The Westing Game

The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin

Who is Sam Westing, really?

Quick Stats:

Page Count: 182
Age Range: 11 and up
Year: 1978
Genre: Mystery

Eighteen people are chosen to live in Sunset Towers apartments, 16 of whom are heirs to self-made millionaire Sam Westing. The heirs are presented with the will of Mr. Westing in the form of a cryptic puzzle that must be solved, in teams of 2 that they are placed in. Whoever solves the puzzle becomes the rightful heir to Westing’s $200 million estate. Bombs explode, property is stolen, and new identities are created as the reader finds out that not everyone is exactly who they claim to be in this game of human chess. Which of the heirs will be clever enough to solve the puzzle in time to inherit Westing’s millions? Can you solve it first?

This book is great for anyone who likes mysteries with a lot of twists and turns in the plot, although the language might be a little advanced for ELs. It would be great for a book group, and lends itself especially well to creating a map/diagram of the characters as there are a lot of details to remember and it can be a little confusing to keep track of them all.

-Mr. Dave