The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics)

I used to adventure through my local library, picking books based solely on their covers, discovering hidden treasures that had been put back on the wrong shelf or tucked away in a lost corner. That’s how I found and fell in love with this story. But, for quite a long time after reading it, I honestly thought that I had made it up, because I couldn’t find it again. The copy I returned to the library disappeared, making me wonder if I had sadly missed my call to be some sort of fabulous protagonist who fell into the pages of a magical volume, and I couldn’t ever find another, no matter where I looked. Online, physical stores, there was nothing. Then, one day, long after I’d given up on ever seeing it again, this novel appeared on a list of Kindle sales I received. I snagged it for $1.99 and was finally reassured that I hadn’t imagined this incredible novel, which is awesome for y’all, because that means you get to read it too! The plot centers around the distribution of a very large inheritance that can only be earned by solving a riddle posed in a will. This is, essentially, a puzzle. It’s meant for you to try to figure it out as you go along, which I think all avid thriller readers pretty much do anyway, but it’s a little more straightforward here because this is technically meant for a younger audience. Still, there is a lot of intrigue, especially since there are so many characters, and every one of them has a secret. There are some pretty mature themes, considering the audience, but overall, it’s heartwarming and might keep you guessing until the end, depending on how thorough you are in your search for the answer. And you will be tempted, because stylistically, the design makes the clues and notes stick out in their presentation. In terms of triggers, there are bombs, chronic illness, death, and grief on display here, but all topics are dealt with respectfully and do not overtake the narrative. Overall, while this may seem simplistic, especially if you read a lot of mysteries already, it is great fun and a quick read on a gloomy afternoon. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone, because I think it has something for all readers to enjoy.

My daughter is in love with this book she said is super interesting

This was a reread, hadn’t read in decades since childhood. Really cool mystery I remembered parts of but not the whole…I definitely didn’t ’figure it out’. But had a lot of fun with it.

The Westing Game mystery is contained in format font placement scansion visual cues and only genuinely comprehensible in print How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading Mortimer Adler The Great Books THE GREAT IDEAS PROGRAM: A General Introduction to the Great Books and to a Liberal Education [10 Volume set ]. Westing Game bridges the gap between infant picture books and word books for beginning readers before they tackle paragraph books transposed onto 5th grade and above developmental reading transitions. Instead of photos or illustrations, visual intricacy (and devious deceit) is hidden in bookbinding terms: font (bold vs plain), paragraph separators (dots white space) and very sneaky interruptions in the dialogue which provide visual clues on the page which can be only detected by being seen. We read this book repeatedly as a Halloween tradition, and I find that appreciation for the ingenious allusions, clues and easily missed tantalizing information only increase on repeated reading during adulthood. Sydelle's painted crutches are intuitive clues from a very intelligent but lonely woman. The psychological portraits of the characters are revealed like peeling onions layer by layer, first superficial appearances, then deeper emotions, and finally hidden behaviors: bookie, bomber, thief, inventor, social climber, chess player, imposter. I am a bookbinder calligrapher Literacy Through the Book Arts Paul Johnson, By J. A. Szirmai - The Archaeology of Medieval Bookbinding (New Edition) (1999-08-16) [Hardcover ], journaler The Story of Writing Donald Jackson, A History of Illuminated Manuscripts Christopher de Hamel and journaler Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, The . Westing Game is a contemporary non-illustrated book which utilizes the visual device of manipulating words on the page for sly commentary, a technique common in medieval hand bound books via illumination. At first I limited myself to only the first chapter, stopped to draw a map of Westingtown, the floor plans of each of the 5 stories of Sunset Towers, cut out magazine photos to represent each of the characters which gathered all the information together before I embarked on the second chapter. I discovered at the end of the book that the entire mystery was contained in the first sentence of the first chapter, and was well elaborated through the first chapter. But I could not know that before reading the entire book. Adler suggests reading a book slowly, marking underlining, posing questions which puzzle the first time around. Then rereading a second time with a different color pen, new questions. Why does Sunset Towers face East? 5* not just for the brain tickling written mystery but the visual delight of a well planned and thought out book print design. The Avon Flare version has a trio of portraits to get the mind thinking in visual terms: Turtle in witch's gear, Chris with birdwatching binoculars, Chef Theodorakis.

This is a great story, loads of puzzling fun. My 6th graders were excited to follow the clues, and we had some great debates about the story. But this particular edition is terribly disappointing. The font size is very small, and the pages have narrow margins and not much white space. Maybe the publisher was trying to economize on costs of paper and shipping weight, but the reader suffers. I can imagine a kid opening this edition and seeing tiny, nearly edge-to-edge print, and saying, "It's too hard. I don't want to read that." I ended up buying a digital edition to avoid the eye strain.

It’s a very good book especially for junior high school students.

I bought The Westing Game for my teen as another way to encourage more reading, and it was a hit. The mystery is smart, fast-paced, and fun to follow — perfect for keeping a young reader’s attention. The paperback version is easy to carry around and great for school or travel. A great addition to any teen’s growing book collection, especially if they like puzzles, twists, and quirky characters.

This is a well executed, thought out, fun read for both young adults and for the young at heart. Looking up more reads by this author!