The Westing Game

The Westing Game is a fictional novel by Ellen Raskin.  This novel was originally published in 1978 and was the Newbery Award winner in 1979.  This mystery/suspense story is about 220 pages long, but will certainly have you eagerly turning the pages every step of the way!  While the Lexile reading level makes this book "ok" for readers starting in fourth grade, I do feel this is a true middle school book that only higher readers can understand and appreciate the mystery surrounding the events in the story.

The beautiful Sunset Towers has opened overlooking the gorgeous Lake Michigan.  Only 5 stories tall, the apartment building, constructed mostly of a glass exterior, also overlooks the Westing mansion atop the hill.  Six tenants are hand-picked and recruited to come live and some even work in the building - Flora Baumbach, J.J. Ford, Sydelle Pulaski, the Wexler family, the Hoo family, and the Theodorakis family. Soon after moving in, there are rumors that Mr. Westing has passed away in the large house on the hill.  After seeing smoke coming from the chimney of the large house, all the residents of Sunset Towers are certain something is going on and find themselves curious.  The tenets are then summoned to a meeting at the Westing mansion for a reading of Sam Westin's will.  In all, sixteen people are gathered together for the reading, where they are all named as heirs of his multi-million dollar estate.  But Sam Westing has one final game for the sixteen to be able to claim the money promised to them - to find out who took his life from him.  The will explains the rules of the game and even pairs the sixteen into eight groups of two.  Each pair is given a few words as their only clues, but each set of words are different.  With the help of their assigned partner, each pair sets out to find Sam Westing's murderer.  Can you figure out the mystery before the group does?

If you haven't read The Westing Game, this one needs to be on your "Must Read" list - even if you are an adult!  As I mentioned above, I would encourage this book for middle school or high schoolers; much of the puzzle could be too complicated for elementary school readers.  While this was written in the 70s, I do think it is a timeless classic and did not feel "dated" at all.  Guys or girls - if you love a good mystery, this is the book for you!  This is not a book for "easy" reading on the beach or by the pool.  To fully appreciate how the author presents the details and how the story unfolds, you do have to give this novel attention and concentration. I will admit I turned into a complete nerd and had pages of notes on each of the 16 heirs as I read.  Not that pages of notes are necessary, but I do love a good puzzle and I was determined to figure it out before the heirs!  The 3rd person omniscient point of view allows the reader to know what all the characters are thinking, which certainly gives the reader an advantage for the mystery.