Search - The Westing Game

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!

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.

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

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.