The Westing Game (1978)

ack! i just managed to come across this here and then realized it's a book i've been trying to find the identity of for a long long time!!! i read this in childhood and i remember loving it. i'll have to look for a copy, somehow. or maybe i should leave it be? no, i really want to read it again. sigh, i love when long-time mysteries are solved.

update:

found a copy and it held up -- no wonder i loved this book as a kid: strong girl character, interesting mystery, commentary on all sorts of issues, like ableism, sexism (including mail-order brides and good girl syndrome), racism, classism, but none touched upon with too heavy a hand.

the one comment i would make, without giving anything away, is one part of the mystery is so completely obvious, at least to most americans, that it's hard to believe the characters wouldn't find it obvious, as well. but, no, we go almost 200 pages before someone "suddenly" puts 2 and 2 together and aha! duh. luckily, that's not all there is to the mystery, which keeps giving until the very end.

awesome. ( )

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. ( )

This was just as silly and just as enjoyable as I remembered.
I was not QUITE as bothered as I was when I was 14 by the unrealistic suggestion that a high school track athlete would skip school the day before a big meet to sprint around town, rather than rest his legs. ( )

I'm not big into mysteries, but this one's a Newbery winner and came recommended by a friend. I found it fun despite the genre and would recommend it for middle-grade children.

There is a puzzle within the mystery, which they can solve as they read. There are also some great characters that are used to address how readily we dismiss the intellect and value of those with disabilities as well as how we stereotype Afro-Americans and immigrants.

Be advised that it was published in the late 70s and there are a couple of instances where terminology is used which one wouldn't expect to hear today. As an example, the word "retarded" is used to refer both to mental disability and Down's Syndrome (which is called Mongoloidism in the book). As shocking and insulting as that seems now, at the time it was considered the proper terminology, and the author's intent was obviously to confront stereotypes and biases.

The three star rating is more a reflection of my personal tastes than the quality of the book. For those who enjoy this genre more, I expect 4 stars would be closer to the mark. I rate for myself though. :) ( )

I re-read The Westing Game to confirm my fourth-grade memory that it is in fact the greatest murder mystery ever written. It didn't quite live up to my expectations of suspense this time, but it is a pretty good puzzle. ( )