jun 09, 2013 07:20pm | |
| CLUES | 16 | 94 | Jun 03, 2013 04:07pm | |
| The Westing Game | 14 | 61 | Feb 06, 2013 01:10pm | |
| Word Game Starting With... | 17 | 15 | Jan 13, 2013 01:35pm |
Ellen Raskin was a writer, illustrator, and designer. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up during the Great Depression. She primarily wrote for children. She received the 1979 Newbery Medal for her 1978 book, The Westing Game.
Ms. Raskin was also an accomplished graphic artist. She designed dozens of dust jackets for books, including the first edition of Madeleine L'Engle's classic A W...more
More about Ellen Raskin...
Ms. Raskin was also an accomplished graphic artist. She designed dozens of dust jackets for books, including the first edition of Madeleine L'Engle's classic A W...more
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