I am asked frequently to recommend a book that may encourage young readers to try reading the kind of traditional mysteries we enjoy so much.
My favorite such mystery apparently is back in print. "The Westing Game," by Ellen Raskin, works on many levels as an introduction to complex, fairly-clued, puzzle-type mysteries. The book won the Newbery Medal for children's literature in 1979, and it is generally recommended for readers over the age of 9, though adults will enjoy it as well.
I wrote a fairly lengthy blog post nearly two years ago, laying out the story, and I invite you to visit that post for a more complete review and plot rundown. Basically, it's about a group of sixteen people, including four children, who are called to a mysterious old house to hear the reading of the last will of multi-millionaire Samuel Westing. According to that will, those sixteen are invited to follow a trail of clues in a kind of difficult and sometimes dangerous game to determine who killed Westing - for, again according to that will, he did not die a natural death. The one who succeeds will inherit the bulk of Westing's $200 million estate.
How they react, what each of them does - and how they find and handle the clues all of which are fairly given to the reader, all these things should fascinate the new mystery reader. Only one person in the book will follow the clues and interpret them correctly to reach the surprising conclusion. And - when all is revealed - the reader can look back at the clues and see how cleverly he or she was misdirected by the author. If you are trying to explain to a new mystery reader why, as experienced readers, we so love this kind of mystery puzzle- this book should make it very clear.
I am delighted to see that the book is available again in paperback as well as in electronic formats. I think it makes a great stocking stuffer for any young readers on your gift list - and I hope that they will become as fascinated as we are with this kind of mystery.
Les - What a great idea for a post! In my opinion, anything that encourages young people to get lost in a book is a good thing. And some of those traditional mysteries are just the ticket. Thanks for sharing this one.
Posted by: Margot Kinberg | December 12, 2012 at 03:26 PM
Margot, if you haven't read "The Westing Game," you should. The writing is lively, and Raskin knows how to "hook" an audience. In the first chapter, she describes the apartment building where the sixteen "heirs" are living - in fact, where they had been selected ahead of time to get apartments. At the end of the chapter, Raskin writes:
"Who were these people, these specially selected tenants? They were mothers and fathers and children. A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge. And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake. Barney Northrup had rented one of the apartments to the wrong person."
And that's just the beginning of the book! I suspect readers will indeed be hooked - and stay hooked.
Posted by: Les Blatt | December 12, 2012 at 03:45 PM
"The Westing Game" is a perfectly smashing book. Anyone who enjoys it ought to check out Raskin's three earlier, somewhat similar titles - "The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel)," "Figgs and Phantoms," and "The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues." As you note, she is an equally good read for youngsters and adults. Her tone had some influence, I believe, on Daniel Handler's excellent Lemony Snicket series. Raskin - also an artist - died too young at age 56, just a few years after "The Westing Game" was published.
Posted by: Patrick Murtha | December 12, 2012 at 05:19 PM
I hadn't thought of her in connection with the Lemony Snicket series, Patrick, but I can see where she might have been an influence. I've had "The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) in my to-be-read pile for a while and do need to find time to read it - and I wasn't aware of the other two books; thanks for pointing them out. And, yes, she died far too young. A fine writer indeed.
Posted by: Les Blatt | December 12, 2012 at 06:18 PM
I can remember my son especially reading this throughout a vacation. What a great book. And the kids wrote Raskin a fan letter, which she was kind enough to respond to. Great writer. I am going to include this on forgotten books. I want to read it right now!
Posted by: Patti Abbott | December 13, 2012 at 05:31 PM
I've heard from a lot of people, Patti, saying the same thing - how they, or their children, found "The Westing Game" and couldn't put it down until they finished it. Again, I think it's a book that adult readers would enjoy as well, if they enjoy the classic/traditional puzzle-based mystery. Forgotten? I hope not, and I'm delighted it seems to be back in print.
Posted by: Les Blatt | December 13, 2012 at 07:26 PM
Thanks very much for this Les - I have a couple of fairly advanced 8-year-old nieces who have expressed an interest in Agatha Christie but I think this might be a better bet.
Posted by: Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) | December 14, 2012 at 10:57 AM
Sergio, I think they'd enjoy Christie, to be sure - but The Westing Game is probably perfect for them. Again, I think you'd enjoy it as well - it really is a multi-layered, fair-play puzzle, the kind where you can look back at the end and see where you were given all the clues you needed. I was delighted to find, for example, that I had correctly anticipated where one set of clues was headed - but I didn't follow them through for the extra step that was needed to really make sense of them. Great book.
Posted by: Les Blatt | December 14, 2012 at 11:31 AM