The Westing Game [Mass Market Paperback]

n/a (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997

Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Puffin (June 1, 1997)
• ASIN: B000R0VP7A
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like reading a game of Clue; very entertaining and clever, March 4, 2009

By 

Karissa Eckert "Devourer of all books fantasy" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Westing Game (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book!, June 28, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Westing Game (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a very awesome book. It's crime and stuff like that. I read this book in 5th grade and I read it again in the summer when I was going to be a 7th grader. It's great for a 5th grader to read but when you read it again, you get more details.

The book is about 15 people(some people are in a family) that come to an apartment building and the next day they start a game called the westing game. All the heirs of Mr. Westing played a game and at the end of the game have to combine clues or save the clue for yourself. The Westing Game was started because they found the body of Mr. Westing and his will said they would all get clues and who ever won, gets Mr. Westing's money.

This was a very good book to me. So if you think review said something, that somthing was go get that book!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Intro Into the World of Mystery, December 19, 2009

By 

William Alexander "Alexander, Shaun" (Spartanburg, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Westing Game (Mass Market Paperback)

A student of mine found this book in the library and asked me to read it. It was a children's book, and I thought it would take little time. I was actually pleasantly surprised.

I know little of children's literature. But the central premise of this book is how the residents of Sunset Towers, a condo unit, are all heirs to a paper fortune left by Mr. Westing, who claims he was murdered. The prize is his fortune to the one that puzzles out the "whodunit" set out by his mysterious and cryptic last will. What follows is an engaging set of tricks and traps that call on the reader to (a) pay scrupulous attention to the text, and (b) use logical reasoning skills to solve the mystery. I think, then, this helps young people not only read, but read for comprehension, and compels them to at least try to use brain-power in their own pursuit of "Who Killed Mr. Westing?"

There is a little pyrotechnic violence here and there, and the central premise is indeed a murder. Further, the main point of the book - that material goods are no replacement for intangible "good things in life" - can be a little preachy. But it's a children's book, as mentioned, and that's to be expected. Still, parents should be aware of the low-grade violence.

A fun and engaging book for the amateur sleuth, an excellent skill-builder, and a great set up to introduce the young reader to the fascinating genre of the murder mystery.

Recommended.