The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is such an entertaining novel and a relatively easy-read. Briefly put, the book is a mystery novel that centers around one man, Samule Westing, who puts out a will for 16 heirs. However, in order for them to fully assume their inheritance, they must play a game in which they must find the identity of the one who has taken Westing’s life—and this person is one of the heirs.
Some people may think that mystery novels are not a legitimate, academic genre, but I think that Raskin’s novel has a lot to offer on a literary level. As far as teaching this novel goes, I think the language is well suited for middle-school students, especially because of its easily language yet frequent use of good vocabulary. I also believe teacher can make great use of its genre and routinely ask students to predict as the plot unfolds. Also, with a fun novel like this, I can foresee some potentially fun and engaging lessons to complement the readings. Even though the novel is relatively old-er, I firmly believe that students can still thoroughly enjoy the novel since there are no real hints to the novel being outdated or irrelevant.
Raskin, Ellen. The Westing Game. New York: Puffin, 1978.
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