Westing game by ellen raskin

I would have loved to have known her. I particularly enjoyed the diversity of its cast, the cleverness of its puzzles, the sardonic humor, why the scar happened and what it means, and especially mean little Turtle and her deepening friendship with the woman she decides to call Baba. View all 10 comments. Dec 20, Wendy Darling rated it it was amazing Shelves: tmg-classic-readalongs , favorites-all-time , mystery-traditional , middle-grade , read , favorite-ya , heroines-butt-kicking.

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. View all 21 comments. Dec 20, Gene rated it liked it Shelves: crime-and-mystery. A group read with my pantaloonless buddies.

Sixteen very different people were invited to reading of a will of multi-millionaire Samuel W. The guy stated he would be killed and whoever finds the murderer would get all his fortune. He provided the participants or players as Westing called them with different clues to help, but in my humble opinion they only provided additional confusion.

Coming back in time somebody worked really hard to make sure these sixteen people come to live in th A group read with my pantaloonless buddies. Coming back in time somebody worked really hard to make sure these sixteen people come to live in the same luxurious apartment building.

Again, in my humble opinion Ellen Raskin does not come close to the greatness of Agatha Christie. Then again, who does? Reading this book clued me in on how to spot a YA book easily.

The biggest giveaway would be the fact that in this genre slightly grown-up kids aka young adults are always unfailingly smarter than the actual adults. I can understand it: in children books the adults are treated as guardians, teachers, etc. If you want to ponder to teenagers with their rebellious phase of growing up we all came through this , you want to show them to be the smart ones.

I can accept this. By the way, in case you know of an exception to this rule please inform me as I cannot think of any. What I do not accept is the condescending tone of YA literature.

For some reason in children books the readers often treated as equals making them better and more satisfying reads for me - an adult who left his teen years behind a long time ago.

The book was guilty of this. Last piece of criticism. I hate rapid changes of POVs with the passion. Here they would often change after just one paragraph making the whole story look like a series in disconnected scenes.

I like the idea of "tell, do not show", but here is was taken to the extreme adding to the feeling of disconnection between what was actually shown and not told. However after all the mud slinging I did, I liked the book well enough not to get too bored I only got frustrated from time to time and I have not regrets about reading it.

The rating is 3 stars. Anti-YA rant mode off. View 1 comment. Mar 20, Isaac Blevins rated it really liked it 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 Westing isn't a vampire or a zombie - he's just decided that his heirs need to do a lit I read this little book for the first time not as a child - but as an adult.

Westing isn't a vampire or a zombie - he's just decided that his heirs need to do a little puzzle solving in order to earn their share of his estate. While the mystery and the puzzles are fun and wonderfully clever, it's the characters that really make this novel. All of the characters reside and work in the same high rise apartment building within view of the looming Westing estate.

Getting snowed in with them is like being trapped with the most interesting people you could imagine - both good and bad.

By the end of the novel it's almost like you're part of a family reunion you know these people so well. Do yourself a favor - if you're a kid: pick up this book and have a wonderful time!

View all 7 comments. Nov 08, Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it Shelves: fiction , united-states , mystery , 20th-century , young-adult , classics. Sunset Towers is a new apartment building on Lake Michigan, north of Milwaukee and just down the shore from the mansion owned by reclusive self-made millionaire Samuel W. As the story opens, Barney Northrup is selling apartments to a carefully selected group of tenants.

He claims that chess is not allowed in the building. This is a big clue, as Sam Westing loved chess. After Sam Westing dies, at the beginning of the book, it emerges that most of the tenants are named as heirs in Westing's will. The will is structured as a puzzle, with the 16 heirs challenged to find the solution.

It is discovered that Berthe Erica Crow is the answer but not the murderer. In the end, unknown to the other players, Turtle Wexler wins the game and inherits Sam Westing's company. I don't know how I would have approached this as a child or young adult, but it made me laugh at so many different stages!

My brain is still feeling a little tingly. I never knew what was going to happen next, and I have a feeling that exactly the way Raskin would have wanted it. Can't wait to read more of her books. I think she wrote for the adult in children.

She never disrespected them or 'wrote down,' because she didn't know how. View 2 comments. Jul 08, Mary rated it did not like it Shelves: mystery-crime-fiction , children-s. I don't understand why this book won a Newbery Award. It was confusing and sort of awful. Additionally, for today's reader, it felt extremely dated and had some remarks in it that I would call "un-politically correct. The person who first solves the mystery wins the inheritance. Clues are given along the way, but I'm not sure whether or not the reader was suppos I don't understand why this book won a Newbery Award.

Clues are given along the way, but I'm not sure whether or not the reader was supposed to be able to solve the mystery. I wouldn't recommend this and I feel bad for kids who have to read it as an assignment. View all 11 comments. Mar 09, Diane rated it really liked it Shelves: favorites , childrens. This was one of my favorite children's books, and I decided to reread it by listening to it on audio. What a delight!

The mystery held up really well, and Diane the Adult had fun following the clues being dropped. I had forgotten some of the twists in the story, which made it even more fun, and I was happy with the ending, which I had conveniently forgotten. I can't remember how old I was when I first read this book, but I do remember loving it so much that I wrote a letter to the author on an el This was one of my favorite children's books, and I decided to reread it by listening to it on audio. I can't remember how old I was when I first read this book, but I do remember loving it so much that I wrote a letter to the author on an electric typewriter.

However, when I looked at Ellen Raskin's bio page on Wikipedia, it says she died in when she was just 56, so she was likely already gone while I was typing out my admiration for her work. Ellen, wherever you are, thanks for writing such a clever book for children.

When I was young, reading that book made me feel like a grownup, and as an adult, reading the book made me feel like a kid again. Cheers to you. I read this with some friends who eschew pantalones. I'd never heard of this book before, despite it being a book for children that was available when I was a child.

I think, had I read this way back when, I likely would have enjoyed it a lot more than I did reading it now as a woman who once rode a dinosaur around town, probably. The premise is such: A very rich man leaves a will naming 16 people as his heirs, but only the one who solves The Mystery tm will inherit all of the money that exists I read this with some friends who eschew pantalones. The premise is such: A very rich man leaves a will naming 16 people as his heirs, but only the one who solves The Mystery tm will inherit all of the money that exists.

There's a lot going on in this book. There's a diverse cast. There's a mystery. Of sorts. But what there isn't, at least in my opinion, is cohesion and sense. This book has an ever shifting 3rd person limited Point-of-view narrative structure, sort of stream of consciousness, if we the reader existed in the story as a telepathic fly.

We flit around and pick up snippets of conversation and thoughts As a reader, there are a lot of ownerless thoughts just hanging out in this book, and it bugged me. See what I did there? On top of that, this book makes use of the dialogue as action style that I really loathe, AND it lacks narrative transitional structure. So one minute we'll have someone saying "Go upstairs and say hello.

At one point, one of the characters is in the hospital recovering from an injury. Throughout the time that this character is there, characters just show up, and then show up back at their apartment complex randomly, as though the hospital is IN the building - which it is not. Including a 13 year old child.

Just "Oh, we're at this place now. Annnnnd now we're not again? It was just a jumble of words surrounding a mystery that all of the characters were trying to solve The mystery laid out in the will was not as it seemed, and the real solution was to a question that was never asked and a mystery that was never mentioned.

It all seemed laid out and planned from the outset, and the level of prep-work required would have been astronomical. And I'm left feeling confused and dissatisfied with the end of the book because it seems like a huge amount of work The end result could have been accomplished much, much, much easier without all the subterfuge and trickery, and it would have actually been much more kind as well. I just It didn't work for me. For all that it's less than pages, it took me AGES to read it because the style just killed my interest every time I picked it up.

I was determined to finish, and so I did, but I don't feel like it was worth it. It's a shame, because this book has great reviews, and I had hoped to enjoy it, but it wasn't to be. View all 9 comments. This book was delightful. I'm still reeling from the fact that the author wrote this straight through without knowing all the plot details or how everything would turn out.

Sam Westing dies and leaves behind one final game for his 16 heirs who he has move into the same apartment building. A bit Agatha Christie mixed in and you are reading about this puzzle. Everyone is not who they say they are and the author slowly unravels the mystery.

For some reason, this took me far longer to read that it sh This book was delightful. For some reason, this took me far longer to read that it should have. It was a quick page turner and the paragraphs switched perspectives almost from sentence to sentence, which made it a little tricky to follow along.

There were a lot of characters, which also made it hard to keep them all straight, especially the families. I really enjoyed getting to know how everything played out, and especially the time gaps in the ending.

Great book for almost every reader. View all 4 comments. Nov 23, seth rated it did not like it. 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 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 Unless you love driving chainsaws through your innards, please do not read The Westing Game.

Barney Northrup, a sixty-two year old salesman, is selling apartment spaces in Sunset Towers to secretly selected sixteen people. These people all have connections with Samuel W. Westing and are his heirs. Soon after the sixteen settle in to Sunset Towers, Samuel W. Westing is presumed dead. The heirs are all called to the library in the Westing Estate for the reading of the will. Although the sixteen heirs are considered the main characters, the book focuses mainly on the Wexler family.

Grace is house decorator in her mid-forties. Jake is a podiatrist who now works in the lobby of Sunset Towers, since they moved there. Angela is a very calm person who is currently engaged to Denton D. Deere, also a doctor. Overall, the reason I really I really disliked this book was because how boring it was.

I was literally sitting there turning a page every five minutes! I would not recommend this to anyone. Over the weeks, the clues still puzzle the heirs, and many events occur including bombs, injuries, parties, and more! If you do choose to read The Westing Game , they have places for people like you. View all 18 comments. Oct 26, Elle ellexamines rated it it was amazing Shelves: mystery-suspense , zreads , x-rereads , 5-star. This may be one of the books I've reread most in my life.

I love this book so much. I don't even know what to say about this book other than it's one of my favorites ever. It somehow fits every age group - I appreciate it just as much now as when I was ten. The Westing Game is a brilliant logic puzzle. It's a mystery with all the clues lined up, but you won't get the solution. Trust me, you won't. You'll just scream at the end when you figure everything out.

I'm shocked that This I'm shocked that any author was able to develop the solution and set everything up so well. Every time I read this, I notice a new clue.

This book also succeeds because of its well-rounded characters. Frankly, all the characters are interesting and memorable, even with so many. Recommended for MG and YA readers alike. I, Samuel W. Westing, hereby swear that I did not die of natural causes.

My life was taken by me-by one of you! Cast out the sinner, let the guilty rise and confess. Who among you is worthy to be the Westing heir? The Westing Game begins. I never would have thought that this is a children's book. Because honestly, the ingenuity of the plot t "Today I have gathered together my nearest and dearest, my sixteen nieces and nephews Because honestly, the ingenuity of the plot transcends all age-bracket genres. At first I just read on without giving any thought about the "murderer" then by the latter part I'm going to piece off one theory, then it get's utterly crushed, and OH!

Then BOOM everything is laid out perfectly right under my nose. What I loved about this book aside from the eye-catching plot, is how these 16 heirs were fleshed out vividly and had developed by the end of the book.

I was satisfied that we readers still get to see these 16 heirs grow and age. The conclusion gave us glimpses of their futures in snippets even after The Westing Game had finally resolved.

I just love these endings. Overall, this book was filled with humor and witty dialogues. I loved how I pined for the right character! I recommend this to everyone who wants a fast yet enjoyable mystery book. Definitely one of my fave books this I just bought this for 25 pesos in Booksale and I swear, this is the greatest Booksale find I'd ever had in my whole reading career. Jan 05, Charles Finch rated it it was amazing.

The best. Read it whenever I remember to. Jul 11, MissBecka Gee rated it really liked it Shelves: completed-library-rentals , zbooks-i-read. This was a great middle school mystery. I wish I had known about this when I was a kid because I think 10 year old me would have been even more engrossed than 38 year old me already was.

View all 8 comments. Dec 11, Madeline rated it it was ok Shelves: kids-and-young-adult , audiobook. I checked out this audiobook on a whim when I saw that it was available, because it seemed like a quick, fun nostalgia read. I remember being assigned to read this book in fifth grade or sixth grade, and had fond memories of it as a brief, fun little puzzle of a story.

The Westing Game begins when sixteen people are called to the abandoned Westing mansion to hear the will of Sam Westing, recently deceased millionaire industrialist. The team that wins inherits his entire fortune. Within days, Northrup has rented all of the homes in Sunset Towers, as well as both restaurant spaces and a medical office in the lobby. In September, the tenants move in. Hidden among them are a bookie, a burglar, a bomber , a thief, and a mistake. They rib the teens who live in the building— Theo Theodorakis , Doug Hoo , and Turtle Wexler —by telling them ghost stories about how old man Westing has been rotting away inside for years.

Judge J. Ford and Sydelle Pulaski , two other tenants of Sunset Towers, return home and notice the smoke, too. Doug sets a stopwatch as Turtle runs in. Minutes later, she runs out screaming—she has seen the dead body of Sam Westing. Not long after that, Westing and his friend, the county coroner Dr.

Sidney Sikes , were in a terrible car accident which was rumored to have left Westing disfigured. Meanwhile, Otis Amber sets out on another delivery. Plum , to deliver—tomorrow, there is to be a reading of the will at the Westing estate.

Both players must sign the check to cash it. Plum ends the session by reading from one last section of the will. After a blizzard, the residents of Sunset Towers are snowbound. Sydelle becomes popular as the tenants vie for a glimpse at the notes she took during the reading of the will. Ford, determined to learn everything she can about her fellow heirs, enlists the help of a reporter to dig up facts about each of them.

Ford invites all of the heirs to a party, hoping to learn more about them. Theo wants the heirs to pool their clues, but many of the others, including Hoo and Ford, are reluctant to do so. Instead, the heirs agree to allow some anonymous questions. Everyone writes down the questions they have for the other heirs on a slip of paper, and Theo reads the questions out.

Before he can get to the end, however, a bomb goes off in the kitchen. The heirs leave, rattled. Her reporter turns up pictures of George and Violet Westing together at a party. Ford, knowing she needs to go deeper, calls a private investigator. As the restaurant is bustling in the middle of dinnertime, the second bomb goes off.

Sydelle sprains her ankle outrunning the blast and is taken to the hospital. Eventually, the sun comes out and melts the snow, freeing the residents of Sunset Towers. Sandy and Ford begin compiling dossiers on their fellow heirs. As Ford gets to know the scar-faced Sandy better, she learns that he is a former boxer who was fired from the Westing Paper Products plant after trying to organize a union. Some of the heirs begin breaking out of their pairs, exchanging theories in clusters.

The beautiful Angela is taken to the hospital with burns on her hands and face. The heirs grow even more suspicious of one another. Ford and Sandy deduce a connection between Grace, whose maiden name is Windkloppel, and Crow, who was once married to a man named Windkloppel. They also learn that Violet Westing killed herself the night before her wedding after her mother arranged a sham marriage to a hack politician, pulling Violet away from her true love, George Theodorakis, whose family were workers at the Westing Paper Products plant.

Ford reveals to Sandy that she grew up in the Westing house: her parents were servants there, and Westing financed her education. She has never repaid her debt to him.

She and Sandy decide that Westing is not dead, but is instead likely in disguise as one of the heirs. They believe that Westing wants revenge on his ex-wife, Mrs. Westing, for driving their daughter to suicide. They realize that they must protect Mrs. Westing—she, too, has to be among the heirs. Another bomb goes off in the elevator—Turtle confesses to being the bomber, though it was really Angela. The group moves to the library, where Plum opens up another envelope and declares that all answers are wrong.

Partnerships, the document says, are dissolved—all the heirs are on their own.