Plot Summary
Sixteen nieces and nephews, sixteen heirs to the Westing estate, they are all invited to live in Sunset Towers. Their mission? Find out who murdered Sam Westing in a game, designed by Westing himself, to win his fortune. Oh, and did I mention that they are also all suspects in Sam Westing's murder?
Personal Reaction
Never was murder more fun that in this delicious whodunit! It is a humorous mystery with as many twists as a pretzel factory. Never was there a more likable, bratty protagonist than Turtle Wexler. She is one of literature's most unforgettable characters.
Memorable Literary Element
This story is dripping with suspense from the first chapter to the big reveal. Around every corner is a surprise which brings a new mystery to be solved. The characterization is superb! Raskin takes on the epic challenge of developing so large a number of characters in so few pages, and she does it expertly.
Illustrations
The only illustration appears on the cover and is rendered by Little Apple Art.
Sixteen nieces and nephews, sixteen heirs to the Westing estate, they are all invited to live in Sunset Towers. Their mission? Find out who murdered Sam Westing in a game, designed by Westing himself, to win his fortune. Oh, and did I mention that they are also all suspects in Sam Westing's murder?
Personal Reaction
Never was murder more fun that in this delicious whodunit! It is a humorous mystery with as many twists as a pretzel factory. Never was there a more likable, bratty protagonist than Turtle Wexler. She is one of literature's most unforgettable characters.
Memorable Literary Element
This story is dripping with suspense from the first chapter to the big reveal. Around every corner is a surprise which brings a new mystery to be solved. The characterization is superb! Raskin takes on the epic challenge of developing so large a number of characters in so few pages, and she does it expertly.
Illustrations
The only illustration appears on the cover and is rendered by Little Apple Art.
Reviews/Awards
Newbery Medal - 1979
Booklist, 1978 -- Multimillionaire industrialist Sam Westing murdered? So his will seems to say to the 16 “nieces and nephews” summoned to its reading. Moreover, implies the will, one of them is the culprit, but more to the point is the challenge Westing throws out to the group: “Who among you is worthy to be the Westing heir?” Who indeed? To find out, the bewildered and uncomfortable heirs must play Sam Westing’s delicately contrived game, always aware that “some are not who they say they are, and some are not who they seem to be.” Raskin is an arch storyteller, cagily dropping clues and embellishing her intricate plot with the seriocomic foibles of an eminently eccentric cast. The result is amazingly imaginative entertainment with a cutting edge and humane underpinnings that warm the tied-up-tight conclusion. — Denise Wilms
Newbery Medal - 1979
Booklist, 1978 -- Multimillionaire industrialist Sam Westing murdered? So his will seems to say to the 16 “nieces and nephews” summoned to its reading. Moreover, implies the will, one of them is the culprit, but more to the point is the challenge Westing throws out to the group: “Who among you is worthy to be the Westing heir?” Who indeed? To find out, the bewildered and uncomfortable heirs must play Sam Westing’s delicately contrived game, always aware that “some are not who they say they are, and some are not who they seem to be.” Raskin is an arch storyteller, cagily dropping clues and embellishing her intricate plot with the seriocomic foibles of an eminently eccentric cast. The result is amazingly imaginative entertainment with a cutting edge and humane underpinnings that warm the tied-up-tight conclusion. — Denise Wilms
Promotion Ideas
This book could be used to study characterization. Students could analyze the main characters in the book using Character Scrapbook.
This book could be used to study characterization. Students could analyze the main characters in the book using Character Scrapbook.