Helpful Score: 7
I got this book in a clearance bundle of books that I bought to get a different book. I was trying to decide if I should read it or swap it and after seeing it was a Newberry Medal book I decided to read it. This was a very entertaining book.
In this book a number of people are offered the chance to move into an exclusive condo building. Shortly thereafter they receive notice that they have been listed in the will of the founder of Westing Paper Company. Only it is a bizarre will and rather than being straightforward it requires the potential heirs to engage themselves in a game to find out who murdered Mr. Westing. Thus the Westing Game begins.
This was a clever little book. It is not necessarily a quick read, since the reader must pay attention to all the little details in the book. Nonetheless I found myself enjoying this book immensely. It is a very classic mystery type of book and reads a bit like I would imagine a game of Clue would (if you could read a game).
There are many twists and many interesting characters. It was fun to try to figure out how all of the characters are tied to Mr. Westing. This was the type of book that you could either read and let it give you the answers or you could exercise your brain along the way and try to guess the answers before the book gives them to you.
Well written and very clever I thought this was a very interesting and entertaining book. It makes me want to check out more of Ellen Raskin's books.
In this book a number of people are offered the chance to move into an exclusive condo building. Shortly thereafter they receive notice that they have been listed in the will of the founder of Westing Paper Company. Only it is a bizarre will and rather than being straightforward it requires the potential heirs to engage themselves in a game to find out who murdered Mr. Westing. Thus the Westing Game begins.
This was a clever little book. It is not necessarily a quick read, since the reader must pay attention to all the little details in the book. Nonetheless I found myself enjoying this book immensely. It is a very classic mystery type of book and reads a bit like I would imagine a game of Clue would (if you could read a game).
There are many twists and many interesting characters. It was fun to try to figure out how all of the characters are tied to Mr. Westing. This was the type of book that you could either read and let it give you the answers or you could exercise your brain along the way and try to guess the answers before the book gives them to you.
Well written and very clever I thought this was a very interesting and entertaining book. It makes me want to check out more of Ellen Raskin's books.
Helpful Score: 4
I love this book. It's smart, engaging, and keeps you guessing until the very end. The reader has all the clues, so if you are a mystery fan, no matter what age, this book is for you. Don't read to fast or you might miss something important!
It's like Clue in a book.
It's like Clue in a book.
Helpful Score: 4
Title: The Westing Game
Author: Ellen Raskin
ISBN: 0439412811/Scholastic
Protagonist: the inhabitants of Sunset Towers
Setting: Westing, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Michigan
Young Adult Mystery
Rating: B
First Line: The sun sets in the west (just about everyone knows that), but Sunset Towers faced east.
The inhabitants of Sunset Towers are a mixed bag: a podiatrist, restaurateurs, a seamstress, a woman who works at the local soup kitchen, a delivery boy, a secretary,high school students, a woman who has delusions of grandeur.... For the most part, they enjoy living in their apartments with their views of Lake Michigan, until the day that Sam Westing is found dead in the nearby Westing mansion. They all receive letters explaining that they must come to the reading of Westing's will. When they appear, they are divided into teams, given clues and told that the team that finds out who murdered Sam Westing will inherit all his millions. A treasure hunt ensues with a thief and a bomber thrown in for good measure.
Although I was told that I, the reader, was the only one with all the clues, I didn't go out of my way to discover whodunit. I was more than content to go along for the ride. And a fun ride it was, too. The wordplay, humor, characterizations and complex mystery were all first rate. I can see why this book won the Newbery Medal!
Author: Ellen Raskin
ISBN: 0439412811/Scholastic
Protagonist: the inhabitants of Sunset Towers
Setting: Westing, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Michigan
Young Adult Mystery
Rating: B
First Line: The sun sets in the west (just about everyone knows that), but Sunset Towers faced east.
The inhabitants of Sunset Towers are a mixed bag: a podiatrist, restaurateurs, a seamstress, a woman who works at the local soup kitchen, a delivery boy, a secretary,high school students, a woman who has delusions of grandeur.... For the most part, they enjoy living in their apartments with their views of Lake Michigan, until the day that Sam Westing is found dead in the nearby Westing mansion. They all receive letters explaining that they must come to the reading of Westing's will. When they appear, they are divided into teams, given clues and told that the team that finds out who murdered Sam Westing will inherit all his millions. A treasure hunt ensues with a thief and a bomber thrown in for good measure.
Although I was told that I, the reader, was the only one with all the clues, I didn't go out of my way to discover whodunit. I was more than content to go along for the ride. And a fun ride it was, too. The wordplay, humor, characterizations and complex mystery were all first rate. I can see why this book won the Newbery Medal!
Helpful Score: 3
I loved this book when I was younger! It was a great mystery!
Helpful Score: 3
Great mystery!! If you love books that require thought and deduction, this one is a must!!
Helpful Score: 2
Very clever! An intriguing mystery, and one of my favorites.
Helpful Score: 2
My 12 year old 6th grader read this book and loved it, but it is an advanced read. It is a Newberry Medal award winner about a murder mystery. Really intriguing plot. No blood or gore, jut disappearances and disguises.
Helpful Score: 2
This is the only mystery to ever have won a newberry medal. For you homeschoolers, it is also a Sonlight book. Both of my children have read this book and liked it.
Helpful Score: 2
A very cute kids' mystery. Newberry Medal winner.
Helpful Score: 1
I loooooooved it was when I was a kid - and I was pleasantly surprised I loooooooooove it even more as an adult! Clever, incredibly well-plotted mystery thriller, with characters whose quirks have stayed with me for literally two decades now. A wonderful read-aloud choice for parents and kids, but BOTH kids and adults will love it independently, too :)
Helpful Score: 1
I ordered The Westing Game for my 9-year-old grandson after reading several reviews. Before giving it to him, I read it myself, and quite enjoyed it. The puzzle was interesting and the characters a lot of fun. A good book for this age group
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book as a kid. I recently reread it as a 30-year-old woman and still loved it! A great whodunit with memorable characters that you really root for!
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful mystery for young adults that won the Newberry Award. This is a very entertaining book for adults too because its fun. There are so many clues on every page that its like solving a puzzle. I had so much fun with the clues and trying to solve the mystery before the story was over. There are great characters in the story too that change throughout the story because they are touched by others. It is nothing at all like the stupid movie version they put out that ruins this good little story. If you've seen the movie, ignore it and read this neat little book. If you haven't watched the movie yet, avoid it at all costs so that you can enjoy the novel.
Helpful Score: 1
My son didn't want to read it, but ended up really enjoying the story. It was very engaging, not a typical boring 4th grade book. Won a Newberry Award. It is about a contest to find out who murdered wealthy Sam Westing and thereby gain $200 million.
I really enjoyed this book with all it's twists and turns. My 11 year old son, however, did not. He was irritated by the way the story kept jumping around from mini-plot to mino-plot. After a week and he was only 3/4 of the way through, we agreed that mysteries are not his cup of tea. He can read 600 page science fiction tomes in less than 2 days. So I guess my point is, know your child's reading style before chosing this book. The book is very good, in my opinion. But I love mysteries and puzzles. If your child is not into them, like my son, your child may not enjoy this one either.
Very enjoyable book, you'll definitely want to read more than once.
This book is used in Sonlight 6
An awesome book with a great plot and interesting characters
i loved the concept of this book. it was so mysterious i wanted to know what was going to happen. i do say i was a little dissapointed in the ending though
Unique, unlike anything I've read before. Loved the cast of characters.
The book is a page turner.
However, the conclusion leaves the reader hanging.
Very short chapters
However, the conclusion leaves the reader hanging.
Very short chapters
a good book.
I love this book so much. One of the best mysteries.
A fun mystery that kids have a great time figuring out.
Great story...
This is a quick read. It is a cute story.
Who's dead, and who will be dead next? Great murder mystery!
One day sixteen people gather to listen to a strange will setting them in a game.
weird.
weird.
a Sonlight title
The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
this is a young teen book that belong to my kids and I have no idea of what it is about but they loved it because they kept it
Great book.
good read.
Where there's a will, there's a way----and Sam Westing has left quite a will!!
One fateful day, sixteen people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. To their surprise, the will turns out to be a contest, challenging the heirs to find out who among them is Westing's murderer. Forging ahead, through blizzards, burglaries, and bombings, the game is on. Only two people hold all the clues. One of them is a Westing heir. The other is You!
One fateful day, sixteen people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. To their surprise, the will turns out to be a contest, challenging the heirs to find out who among them is Westing's murderer. Forging ahead, through blizzards, burglaries, and bombings, the game is on. Only two people hold all the clues. One of them is a Westing heir. The other is You!
Winner of the Newberry Medal
My 14 year old read it and loved it. I read it and loved it. has some wear.
One fateful day, sixteen people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. To their surprise, the will turns out to be a contest, challenging the heirs to find out who among them is Westing's murderer. Forging ahead, through blizzards, burglaries, and bombings, the game is on. Only two people hold all the clues. One of them is a Westing heir. The other is you!
I haven't read this book. It was given to me.
I haven't read this book. It was given to me.
Different cover
