AUTHOR: Ellen Raskin
GENRE: Mystery, Middle Grade Fiction, Classic Children’s Literature, Puzzle Mystery, Realistic Fiction
SUMMARY: The Westing Game follows sixteen people who are brought together for the reading of the will of the wealthy Samuel W. Westing. The will declares that one of them is responsible for his death and challenges the group to solve the mystery by playing a complex game. The participants are paired into teams and given a set of clues that lead them on a search for answers. As the players compete for a large cash prize, they begin to uncover secrets about one another and about Westing himself. The story takes place primarily in and around Sunset Towers, an apartment building near Westing’s mansion, and centers on the relationships that develop among the unlikely group of contestants as they work through the puzzle.