In fact, there are few mysteries written for adults that are as obsession-making and intricate, and with $200 million at stake in the game, figuring out the clues is hardly child's play. It's enjoyed by readers aged eight to eighty. It's taught in elementary and middle schools all over the United States. Once you win the Newbery, though, you're golden the rest is gravy.Īnd Raskin's book has remained super-popular in the thirty-plus years since it was published. Written in 1978 by Ellen Raskin, it won the 1979 Newbery Medal, which is pretty much the best prize you can get in children's literature. It reveals what every single character is hiding, as well as what they're hiding from. But it's also a lot more than that-the puzzle at its heart does more than just reveal whodunnit.

This novel ticks the three Awesome Murder Mystery boxes: it has an unusual plot, a nutso bunch of characters, and more unexpected twists than you can count. or shake a candlestick at (in the library with Colonel Mustard), for that matter. And believe us, we've read more mysteries than you can shake a stick at. The Westing Game is a murder mystery like no other. Witty wordplay, spectacular surprises, and a mismatched cast of comical characters make this raucous mystery an all-time classic.You know how you're not supposed to hate the player, you're supposed to hate the game? Well, when it comes to this totally bizarre, ominous and brain-tickling mystery, you'll end up loving both the game and its cast of players. But are the heirs really competing against each other, or against Sam Westing himself? There's 200 million dollars and an empire of paper products at stake. Bombs will go off, secret identities will be revealed, and shins will be kicked. The game is on, and the suspicious heirs try to outwit each other and uncover all the pieces of the puzzle.

Together the clues point to the murderer.

The heirs (and the mistake) are broken up into pairs, with each team receiving a clue. They've all come to stake their claim to the Westing fortune, but instead of an inheritance, they get some stunning news: one of them is Sam Westing's murderer, and the entire fortune will go to the heir who solves the crime! It's an odd assortment of heirs-there's an inventor, a track star, a bird watcher, a bomber, a burglar, and…a mistake. Sixteen people have been invited to the reading of eccentric millionaire Samuel W.

The westing game book by ellen raskin