The Westing Game Sydelle Pulaski

1978 children's mystery novel past Ellen Raskin

The Westing Game
Offset edition
Author	Ellen Raskin
Embrace artist	Ellen Raskin
Country	Us of America
Genre	Mystery Fiction
Publisher	Due east. P. Dutton
Publication date	1978
Pages	216 pg
ISBN	0-525-47137-5
OCLC	53292898
LC Class	PZ7.R1817 Nosotros 2003

The Westing Game is a mystery book written by Ellen Raskin and published by Dutton in 1978. It won the Newbery Medal recognizing the year'southward most distinguished contribution to American children'southward literature.^[one]

The Westing Game was ranked number nine all-fourth dimension among children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal in 2012.^[two] It has been adjusted as the 1997 feature picture Get a Inkling (likewise distributed as The Westing Game).^[3]

Plot summary [edit]

Sunset Towers is a new apartment building on Lake Michigan, northward of Milwaukee and just down the shore from the mansion owned by reclusive self-made millionaire Samuel Westward. Westing. (Despite its proper name, Sunset Towers faces due east – into the sunrise.) Sam Westing was a wealthy man of affairs who fabricated his fortune in newspaper products. He was very patriotic and never smoked, drank, or gambled.

As the story opens, Barney Northrup is selling apartments to a carefully selected group of tenants. Afterward Sam Westing dies, at the offset of the book, information technology emerges that nearly of the tenants are named every bit heirs in Westing's will. The will is structured like a puzzle, with the 16 heirs challenged to find the solution. In the will it states that one of his heirs has taken his life. Each of the viii pairs, assigned seemingly at random, is given $10,000 greenbacks and a different set of baffling clues. The pair that solves the mystery of his death volition inherit Westing's entire $200 million fortune and command of his company.

Characters [edit]

Pair One [edit]

Jake Wexler is a podiatrist, and a bookie on the side. He is 45 years old and he is married to Grace Wexler, whom he loves, just he also knows that she might never be happy with their life or financial situation. Jake is the father of Angela Wexler and Tabitha-Ruth Wexler.
Madame Sun Lin Hoo is the second and much-younger Chinese immigrant married woman of James Shin Hoo. She is 28 years old. She barely knows how to speak English language. She tin can usually be found cooking in her married man's restaurant. At that place is a rumor going around Mr. Hoo married her because of her 100-twelvemonth-old sauce recipe. Although she is an heir, she stole items around Sunset Towers and was planning on selling them then she can buy a trip back to Mainland china.

Pair 2 [edit]

Tabitha-Ruth "Turtle" Wexler, known as "Alice" to Flora Baumbach, is a highly intelligent thirteen-year-former girl. She is very protective of her long, dark complect of hair and anyone who touches information technology gets a kick to the shin. She excels at playing the stock market. She is very addicted of Flora Baumbach, her partner in the game, and of Sandy McSouthers, the doorman. She has a sister named Angela Wexler, a female parent named Grace Windkloppel Wexler and a father named Jake Wexler. Unknown to all else, she secretly wins the game by discovering the fourth identity of Windy Windkloppel/Sam Westing and is given command of his company. She visits him for chess every Sun from then until his expiry at 85. Information technology is discovered that she later on marries Theo in the epilogue when Julian Eastman asks well-nigh her married man. After she turns 18, she requests that anybody call her "T.R. Wexler". She falsely admits to existence the bomber later on the fourth bomb explodes to protect her good-natured sis, Angela, who is the actual bomber.
Flora Baumbach is a shy 60-year-old dressmaker who becomes a maternal effigy to her partner, Turtle. Her daughter, Rosalie, had Downwards syndrome and died of pneumonia at historic period 19. Her husband disappeared, and it is unknown whether he died or if there was a divorce. Flora is kind to everyone and prefers to see the best in people. Turtle refers to her every bit "Baba," while she refers to Turtle as "Alice." Flora discovers that she is exceptional at braiding hair when she starts braiding Turtle's hair.

Pair Three [edit]

Christos "Chris" Theodorakis is a 15-year-former boy who uses a wheelchair due to degenerative muscle disease. He is intelligent and enjoys birdwatching. His blood brother, Theo, is very protective of him. Chris'south illness causes muscle spasms and affects his spoken language, but he is much more observant than he lets on – in part because he is often dismissed past others. Chris also develops a temporary friendship with Sydelle Pulaski. Denton Deere discovers a medication for Chris that helps with his condition. In the epilogue, Chris has a parrot named after him called the "something-Christos parrot", every bit said by Turtle. He is also shown in the epilogue to take a wife named Shirley.
Dr. Denton Deere is a 25-year-old medical intern. He is engaged to Angela. He has an obsession with diagnosing those he meets. He is very stuck up, and Turtle calls him a "know-information technology-all stuck upwardly marshmallow face". He is usually kicked by Turtle.

Pair 4 [edit]

Judge J.J. (Josie-Jo) Ford is an intelligent and serious African-American adult female in her forties. She is suspicious of the game created by Sam Westing. Unlike the other heirs, who want to win the game and the fortune, her goal is to discover the past of every heir. She prefers to piece of work on her ain, but uses her partner's ear for gossip to her reward. Her connection to Westing is that she is the daughter of his former servants and he financed her education. Growing upwards, Westing would play chess with Ford. As Sandy, Westing suggests that he did and so equally he saw her potential instead of compassion as she believes.
Alexander "Sandy" McSouthers was a 65-yr-sometime doorman but is as well Sam Westing, Barney Northrup, Julian R. Eastman, and Windy Windkloppel (equally discovered at the end of the story). His description says that he previously worked at Westing Paper Products Corporation and claims to have been fired by Sam Westing himself for attempting to organize the workers. McSouthers is notable for his knowledge of Sunset Towers' gossip. He is uncommonly close to Turtle Wexler.

Pair Five [edit]

Gracie Windsor Wexler, married to Jake Wexler and mother of Angela and Turtle, is a cocky-centered woman who is obsessed with her own image. She is 42 years old. She favors Angela while largely ignoring Turtle. She claims to be Mr. Westing'south niece; her name is really Gracie Windkloppel Wexler. Grace wants to be an interior designer. Nevertheless, as the game goes on, she develops a growing interest in her partner'southward eating house and the eatery business in full general.
James Hoo is a middle-aged human, owner of Shin Hoo's restaurant and former entrepreneur, too as Madame Hoo'due south husband and Doug's begetter. He claims Mr. Westing stole his patent for the disposable diaper and appears biting and moody for this reason. He suffers from ulcers, and he can frequently be seen yelling at his son to study. He also often complains about how Doug is a "dumb jock" and incredibly lazy.

Pair Half-dozen [edit]

Berthe Erica Crow, unremarkably referred to every bit merely Crow, is an extremely religious 57-year-one-time woman. She works as a cleaning woman for Sunset Towers, while likewise operating a downtown soup kitchen for the homeless called Expert Salvation Soup Kitchen. She was the wife of Sam Westing and the reply to the game. Her pressuring led to the death of her and Westing's girl, Violet, because she didn't want to marry the man she was betrothed to. She was accused of being the murderer.
Otis Amber is a 62 year-sometime "delivery boy." Fifty-fifty outside of the game, he is often seen with Berthe Erica Crow, in function because he assists Crow with her soup kitchen. At the beginning of the story, he tells the tale of the gruesome bet that a boy one time made involving the Westing mansion, which becomes an eerie theme throughout the volume, using two words: "purple waves." About the end, the heirs notice that he was a private investigator hired by Barney Northrup to investigate Judge J.J. Ford, George Theodorakis, James Hoo, Grace Windkloppel, Flora Baumbach, and Sybil (not Sydelle) Pulaski. He is discovered to accept married Crow at the end.

Pair Seven [edit]

Theo Theodorakis is a smart high school student, and very loyal to his family. He is protective of his blood brother Chris and works difficult in his parents' java shop. He is interested in condign a writer, and also becomes friends with his partner, Doug Hoo. He has a trounce on Angela Wexler. However, in the epilogue, he finds Turtle "attractive" and is shown to have eventually married her.
Doug Hoo, son of James Shin Hoo, is a loftier school runway star, one of the best mile-runners in the country. Running is his passion, but his father often criticizes him for not studying enough. He is a prankster and develops a rivalry with Turtle Wexler because he oftentimes is pulling her braid and posting mocking notes near her, but he is very shut to Theo.

Pair Viii [edit]

Angela Wexler is a cute twenty-twelvemonth-old daughter: fair, blonde, and very pretty. She is considered the 'perfect' daughter, oftentimes getting more attention than her sister Turtle. However, people merely acknowledge her as an attractive object to be married to Dr. Denton Deere, and non an intelligent woman in her own correct. She is the 1 who bombs the building; however, her sister takes the blame and tells her to keep the truth to herself. She was a victim of the third bomb. Angela was the person that stole Sydelle Pulaski'southward autograph notebook.
Sydelle Pulaski is 50 years former and is a mysterious character who seems to have no connectedness to Mr. Westing or the other heirs. No i pays any attention to her, so she tries difficult to be noticed by faking an injury and walking with garishly painted wooden crutches. She seems to have an affinity for Chris Theodorakis. She is clever and observant, although these traits are often looked over. She is secretary to the president of Schultz's Sausages, Conrad Schultz, who later on in the book is her fiancé. She was mistaken for Sybil Pulaski, a friend of Crow who was supposed to have been an heir instead. Sydelle keeps a shorthand notebook that contains the notes she took when the lawyer was reading the will. The reason she keeps a shorthand is because she is non one of the heirs. She finds out that her notebook is stolen by her own partner, Angela Wexler.

Other characters [edit]

Barney Northrup, the unseen person in whole story, is a mysterious figure who sells all of the apartments in Sunset Towers to the various heirs. At the first of the book, it is said he is a good businessman. After this, he is rarely seen by any of the tenants. Barney Northrup is also not a real person. (Sam Westing)
Julian R. Eastman runs Westing Paper Products in Mr. Westing'due south absence. He was a witness to Mr. Westing's will. (Sam Westing). He is Windy Windkloppel's terminal identity and dies abreast Turtle.
Dr. Sidney Sikes is a expert friend of Samuel Due west. Westing and a witness to his will. He was the one who declared both Westing and Sandy McSouthers (Sam Westing) expressionless and appears to be in on Westing's plan.
Edgar Jennings Plum or E.J. Plum, is the young and fairly incompetent lawyer in accuse of handling Samuel Westing'southward manor. Aside from reading Westing's will to the players, Plum has no part in the game. He is seen admiring Angela.
George and Catherine Theodorakis run the Sunset Towers coffee shop. They have no part in the game, even though George Theodorakis was Violet Westing's first love. Their sons Chris and Theo are heirs in the game. Victims of the outset bomb, which exploded in their coffee shop.

Epilogue [edit]

The epilogue of the story is told in the book's last three capacity, which depict what happened to the heirs after the game ended, and how it affected them.

Otis Amber and Crow fall in dearest and marry, leaving their jobs at Sunset Towers to work at Crow's soup kitchen, to which many of the heirs leave donations. Both died within a week of each other.

Flora Baumbach leaves the dressmaking business organization a few years afterward the game'due south determination, moving in with Turtle and later becoming Alice's (Angela and Denton's daughter) nanny.

Denton Deere and Angela Wexler both question their life choices and separate. Denton becomes a neurologist due to his success in treating Chris Theodorakis' disease, and Angela attends medical school to become a surgeon. V years after the game's determination, the 2 are reunited, marry, and have a daughter named Alice.

Judge Ford agrees to finance Chris' instruction in homage to her mentor, Sam Westing. She is appointed to the US Court of Appeals and later on the Supreme Court.

Sun Lin Hoo never leaves her husband and adopts the nickname "Sunny." She becomes fluent in English language and becomes James' secretary in his new visitor. Afterward he dies, she finally takes her trip to Red china but returns to take up the family business organization.

James Hoo leaves the restaurant business concern and gives "Hoo's on Starting time" to Grace. He patents his shoe-sole idea and becomes a multimillionaire, and moves out of Sunset Towers with his family unit. He dies briefly before the book'southward conclusion and is succeeded in the company by his wife.

Doug Hoo wins his first Olympic gold medal and set up a new record for the 1500-meter run before long after the game ends, and goes on to win 2 more than medals. Retiring from athletics, he becomes a popular sports announcer.

Chris Theodorakis is ultimately able to manage the effects of his disease cheers to Denton's extensive inquiry. Even so, he remains unable to walk and uses a wheelchair for the rest of his life. His college instruction is financed by Guess Ford, and he meets a girl named Shirley during his get-go twelvemonth. He marries the latter and both get professors at the local academy. Chris discovers and names a new species of parrot (Turtle describes it as the "something-Christos parrot") during an expedition in Primal America.

Sydelle Pulaski returns to her sometime job at Schultz Sausages and discovers that Mr. Schultz has a shell on her. She later marries him. The pair moves to Hawaii, though Sydelle stays in touch with Angela. She gives upward using crutches to get attending but requires the use of them on various occasions most the cease of the novel.

Jake Wexler, dissatisfied with his task as a podiatrist, is recommended to a political position past Judge Ford. He becomes the Chairman of the Country Gambling Commission so the Wisconsin State Crime Commissioner, though the jobs give him little time to spend with his wife.

Grace Wexler takes control of Jimmy Hoo'south restaurant, renaming it "Hoo's on First" and giving it a theme of local sports stars. It gets rave reviews. The success of "Hoo's on First" ultimately results in a chain of ten such restaurants (Hoo's on First, Hoo's on 2nd, etc.), the latest of which allows her to work close to her husband in the country upper-case letter of Madison.

Theo Theodorakis attends a literary higher, condign an assistant to the reporter who writes the article about Doug's outset gold medal. He subsequently becomes a novelist. His beginning novel does non sell well, but gets dandy reviews. At the book's finish, he has almost finished his second volume. Theo marries Turtle Wexler, though they agree not to have children lest the children inherit Chris' disease. Theo and Chris' parents motion to Florida subsequently retiring from their coffee store business concern.

Turtle Wexler, having solved the game past discovering Sam Westing's secret life, is dedicated to becoming his successor – and, ultimately, the president of Westing Paper Products. She takes on the nickname of T.R. (real name: Tabitha-Ruth Wexler), attends college early, and makes over $5 million in the stock market place. Turtle marries Theo Theodorakis and begins teaching Angela and Denton's daughter Alice how to play chess.

Alexander "Sandy" McSouthers, who supposedly died after the game'south conclusion, is revealed to be Samuel Westing, Barney Northrup, Windy Windkloppel, and (primarily) Julian Eastman. He becomes Turtle Wexler's mentor, pays for her expensive pedagogy, and plays chess with her every Lord's day, although she tells people she is "at the library." He dies on the Fourth of July twenty years after the game is over.

Windy Windkloppel, director of The Westing Game and is also Sandy McSouthers, Julian R. Eastman, Barney Northrup, and Samuel Westing.

Other media [edit]

The Westing Game, adapted to a stage play by Darian Lindle and directed by Terry Brino-Dean, was starting time produced at Prime number Phase Theatre in Pittsburgh in 2009. The script is published by Dramatic Publishing.^[4]

Go a Clue, adjusted by Dylan Kelsey Hadley and directed past Terence H. Winkless, was produced for telly in 1997.

It was announced on September nine, 2020 that HBO Max has placed a script-to-series order based on the book.^[five]

Reception [edit]

At the time of the book'south publication, Kirkus Reviews chosen it "A super abrupt mystery, more a puzzle than a novel, but endowed with a vivid and extensive cast... If Raskin's crazy ingenuity has threatened to run abroad with her on previous occasions, here the complicated game is always perfectly meshed with character and story. Confoundingly clever, and very funny."^[6] In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, literary critic Zena Sutherland wrote of The Westing Game, "Even so a popular book with the group of readers who are mystery or puzzle fans, in hindsight this seems more entertaining than distinguished. Its option as a Medal book underscores the problematic question: Tin can a distinguished book as well be a popular book?"^[7]

References [edit]

^ "Newbery Medal & Laurels Books, 1922–Present". Association for Library Service to Children. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
^ Bird, Elizabeth (July 7, 2012). "Top 100 Chapter Book Poll Results". A Fuse #8 Production. Web log. School Library Journal (blogs.slj.com). Retrieved 29 Nov 2021.
^ Go a Clue! (1997) , retrieved 2020-02-21
^ Dramatic Publishing
^ "'Westing Game' Series Adaptation in the Works at HBO Max". 9 September 2020.
^ "THE WESTING GAME past Ellen Raskin". Kirkus Reviews. May 1, 1978. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
^ Sutherland, Zena (1986). "Newbery Medal Books 1976–1985". In Kingman, Lee (ed.). Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books 1976–1985. Boston: The Horn Volume, Incorporated. p. 158. ISBN0-87675-004-8.

External links [edit]

The Westing Game manuscript online at UW Madison
The Westing Game at IMDb
The Game learning guide, analysis, quotes, and teacher resource

Awards
Preceded by Span to Terabithia	Newbery Medal recipient 1979	Succeeded past A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal