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The Westing Game

ellen raskin

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A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead ... but that won't stop him from playing one last game!

182 pages, Paperback

First published June 1,1978
Literary awards
newbery medal, banta award, vermont golden dome book award, boston globe-horn book award, national book award finalist, virginia readers choice, 
Places
westingtown, milwaukee wisconsin, 

This edition

Format
182 pages, Paperback
Published
April 12, 2004 by Puffin
ISBN
9780142401200
ASIN
014240120X
Language
English
Characters More characters

More editions

About the author

Profile Image for ellen raskin

ellen raskin

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Ellen Raskin was a writer, illustrator, and designer. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up during the Great Depression. She primarily wrote for children. She received the 1979 Newbery Medal for her 1978 book, The Westing Game.

Ms. Raskin was also an accomplished graphic artist. She designed dozens of dust jackets for books, including the first edition of Madeleine L'Engle's classic A Wrinkle in Time.

She married Dennis Flanagan, editor of Scientific American, in 1965.

Raskin died at the age of 56 on August 8, 1984, in New York City due to complications from connective tissue disease.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.2 / 5.0, 97 votes)
5 stars
44(45%)
4 stars
29(30%)
3 stars
24(25%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
97 reviews All reviews
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Hussain_Rezaie
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 26,2025
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This was a great middle school mystery.
I wish I had known about this when I was a kid because I think 10 year old me would have been even more engrossed than 38 year old me already was.
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LoliSlayer_
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 26,2025
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I first read this when it came out in 1978 or ‘79. I loved it. That said, it turns out I had almost no recollection of anything but knowing what the clues are all about.

I read it to my son and he really enjoyed it, but was slightly disappointed by the ending. It is a very subtle and unspectacular finish to an exciting and eventful story. But fitting somehow. I really enjoyed reading it aloud to him.
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Haefey
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 26,2025
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4 stars

An eccentric, but endearing ensemble mystery, I'm 100% onboard with calling The Westing Game a classic; even though it is targeted towards young adults, the story is truly an ageless, timeless joy for those who enjoy a wacky whodunit.

I come to realize I'm very tolerable regarding large cast in books, so The Westing Game's just shy of 20 primary characters isn't a point of complaint — in fact Ellen Raskin is excellent at making each individual distinct and memorable, and the amount of diversity is a pleasant surprise for something written in the 70s (yes, some character setup / description might be a bit passé reading today, but nothing off-color).

Slapstick and hijinks is the name of the game, The Westing Game is by no means an exercise in realism, and as a mystery it is more of a passive experience, letting its silly internal logic reveals the connection, instead of providing clues for the reader to solve puzzles alongside. While I had a lot of fun devouring the first half, I was in a bit of an antics fatigue during its third quarter (the plot was at a standstill), but the last quarter pulled through with the reveal, and became unexpectedly poignant (who knew I would get emotionally attached to these cartoonish characters!).

If you're in the mood for a Knives Out-like experience, this one is definitely worth considering!
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Misf0rtune
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 26,2025
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This started off well but sagged badly in the middle and the ending left me a bit unsatisfied.
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evilpuppy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 26,2025
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This is one of my all time favorite novels. I must have read it a hundred times...at least. Turtle remains one of my favorite protagonists, and to this day, I still connect more closely with her character than a lot of modern heroines (or heroines my actual, current age). The mystery is amazing--I get chills every time I reach the end--and just writing this review is making me itch to find my old, beat up copy...

I highly recommend this to mystery or middle grade fans everywhere.
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zhazha01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 26,2025
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happened to email a friend the other day about some old, nostalgic childhood reads; was about to recommend this book to her, when i realized i could remember almost nothing of the plot or characters, nothing but the memory of me reading this book in 4th grade and falling immediately, irrevocably, unshakably in love with ellen raskin. that's it; that's all that remained.

some ten years later, and here i am reading the westing game again but also, in a way, for the first time. the ghost of the past rising up into the present. here's how the first chapter starts. The sun sets in the west (just about everyone knows that), but Sunset Towers faced east. Strange!

and here's how the first chapter ends. Whoever, whatever else he was, Barney Northrup was a good salesman. In one day he had rented all of Sunset Towers to the people whose names were already printed on the mailboxes in alcoves off the lobby . . . Who were these people, these specially selected tenants? They were mothers and fathers and children. A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge. And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake. Barney Northrup had rented one of the apartments to the wrong person.

and there it was again: immediate, irrevocable, unshakable love! [and awe, now that i've read those bits again after this second reading - how was ellen raskin so BRILLIANT?] i can't describe it. i was going to draw on the old, faithful analogy of friendship, but really i don't think this needs to be explained as anything other than what it is: love for a good book. a great, inventive, clever, magnificent book. it makes me want to go back in time and high-five my 4th grader self, for being smart enough and lucky enough to have found it. long live the westing games!
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proxyunited
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 26,2025
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So glad I reread this.


(first read)
One of my all-time-favs. I will never not like this book. I've read it so many times & it's still good to me.

“You, too, may strike it rich who dares to play the Westing game.”
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BabyGirl06301
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 26,2025
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CLAP.

CLAP.

CLAP.

Well done, Ellen Raskin. Quite the clever little yarn you've spun. I can see little middle-school-Lisa reading this book and taking notes and trying to win the prize. Alas, I didn't even know this book existed then. But reading The Undertaker's Gone Bananas gave me the hankering for more mysteries involving kids finding corpses and getting in deep with the grown-up business of murder and finger-pointing. I'll keep it short. After all, it's not what you have, it's what you don't have. The Westing Game is a smart, impressive little mystery that will keep you on your toes. I think all my Goodreads gals would appreciate this one.
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