The Westing Game

I have always been one for classics and mysteries especially when I was younger. I remember printing out lists of "Must-Read Books for Children" and trying to tackle the list one by one. I would borrow books from the library or buy them at Borders (Remember Borders! I LOVED that place!) Regardless it normally ended the same I would start, get through some, then try to read one that I found dry and boring and give up somewhere along the line. Looking back on this it probably explains why I love setting book goals for myself now and logging them in the Goodreads app. I say all this to say I know The Westing Game was on one of those lists. It was one of those books I never got around to reading and I was reminded recently that it is one of those classic mysteries for kids. I decided to try it out and dive into this children's book and see if it still stood up to all the reviews I had seen.

If you have never read The Westing Game the whole book is about this group of people who live in the same apartment building, Sunset Towers, near Lake Michigan. They all move in not realizing that they would all be pawns in this one man's game to find which heir murdered him. Mr. Westing is a shadowy figure who no one has personally seen in years. He made his money through Westing Paper Products and one Halloween night he is discovered murdered. This leads to a number of the tenants at Sunset Towers being brought to his will reading after being considered heirs. While there it is discovered that Mr. Westing has created a game to unearth the murderer among them. They are paired off randomly and given clues along with $10,000 with the goal to uncover the mystery. The winning team would be rewarded with $200 million dollars and would own the company.

The story overall wasn't a bad one. It was confusing at times with so many characters and I could see how I might get confused as a child reading this. I think overall it is a fun mystery that can keep you guessing especially with so many storylines. I gave it a 3/5, it was good, not great. I like mysteries but this one was a little all over there for me. It is a classic and I can see why I just feel like other books have improved on this concept.

#mystery #yanovel #surprises #childrenslit