The Westing Game

Written by Ellen Raskin

Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER • Ellen Raskin's unforgettable, timeless classic continues to be cherished by young readers of each new generation.

"Great fun for those who enjoy illusion, word play, or sleight of hand." —The New York Times Book Review

A highly inventive mystery begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of the very strange will of the very rich Samuel W. Westing. They could become millionaires, depending on how they play a game. All they have to do is find the answer—but the answer to what? The Westing game is tricky and dangerous, but the heirs play on—through blizzards, burglaries, and bombings. Sam Westing may be dead ... but that won't stop him from playing one last game!

Ellen Raskin has created a remarkable cast of characters in a puzzle-knotted, word-twisting plot filled with humor, intrigue, and suspense.

Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award • An ALA Notable Book

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9780525591269

Ellen Raskin

Ellen Raskin was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up during the Great Depression. She was the author of several novels, including the Newbery Medal-winning The Westing Game, the Newbery Honor-winning Figgs & Phantoms, The Tattooed Potato and other clues, and The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel). She also wrote and illustrated many picture books and was an accomplished graphic artist. She designed dust jackets for dozens of books, including the first edition of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic A Wrinkle in Time. Ms. Raskin died at the age of fifty-six on August 8, 1984, in New York City.

Reviews for The Westing Game

[kalliegrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I know I have read this before years ago in my teens, so revisiting it now was a treat. There are definitely sensibilities that reflect decades past, you can tell it's being progressive for its time but you'll raise a brow these days. A short, clever mystery game with distinctive characters and a satisfying conclusion.

[tla.library · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The kids know: I'm always raving about this book ... but it's for good reason! It's funny, smart, salty, and more than worthy of its awards and accolades. For the grown-ups in the room: It's like Tom Robbins wrote a book for kids. This was my favorite at 10 years old ... and it still is! Another member of the "Books That Don't Talk Down to Kids" collection. -Ms. Jennie

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was fun to read this while And Then There Were None was relatively fresh in mind. Raskin was most definitely inspired by Agatha Christie and developed a masterful mystery. I daresay, one that is more enjoyably wrapped up and finished with more clarity than the predecessor.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Second attempt, this time for Newbery club in the Children's Books group here. I do like puzzles, fwiw. But I don't like mysteries, and apparently it's because I'm not good at them. Especially when there are so many red herrings that I can't even figure out what has been going on after the mystery is solved. I mean, because this is my second attempt, I really tried... and I'm still mystified. I don't even feel like I got to know the characters well enough, and, supposedly, that's something I am actually good at.

Ack. I could blame myself for not appreciating it, and withhold judgement. But no, I enjoyed it only two stars' worth, and would not recommend it to any of my friends (and am surprised by how many of my GR friends did love it), and feel as if it has little value besides the clever puzzle. So there you go. I say, read at your own risk.

[dkflynn33-152943 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting book. Sam Westing was a character for sure. He sure knew how to mess with people's heads. I honestly don't know why you would want to play this kind of game with your heirs but it was a fun story. The other characters were a bit quirky as well which added to the interest level. I would definitely read something else by this author.

[valerieandbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't know how I missed out on reading The Westing Game a kid. Maybe it just wasn't available at my library which didn't have a lot of contemporary (at the time) books. Reading it as an adult, I didn't even feel like it was a watered-down or dumbed-down version of a mystery for younger readers. Very clever. However, it was published in the 1970s, so there are some outdated phrases or views regarding race and disabilities, such as describing an Asian as "inscrutable" or Mongoloid instead of Downs Syndrome. In spite of this, an enjoyable read and Turtle is definitely a memorable character.

[moshepit20 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 I feel liked I read this book in elementary school. I remember liking parts of the plot and not liking other parts.

[secondhandrose_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very clever middle grade novel.

[sriddell_8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A seemingly random group of 16 people are gathered for the reading of the will of Sam Westing. Instead, they are all given a challenge to find Westing's murderer. They are grouped into teams of two, and each team is given an envelope full of clues.

A cute book, lots of twists and turns (too many maybe). I like the premise, but I'm really not the target audience for this book - really a children's book.

[mstrust · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When the new tenants of the Sunset Towers apartment building notice smoke coming from the long abandoned Westing mansion, they all know something strange is happening, but none of them could guess how strange things are going to get. Samuel Westing hasn't been seen in years and was presumed to have died in some far-away place, so it's not only a surprise when his newly deceased corpse is found in the mansion, but also to discover that he had written a will that invited every tenant in the apartment building to play a game, with the winner taking the Westing fortune.
This was the 1979 Newberry Medal winner, and it's a complex story featuring sharp-witted characters, including thirteen year-old Turtle.

[mutantpudding · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my all time favorite books. There is some outdated language in regards to race and disability but it seems due to changes in terminology, not any predijuice on the author's part. There is a lot going on, but just reread it a time or two (or twenty if you're me) and it's pretty easy to get a handle on things.

[mom2lnb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Westing Game is a Newberry Award winning, modern classic, middle-grade/YA story that was one of my favorites from childhood. A large and varied group of people are invited to move into Sunset Towers, a new apartment building on the shores of Lake Michigan. Not long after they take up residence there, smoke is seen coming from the chimney of the nearby Westing mansion, which was believed to be uninhabited for some time. The Sunset Towers doorman tells young Turtle Wexler a ghost story that prompts her and her friend, Doug, to sneak into the mansion, where Turtle finds the body of eccentric millionaire Sam Westing. Most of the residents of Sunset Towers are then invited to the mansion for the reading of the will in which all of them are named heirs. But there’s a catch. The will states that Sam Westing didn’t die of natural causes and that one among them is a murderer. In order to claim their inheritance, they must discover the name of the killer by piecing together clues left by the victim and the one who figures out the puzzle first will receive two hundred million dollars. The heirs are paired together and each team is given ten thousand dollars and a handful of words, which they must make sense of. As they work to figure it all out, they’re beset by a blizzard, a thief, and a bomber, all of which only muddy the waters. Who will be the first to find the answer and will it be what they expect?

The Westing Game boasts a diverse, ensemble cast of sixteen heirs, who are the main players in the Westing Game. There’s thirteen-year-old tomboy genius Turtle who plays the stock market, along with her older sister, Angela, who is considered the perfect angel of a daughter. Their parents, Grace, a wannabe socialite and decorator, and Jake, a podiatrist, are also players. Then there’s Angela’s fiance, Denton, who is a plastic surgery intern. The Hoo family, who own the Chinese restaurant on the top floor of Sunset Towers, are all heirs as well. James Hoo is an entrepreneur and inventor who had one of his inventions stolen by Sam Westing, his wife, Madame Hoo, who speaks little English and wants to go back to China, is the restaurant’s cook, and their son, Doug, is a high-school track star. Flora Baumbach is an older dressmaker who is working on a wedding dress for Angela. The teenage Theodorakis brothers are heirs, but their parents who own the coffee shop on the first floor of Sunset Towers and who are in not-so-friendly competition with Hoo’s restaurant are not. Theo Theodorakis is an aspiring writer, while his younger brother, Christos, is a disabled birdwatcher. J. J. Ford is a smart and well-respected appellate court judge. Sandy McSouthers is the building’s doorman, who has a colorful past and a large family to support. Bertha Crow is the building’s cleaning lady, while Otis Amber is an elderly delivery boy who brings messages to the residents about the Westing Game. And last but not least is Sydelle Pulaski, a middle-aged secretary who is always overlooked, so she gains attention by unnecessarily walking with a crutch that she creatively paints and uses like a fashion accessory. I have to give the author props for creating such a large and interesting cast of characters, and giving them each their own personalities and quirks, while wrangling them all successfully into a cohesive whole.

I read this book for the first time when I was in middle-school and it’s typically classified as either a middle grade or YA book, but I found very little concerning content to report. Turtle finds the purportedly murdered body of Sam Westing, but it’s rendered in a more spooky way with nothing graphic. There’s some incidental violence in the form of “bombs” that are really just fireworks. Two people are injured and spend a few days in the hospital, but their injuries aren’t life-threatening and they continue playing the game from their hospital beds. Turtle kicks people's shins when they tug her braids, but this is more humorous than anything. There’s the mention of an off-canvas character from the past committing suicide. And then there are two deaths recorded on canvas but neither was particularly graphic. Throughout the book, various items go missing and are suspected to have been stolen, but eventually they’re all given back. That’s all I can think of, so overall, I’d say that the book is PG-rated and quite appropriate for its audience.

As I mentioned, I first read The Westing Game as a kid and I remember absolutely loving it. At the time, it became one of my all-time favorite books, but I hadn’t read it again since then, until now. I honestly remembered very little of the story, only that an eccentric millionaire drew his heirs into playing a game for their inheritance. The book is a little slower in the beginning, because each pair of heirs have only a small portion of the clues. But the pieces gradually start coming together as the pairs investigate and start figuring things out. When they’re all brought back together later on, then things really get moving as we discover just how clever and complex this game and the mystery surrounding it really is. I very much enjoyed the cast of characters and give the author kudos for writing such a diverse group back in the 1970s (when the book was first published). I like how the characters come together and how the two characters in each pair end up being good for one another. They could have been incredibly cutthroat given how much money was on the line, but for the most part, they’re kind to each other and end up cooperating in many ways, which is a good lesson for kids and teens. Overall, I enjoyed this walk down memory lane and look forward to passing this book along to my grandchildren one day.

[akbouterse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I definitely have some nostalgia goggles on a bit with this one but I just love this story so much. I've talked to a bunch of people about this book while re-reading it and almost every person I've talked to read it in elementary school and has really fond memories of it.

I first read this book in 4th or 5th grade and just loved. I remember flying through the book because I found it so engaging and I just had to know how it ended. Yes, this book at times may be a little over the top but I think that's one of the things that kept me reading as a child. Even now, I can appreciate the over-the-top nature of this book. Even though it might seem crazy at times, everything written just seemed so intentional to me. You could tell that Ellen Raskin put so much effort into planning out what this story was going to be and exactly how she wanted to write it. There are definitely flaws in this book, don't get me wrong, but this was just such an important book to me as a child and I still love it so much, so forgive me if I'm willing to overlook those issues.

I love going back and re-reading books I read when I was younger. Sometimes, like with this book, they're still really good, and sometimes I can't imagine why I liked it. Either way I love knowing that those books I read as a child helped me become a reader and continue reading to this day. Reading this makes me want to go back and re-read more of the books I know I read in elementary school just to so what kind of books I loved when I was a kid.

[fingerpost_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An aged millionaire dies, and his will is an elaborate puzzle to be solved by 16 people he has named as his heirs. Many of them don't seem to know why he even named them. Some are successful, some are not; some are wealthy; some not; most are adults; but a few are teenagers, the youngest being Turtle, who is only 13. Whoever can solve the puzzle stands to inherit $200 million.
This is a book that needs to be read all at once... or at least in as short of a time as possible. There are so many characters to keep track of, and so much going on, and the narrative leaps frantically from one group of characters to another so frequently, that if one tried to read this over a period of several days, one would likely miss too much. A fun and clever book, though I don't think I'd go so far as to say brilliant.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This excellently written well paced gimmick novel lost points with me for it's shift from sarcasm to sentimentality.

[dzejncrvena · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My last pick for 2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge prompt#13: A locked-room mystery

Someone recommended it for readers who prefer less gore and violence in a book.
I have to reread it many times because I'm trying to pick some clues somewhere in the beginning. haha (update: I didn't figure out the culprit because I'm not American--HINT!)
My mind is so exhausted to the point of not absorbing every basic conversation in this book. In another day, I'd have devoured this in few hours.
The characters have distinct personalities and physical features. Plot is humorous with a streak of Sam Westing's playfulness (even if he's dead). Looking forward to finish it tonight.

[quinton.baran · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was OK most of the way through, but it picked up for me at the end. The characters were interesting and the mystery was fun to track through, although it was a bit obtuse. I found the writing to be a bit distracting at times, as I didn't feel that points of view were fully conveyed - sections seemed to cut off without being fully explored.

Nevertheless, each of the characters (and there are many) were developed and I felt that I understood their motivations.

[unsquare_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. I have very strong memories of reading and re-reading it, even if the details of the book slipped my memory after more than two decades. The only thing that stuck with me was the reveal at the end of the book, so re-reading it this time was like uncovering buried memories. The audiobook version also gave it a new dimension that I never experienced as a kid. One thing that surprised me about this book is that the adult characters get as much stage time as the teenage girl who would be the more traditional YA heroine these days. This book doesn’t talk down to kids, if only because there’s so much going on thematically that the story works on multiple levels. It’s also held up very well despite being published in 1978.

[khal_khaleesi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While looking for my next read, I came across The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. I had never heard of it before, but the synopsis sounded interesting. I decided to give it a read, and I'm glad I did.

Sixteen people all move into Sam Westing's apartment building after receiving a letter inviting them to move in. They are the only tenants in the building. Little do they know that they were picked to play in a game where they could potentially win a lot of money. However, they must play hard to win if they want to inherit millions even if the game may be dangerous.

I didn't realize it while reading The Westing Game, but this book is considered middle grade fiction. The way it is written, I think every age group would enjoy it. It's a fun and easy read. The plot flows smoothly, and the story progresses with ease. Each page is filled with mystery. I found myself guessing who was the murderer and which person would figure out the clues to inherit Sam Westing's inheritance. I will say that The Westing Game's mystery had me stumped. I never could guess who was who which made me love this book even more. This book is chock full of mystery and intrigue. It will leave you scratching your head as you read it trying to figure out who killed Sam Westing. There's plenty of plot twists, and just when you think you have figured everything out, you will find out how wrong your guess was. I've never read a book that stumped me so much while trying to figure out everything! However, by the end of the book, everything is revealed. All questions are answered, and the author lets us know how each character got on in life. One minor annoyance (and I believe it's a personal thing) was that the writing seemed a little choppy to me in how it was written. Maybe it is just that style, but I found it a bit peculiar. However, that didn't take away my interest in the story that much.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game. I enjoyed the diversity of the characters in the book. I do wish there was a bit more backstory for each of the characters though. It's not that they didn't feel fleshed out because they did, but I would have enjoyed learning more about each one of them a bit more before they moved in to Westing's apartment building. I enjoyed Turtle's character the most. Although she was often looked over, her determination to prove herself was admirable. I like how, despite her young age, she threw herself into Sam Westing's game. Sydelle was my least favorite character. It wasn't because she wasn't written well, quite the opposite. I just found her personality annoying. I kept hoping she was somehow be kicked out. Even though she wasn't mentioned as much, I really liked Madame Hoo. I enjoyed her scenes and her personality on the pages she was mentioned in.

Trigger warnings for The Westing Game include minor violence, death, suicide, drinking, and minor racism from one of the characters.

With it's mysterious plot and interesting cast of characters, The Westing Game is one of those books that you will love reading while trying to figure out its plot. It will keep you on your toes at all times! I would definitely recommend The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin to those aged 13+ who are after an unpredictable and well written mystery novel.

[jshillingford_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I ordered this book on a whim because I like puzzle mysteries and it was a Newbery winner. I'm well past the target age demographic, which is probably why I was a little underwhelmed.

The book started out well, with 16 very diverse people invited to attend the will reading of a man they didn't know, or barely knew. Each was given clues in a game to inherit/win his $200 million fortune. Much of the book focuses on the 13 year old Turtle (perfect protagonist for the tlintended audience), but each "heir" is expanded on to be more than one dimensional.

The ending is contrived, but I didn't mind that; it's a common issue in puzzle stories. Where the book faltered was far too much time spent on the clues that had little to do with the solution. The conclusion was clever but also unsatifying. I did like that the book revealed the future of every heir, not just the winner. The happily ever afters brought the book up from 3 stars to 4.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this mystery. In fact, upon waking up one morning when I was about 3/4 through the book, I found myself trying to figure out the puzzle (unsuccessfully)....but this shows how the story held my interest. The story reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel with a large list of characters/suspects.

I especially like the way the book included recent immigrants, a person with a disability, and racially and economically diverse people. In this way, it dealt with social issues without preaching. I especially like the conclusion that skipped forward five years. This heightened the character development.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s cataloged as Young Adult but those that are just “young at heart” will find plenty about it to enjoy. Many readers will remember having read it in their younger days. I didn’t have that added pleasure since I don’t believe it was ever chiseled in stone:) I can’t remember when I have had so much fun with a book. The author has managed to blended a superb mystery… that is actually more a puzzle than a novel…and endow it with a vivid and extensive cast of characters that sets the stage for the fun and well told story that follows. I loved those last few pages when time suddenly speeds up and we learn what happens to the children as they grow up… and about the deaths of the older characters who were already adults when the story started. Overall I would have to say that it is just one fun read to be enjoyed by not only teens and “tweens”, but also by the lingering child in all of us.

[stephanie_m-868484 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A bit dated, but still a fun read.
I had had no idea that this author was also an illustrator of children’s novels, and I’d seen her work all over the place. A few I’d even recognized from my childhood.
Some people liked this book, and some people disliked it to varying degrees. Some even loved it. I thought it was an interesting way to spend a couple evenings while cross stitching.

3 stars. And recommended to those who like YA, don’t mind things being so very dated, and things such as this.....

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ugh. Ok, it ended better than it began - when they stopped trying to cut each other down and started (more or less) cooperating, it went from awful to OK. But it never got much above that. What a crowd of obnoxious people. The fact that...what, three of them? At least three weren't (deliberately) the person they presented themselves as - didn't help. Some self-discovery among others, but not enough to make me interested in this obnoxious lot. I slogged through the first three-quarters of the book only because I was determined to finish it and get rid of it; if the whole book had been like the end, I might have enjoyed it. As it is, glad I read it mostly so I never have to read it again.

[regan521 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In The Westing Game, Mr. Westing’s fortune is up for grabs by sixteen heirs, with one of the heirs being Westing’s murderer. The heirs must determine which one of them committed the murder, knowing the winners would receive a large amount of money. This book is great for an ELA classroom. It is suspenseful and allows students to gather information and try to figure out who they believe committed the murder. This book helps students look for relevant information as they read and make predictions about characters.

[norabelle414 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A motley crew of long-time Milwaukeeans get suspiciously good deals on apartments in a new building next to the haunted old Westing mansion. This proves very convenient when millionaire Sam Westing turns up dead and all of the building residents are named as potential heirs. One pair of them will inherit two million dollars, if they can figure out which one of them is the murderer. But Sam Westing and the apartment residents have a lot more secrets than just that.

Having read this many times as a kid, it has lost some oomph. But I still appreciate the double-triple-quadruple twists, and the constantly changing point of view. The characters are diverse, interesting, and endearing. The views on gender roles and race hold up well (at the end of the book a black woman is appointed to the Supreme Court .... a thing which is still nowhere close to happening 45 years later) but the views on disability, particularly intellectual disability, definitely do not. Read with caution. I enjoyed revisiting this story as an adult, but now that I know all the secrets I don't think I need to read it again without good reason.

[deslivres5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought that I had read this children's award-winning classic in my youth, but turns out this was the first time for me! Heirs are brought together to play a game: solve a mystery and win a fortune from a deceased millionaire Sam Westing.
My initial reaction was "boy, this is dated (some racial comments towards the beginning of the book irked me)" and "there are just too, too many characters (16 heirs, plus other supporting cast)". But I stuck with it, got to know (and like!) the characters, kept up with the mystery and enjoyed the resolution of the game.

[yourotherleft_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As The Westing Game begins, a large group of tenants is moving into their new home, upscale apartment building Sunset Towers. Little do these tenants know, as they come to inhabit their new abode, that their being brought together is anything but coincidental. On a hill near Sunset Towers lives the mysterious Samuel Westing, paper magnate and the town's namesake. Well, at least he did live there until his life was ended by some nefarious means. From beyond the grave, however, Mr. Westing wants to play a game of inheritances, one that will reveal his murderer is too close for comfort. The Sunset Towers tenants are his heirs, but one is also a murderer, and only one will win Mr. Westing's game and a staggering fortune.

What ensues is a fast-paced mystery with 16 murder suspects who each have their own secrets. Younger me would have loved the many moving parts and the elaborate puzzle Raskin creates. Even having at one point read the outcome, I couldn't guess at the truth. Older me was a little baffled by the shear abundance of characters. In such a short book, it feels impossible to get a picture of any of them that is more than the briefest of caricatures. Older me prefers character development over a briskly moving plot, apparently.

Nonetheless, The Westing Game is a classic of children's literature, and it's aged surprisingly well. To read it, you'd hardly guess it was first published over 40 years ago. The shin-kicking perennially neglected but good-hearted Turtle Wexler makes a great heroine for kids to root for. As for the adult characters, it's funny to read this book as an adult and realize how recognizable some of these caricatures are from life - the self-important judge, the single-minded track star, the know-it-all intern, the bashful bride who wanted something more from her life, and the insecure person whose continuing efforts to get noticed by her peers make her that much more forgettable - they're all here.

The Westing Game is a clever, fun book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to a new generation.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Westing Game is a fun children’s mystery story about an eccentric millionaire called Sam Westing, who gathers 16 potential heirs to his $200 million estate to compete in a mysterious game to discover who among them murdered him. This is a book that I would have loved as a child and, even as an adult, found to be a very clever read.

More of a puzzle than a mystery, the book is filled with quirky characters that are all just slightly off normal. The potential heirs are mysteriously hand-picked to be tenants of a new apartment building within sight of the old Westing mansion. Like an Agatha Christie story, they are gathered together to be presented with the information that one of them is a murderer. They are put into pairs, given some very strange clues and told to solve the mystery. What follows is plenty of scheming, plotting and detecting as they scramble to make sense of the enigmatic clues.

This complicated game or puzzle within a novel makes for a very inventive and creative story that had me wishing that I had a child nearby to both read it with me and help me unravel the clues.

[sharonmariabidwell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The cover of this book says you’re in for a treat. I’m not sure I’d go that far but there’s something that oddly lingers. I can’t imagine I would have enjoyed this at all if I were younger reader and I admit I went into it not at all trying to puzzle out who did what so perhaps that would be half the fun. Still the quirky characters and the distribution of clues is hard to shake off. A classic book that’s bound to draw mixed reviews and muddled emotions. I’m most impressed that the writer apparently wrote this straight off with no planning, but though I’m glad to have read it, I’m not sure it’s a keeper for me.