Customer Reviews

The Westing Game

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Book: The Westing Game

Author: Ellen Raskin

Reviewed by: Sarah, a 7th grader

Get ready to play The Westing Game, with this exciting page-turner by one of my favorite authors, Ellen Raskin! Ellen has a knack for writing books that hold the readers' attention and keep you turning pages until the story is all wrapped up. You won't be able to stop reading until the mystery has been solved...and no matter how many times you think you've solved it, there's another twist and a new suspect arises! After I finished it, I gave it to my older sister (14) who also enjoyed it, and then to my grandma (who loves mysteries) and she said it was, quote, "Great!" I can't reccommend this book enough to mystery lovers like me, young and old.

My son was assigned this for summer reading, so we got the book, study guide, and movie. Of course the book is always better but the movie was ok as well. It kept my son engaged and the movie wasn't too "kiddy" for two adults eventhough the mystery was sort of easy to solve. The move was watched on a train ride.

Someone in my son's book club chose this book and it sounded interesting, so I got a copy and previewed it before I gave it to him. Wow - it was really boring. I finished it, because I wanted to see what he was going to read, but it was a struggle. The characters are quirky and somewhat interesting, but there are too many of them- it's distracting and doesn't allow for much character exploration. I don't know what else I can say except it just wasn't engaging - the plot was not that mysterious and I didn't really care if they solved the mystery or not.

I gave the book to my son and he couldn't get through it. Every day after his assigned reading time he would complain, "But it's sooooo boring!!" and beg to be allowed to stop reading it. I finally agreed to stop torturing him, so he never finished it. This is a kid who can lose himself for hours in a good book - Harry Potter, anything by Roald Dahl, Carl Hiaasen, Jean DuPrau, etc.

Sixteen people, seemingly unconnected, are strangely selected and paired to solve the MYSTERY behind a multi-millionaire's fabulous will. Who would say no to that? But! The mystery is who killed Uncle Sam Westing! What might have been a vicious contest between family members, friends, and coworkers to find the answer has instead turned into a contest of who can siphon clues off of other couples (randomly paired) without giving anything away about one's own clues. Just wait `til you read what happens! Be prepared for intrigue, discovery, and false herrings as each of the sixteen (potential) inheritors hunts for the key to solving the will and earning the MILLION$$ that Uncle Westing has left one lucky inheritor.

The real treat of this mystery is the characterizations. While at first it might be confusing to keep track of who's who, you'll learn to love the energetic, deceptively innocent, proper, greedy, attention-seeking, or underhanded personalities. I personally learned to love the girl called Turtle (though definitely not at first), a fiery young girl that has everyone off their shins.

I was a bit disappointed in the conclusion of the mystery. For fun, I kept track of all of the characters and their actions all throughout the book to try to narrow down who could be the murderer, bomber, thief, and wrong contestant. However, the outcome did NOT follow the clues at all, so there was no way the reader would have been able to figure out the mystery (except for one thing which ended up having no bearing on the conclusion conclusion).

From the outset, the read-out-loud will hints of violence (murder, a bomb-pyro, and thievery) and crime from some of the characters, but worry not, all is explained by the end in a G-rated sort of way. Very suitable for young adults.

The Westing Game although a mystery novel is not like any other. It sets itself apart with multiple personalities, constant questions and guessing and several subplots. Sam Westing has created a masterful will in which onl one can solve. With sixteen possible heirs and unknown motives a truly page tuning story lies ahead. Whether a mystery addict or trying to get into mysteries this is a great read. There is most definitely a reason Raskin won Newberry Medal for her work.

The Westing Game is one of the only books I will actually choose to reread. Why, you might ask? I have no clue actually! I first ordered this book from the book order in 4th or 5th grade. Since then I reread it at least once a year.

What starts out as a strange storyline, quickly becomes something much more. You become so attached to the characters that you don't know which way is up! There are quite a few main characters but no minor characters really to keep track of. So, in a way it works itself out.

The book is a murder mystery, of sorts. It is extremely interactive, but I'll warn you, it WILL keep you guessing up until near the very end. Just when you think you have it figured out, Ellen Raskin finds a way to turn it all around.

Like I said, I've been reading this for years and it never ceases to delight me with every page turned. No matter your age, I think you will enjoy this wonderfully written mystery that might just leave you in tears by the end too! I really hope some of you consider picking this one up : )

The Westing Games By Ellan Raskin

Genre-Realistic Fiction

Summary:

The Westing Game was about twelve people that were staying at Sunset Towers which was right across from a huge mansion called the Westing mansion. It so happened that Mr. Westing, the rich man that lived in the mansion, was supposedly murdered by one of the twelve guests. His lawyer wanted them to play a game to figure out who did it and whoever won, won a large amount of money. Throughout the story, partners were formed and they tried to figure out who killed Mr. Westing and why. One person ended up finding out that Mr. Westing was never actually dead until the end. She found out that he had four different aliases and won it all. It's up to you to figure out who won the game, and who Mr. Westing really was!

This was a great book for any age. The recommended age for this book is grades 4-8, but older individuals will love it too. It will not take you long to read because it is very short and you will not want to put the book down! The whole time you read this book you are constantly making assumptions on who killed Mr. Westing. By the end of the book you will be very surprised, which makes it a good read. If you are into suspense and mystery, this would be a great book for you.