Book Summary
Thirteen-year-old Turtle Wexler and a group of what seem to be randomly chosen people - both adults and children - are gathered together to compete for a multi-million dollar inheritance after an eccentric millionaire is murdered in his mansion. The unlikely participants must name the murderer using clues given to them by the murdered millionaire. As the complicated plot unravels, we learn the fascinating connection between all of the people and discover that the murder was a hoax perpetrated by the eccentric, game-loving millionaire.
APA Reference of Book
Raskin, E. (1978). The Westing game. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Though this story is written in a language that is easily accessible to students reading on a third-grade level, the plot is fast-paced and quite complicated. If the reader can juggle all the characters and their stories, in which many clues to the mystery are given, then they will enjoy this entertaining plot with all its twists. The characters are written to fit the plot and aren't very well developed; even our heroine, Turtle, is left out of the story for long stretches. Still, the plot winds together in the end for a satisfying conclusion.
Professional Review
Readers may solve the initial puzzle sooner than the characters, but the central mystery holds until the end. The heroine is 13-yar-old Tabitha-Ruth "Turtle" Wexler, and she's the only character that's given more than one dimension - though most are wittily conceived and all serve admirable for this genre. Young readers will be satisfied that Turtle turns out to be the real winner and they will enjoy the process by which she learns and earns her reward.
by E. Raskin]. School Library Journal, 24(8), 87. Retrieved from www.slj.com
Library Uses
This and other murder mystery stories could be used in the library to host a murder mystery game for upper elementary or middle school students. Groups could be assigned to read the same murder mystery book; each group would have a different book. Next the groups could plan a clue type game for others to solve based upon the ideas presented in the book they read. If successful, the school could host a murder mystery night, thus promoting the library to the community. The culminating activity would be for each student to then write their own murder mystery. Revealing the entire series of events to the students would engage them to read the books and understand the way the characters, settings, and plots are woven together to create tension and excitement.
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