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A review by ps_stillreading
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Samuel W. Westing, a very rich, eccentric, and reclusive man dies and names 16 people as his heirs. At the reading of his will, they find out that he has set up a game for them, and whoever solves the mystery of his murder wins the entire inheritance. The heirs are paired off and are given clues to help them solve the mystery. And they’re all suspicious of each other, because the heirs all live in the same apartment building, and one of them is the murderer! How exciting, let The Westing Game begin!
✨
I was browsing for secondhand books and stumbled upon this copy of The Westing Game right as I was about to pay. The fun cover caught my eye, and when I read the synopsis on the back, the fun premise hooked me. It seemed like a fun book, but to be perfectly honest, the cover is the biggest reason why I bought this 😂 I was also looking for a light read, and despite this being a murder mystery, it’s a murder mystery written for children so I figured this wouldn’t be too dark.
Now middle-grade books aren’t something I tend to reach for as an adult, but I really enjoyed this one. There is a huge cast of very interesting characters, and for such a short book, I felt like each character was given a decent chunk of history. The fast-paced and high-stakes race to solve the puzzle for the inheritance added to how enjoyable this was to read. We readers also also privy to all the clues that are given to the heirs. Dude I tried to solve it, but I couldn’t. I feel like if I knew the reference for the clues then I would have. But that’s fine. There were several twists that I genuinely did not see coming! I am once again impressed that middle-grade books can be entertaining to read even when you’ve aged out of the target audience.
The Westing Game features a racially diverse cast and a disabled person as one of the main characters, which I find impressive given that this book was written in the late 70s. But is it perfect in that sense? Not really. Obviously, the expectations regarding inclusivity and inclusive language is different then versus now. There is a bit of stereotyping, as well as some mild racist and ableist comments from the characters. But I believe it was written very much in the spirit of telling the readers (mainly the target audience of children) that these views/beliefs are wrong. I did love how other characters are quick to defend the person being discriminated, and that by the end of the book they unlearn these racist and ableist beliefs.
Anyway, take this as a reminder that middle-grade books can be fun for us oldies as well!
✨
I was browsing for secondhand books and stumbled upon this copy of The Westing Game right as I was about to pay. The fun cover caught my eye, and when I read the synopsis on the back, the fun premise hooked me. It seemed like a fun book, but to be perfectly honest, the cover is the biggest reason why I bought this 😂 I was also looking for a light read, and despite this being a murder mystery, it’s a murder mystery written for children so I figured this wouldn’t be too dark.
Now middle-grade books aren’t something I tend to reach for as an adult, but I really enjoyed this one. There is a huge cast of very interesting characters, and for such a short book, I felt like each character was given a decent chunk of history. The fast-paced and high-stakes race to solve the puzzle for the inheritance added to how enjoyable this was to read. We readers also also privy to all the clues that are given to the heirs. Dude I tried to solve it, but I couldn’t. I feel like if I knew the reference for the clues then I would have. But that’s fine. There were several twists that I genuinely did not see coming! I am once again impressed that middle-grade books can be entertaining to read even when you’ve aged out of the target audience.
The Westing Game features a racially diverse cast and a disabled person as one of the main characters, which I find impressive given that this book was written in the late 70s. But is it perfect in that sense? Not really. Obviously, the expectations regarding inclusivity and inclusive language is different then versus now. There is a bit of stereotyping, as well as some mild racist and ableist comments from the characters. But I believe it was written very much in the spirit of telling the readers (mainly the target audience of children) that these views/beliefs are wrong. I did love how other characters are quick to defend the person being discriminated, and that by the end of the book they unlearn these racist and ableist beliefs.
Anyway, take this as a reminder that middle-grade books can be fun for us oldies as well!