Scoop of the e-e-evening: The Westing Game

I think the CC goes back to my first (age eleven) reading of Little Women. The March sisters' Pickwick Club sounded delicious--a society of siblings, writing their own newspaper, putting on plays, reading, doing whatever popped into their heads. The CC--Children's Council--was born. I've no idea who suggested the name, or why we decided on that particular phrase. But The Children's Council we have been ever since.

Our CC Gazette went out of print years ago, and plays evolved into movies, but we still read together: me, stretched out on the sofa, throat going hoarse but still doing every character's voice, The Others sprawled across chairs, rug, and toasting before the fire.

The latest addition to our repertory is Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game. Such the best opportunities for voices, that story! And discussions! Everyone had their own opinion about who killed Mr. Westing, and those opinions were discussed during chores, while school was supposed to be happening, in the car, over dinner. Who needs a book club when you have younger siblings?

So here are their impressions, youngest to oldest (spoiler alert!).

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9: It’s interesting and I like how Mr. Westing disguises himself as one of his heirs. I like how it says Happy Fourth of July and all the fireworks go off in his house. I thought it was funny how he “supposedly” died, but the body was wax. My favorite characters were Turtle and Flora and Mr. Hoo, (“Go study, go study!”) and I liked Chris the birdwatcher. I think they should write another one like it.

11: I like how the mystery is not like a normal mystery because Mr. Westing didn’t die when they think he did. I like how the author spread out the characters and made them from different countries and places. My favorite characters were Sandy and Turtle because of their personalities. Sandy used a Scottish accent and was always giving off clues even though you didn’t know it. Turtle was my age and she kicked everybody in the shins. It made it more mysterious when everyone limped and you had to figure out which one was the limper Chris saw.

14: I thought it was very well-written and the author gave you just enough hints to keep you guessing and keep you interested in the book, without giving too much away. I liked Theo. [Why?] I just liked him.

17: It’s a book you definitely have to finish because you can’t figure out the answer until the last page. It’s very suspenseful. I like how the author was omnipotent throughout the book so you could get into all the characters’ minds, that way you could explore more ground. It was tricky to solve the mystery because there were so many clues, and a lot were red herrings. This is a fast read that is light and enjoyable. You can’t put it down—it’s very engaging.