The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin ★

The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin
June 1978
E.P. Dutton

I, Samuel W. Westing, hereby swear that I did not die of natural causes.  My life was taken from me - by one of you! 

You don't say no when someone who hates reading tells you that this is the only book that ever brought them any pleasure in life.  Which is how I found myself reading this 1979 Newbery Medal winner by Ellen Raskin.  And while I'm not quite ready to proclaim this the best book I've ever read, it definitely kept me entertained and left me wondering how anyone can enjoy a literary classic such as this and yet find the majority of reading to be pointless.  But I digress . . .

When Sam Westing dies, he gathers his sixteen potential (and somewhat eccentric) heirs together to play a game; a game to determine who murdered him.  The heirs are all quite comical as they are paired off to play the game, each wondering if their partner is the killer.  The actual mystery in the book is interesting in that it is in places almost overly simple but in others extremely complex, making this a good read for all ages.  The "great reveal" at the end certainly surprised me!

Even more than the mystery, however, I very much enjoyed the human aspect of this book.  I had expected to dislike some of the characters at the beginning, but by the end I was rooting for all of them as each person had endeared themselves to me in some way.  This book should have enough intrigue, character and humor to keep most reluctant readers occupied; however, I'm not sure it's a cure-all (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, anyone?).  For those of you who have read this book, however, and declared that never shall you read again I say this:

If you liked The Westing Game, try these (somewhat) similar books:
Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison (A brilliant young girl who investigates mysteries.)
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (For the intrigue and intelligent clues.)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Another Newbery winning mystery with young protagonists.)
Holes by Louis Sachar (For the eccentric characters and unusual mystery.)