The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is a fun puzzle of a book about eight heirs (and a mistake) trying to solve the mystery of a man’s death so they can inherit his millions. The heirs, who live in the same apartment building, are paired up and given bits of clues to try to find out who killed Sam Westing. Meanwhile, strange messages are left on the building’s impromptu message board, and someone appears to be trying to blow the heirs up. Who will solve the mystery? Who killed Sam Westing?

Although this is a book for younger readers (age 10 and up), it has several teenage characters. Trying to solve the mystery could be fun for teens as well. Just when you think you’ve solved it, Raskin throws in a twist. It doesn’t take very long to read, so it’s great for those times when you don’t have the time or energy for a long, complicated book.

Reviews by Students:

A review by a student in New York

A review by a student in Texas

Reviews by Adults:
Teenreads.com review

Related Links:

All Consuming page about the book (Not YA specific)
A Thinkquest about the book

A Books-n-Bytes page about Ellen Raskin
Wisconsin authors and illustrators page about Ellen Raskin

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