The Westing Game by Ellen RaskinAR Reading Level: 5.3
On the library stacks: Children's/YA Fiction
Awards: Newbery Medal; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award/Honors; ABA Children's Book Council; ALA Notable/Best Books; SLJ Best Book
Recommended for: Ages 10+
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Good heavens. How did I miss this book when I was growing up? It's a great book for tweeners who are done with kid's books but not quite mature enough for young adult.
Sam Westing was a self-made multi-millionaire who owned a mansion on the shores of Lake Michigan. Upon his suspicious death, sixteen individuals were brought together in pairs and each were given a set of clues. If they solved the mystery of Sam's murder, they would win $200 million.
If this quirky mystery were a play, I would go and see it in a heartbeat. It kind of read like a script for me and that's how it played out in my mind. The book is hilarious and also at times surprisingly thoughtful and deep. There were a LOT of characters to remember and the middle of the book kind of lagged for me. But the finale was so perfect and so right, it made up for it in spades. Great fun!
Also reviewed by: The Avid Reader's Musings ~ Bermudaonion's Weblog ~ The Book Nest ~ The Bluestocking Society ~ It's All About Books ~ A Book a Day ~ A Reader's Journal ~ Booking Mama
Source: BookMooch
3 comments:
I'm so glad you liked it! As you saw, it was one of my absolute favorites when I was a kid. I should reread it and see how it compares now.
I had a little trouble keeping up with the characters at first but ended up liking this book a lot. You're right - it would make the perfect play.
I totally missed it as a child also, but did enjoy it. I'd go see the play WITH YOU :)
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