Book Review of "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

The famous and eccentric millionaire Sam Westing has been reported dead. Sixteen potential heirs to his 200 million dollar estate gather in the old Westing mansion to hear the reading of his will and to learn which one of them will inherit his fortune. Sam Westing will not let the answer be found quite so simply, however. In his will, Sam states that his life was taken from him by one of the people then present in the room. Which one is up to them to find out. Here’s the catch: the only way to find out is to play “The Westing Game.”  Instructing them to team up as pairs of two, Sam has each team given a set of clues. They have a limited amount of time. Whoever discovers the answer first wins the fortune and wins The Westing Game. 

When I finished this story all I could say was, “This is the best mystery novel I have ever read!” Abounding with disguises, mind-boggling riddles, word games, and unforgettable characters, this will prove to be an exciting and memorable adventure. Perhaps it was its unique plotline that made it the only mystery to ever win the Newbery Medal.

Inspirations 4 Writing 

I don’t know about you, but reading this book made me want to write my own story that contained riddles and word games! Take this idea and see what type of unique story you can create. Perhaps it is a story about a clue that leads to a clue and so forth until you reach a treasure….perhaps it is about a puzzle that leads to an answer as in "The Westing Game." Perhaps….Well, I will let you fill in the gap. The possibilities are endless!