![]() Of course, when you are not well-read, you can take easy steps to fix the problem like, actually reading the books you haven't read. Show More picture books and the young adult books. But if you missed it then, I hope you pick it up soon. I wish that all of you read this book when you were young, because I'm sure that's when it would have the biggest impact. There's such a rich cast that the wonderful plot becomes secondary, always a plus for me. The other 16 competitors include a young track star, a bride-to-be and a Chinese couple among others. She's a tomboy and a spitfire and I loved her. In The Westing Game, a 13-year-old named Turtle gave me someone to identify with. The Westing Game also taught me that any book is made richer when you care about the characters and not just the plot. This was my precursor to Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier and dozens of others. Ever since I've loved reading books with a good twist. The book was the 1979 Newbery award and introduced me to the world of quirky mysteries. Those 16 people become competitors in a game to find Westing's murderer. His strange will leaves his fortune to 16 tenants who live or work in a local apartment building, but it's not without a catch. A wealthy man, Samuel Westing, dies unexpectedly and leaves riddles and games in his wake. Show More completely different from anything I'd read before. I am sad I came to this book late, but at least I have experienced it, and I guess that is enough. Perhaps you have felt the sting of first reading something in adulthood which should have been something you cherished during childhood. I liked the realism, yet it also called for a suspension of disbelief. It's one of those books that is both delightful and melancholy at the same time. I wish I had read this when I was younger. ![]() The ending, although it made me melancholy was perfect. Anyways, I was definitely wrong and Raskin pulled the wool over on me. Children are actually smarter than we give credit for. What I really enjoyed about this book is that I thought I had the culprit all figured out, cause ya know I am an adult and clearly smarter than the intended audience, children. And here's the thing, I think children deserve characters who are fully realized, not second rate cardboard characters. I felt that Turtle was a fully realized character. Yet she is eccentric in that she is obsessed with stocks. Her mother basically ignored her in favor of her perfect sister. There was one character in particular whom I really loved, Turtle Wexler. I honestly really felt for the players, as we see what they struggle with. Each is given a back history and a story. I actually found the players to be rather nuanced. You would think with so many characters it would be hard to distinguish them or they would fall into tired stereotypes. ![]() There are 16 players and consequently 16 suspects participating in The Westing Game. Therefore the heirs must piece together the clues to discover the murderer and emerge victorious and with money in hand. *gasp* And no, I did not spoil that, it's in like the first 10 pages. The twist though, is that one of the heirs is the murderer. Well, the premise of the Westing Game is that a select group of people go to this mansion thinking they are heirs to the Westing Fortune. Or pick up the DVD, it's probably in the Wal Mart bargain bin, or at least the copy I have was. If not, go to your nearest store and pick up the game. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin was the 1979 Newbery recipient and had a premise that most definitely appealed to my sensibilities. When I want to correct something, I look for what has already been vetted as the best, which means looking up Newbery winners.
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