Newbery Medal winner The Westing Game will keep the reader guessing “who did it” from beginning to end. This page-turner takes many unexpected twists and turns. Not until the last chapter will the reader know the guilty party.
Reading Level
Lexile 750L
Interest Level
Grades 6-8
Length
208 pages
Award
Newbery Medal Winner
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⭐ About the Book: The Westing Game
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is a clever, fast‑paced mystery that keeps readers guessing from the very first chapter. When the wealthy Samuel W. Westing is found dead in his mansion, sixteen seemingly unrelated people are summoned to the reading of his will. What they discover is shocking: Westing claims one of them is responsible for his death, and the only way to inherit his fortune is to play the game he has created.
The heirs are paired into teams and given cryptic clues. As they try to solve the puzzle, secrets are revealed, alliances shift, and unexpected twists unfold. Nothing is what it seems at Sunset Towers, and every character has something to hide. Raskin weaves humor, suspense, and intricate plotting into a story that challenges readers to pay attention, think critically, and piece together the mystery alongside the characters.
⭐Book Details
| Publication Date | 1978 |
| Reading Level | Lexile 750L • Guided Reading Level V |
| Interest Level | Grades 6–8 |
| Awards | Newbery Medal Winner (1979) |
| Length | 208 pages |
| Estimated Word Count | Approx. 63,440 words |
| Estimated Reading Time | About 4 hours and 13 minutes |
| Audiobook Length | 6 hours and 59 minutes |
| Genre | Mystery • Children’s Literature |
| Setting | Sunset Towers and the Westing House, Wisconsin |
| Themes | Appearances, Wealth, Family, Patriotism, Identity, Communication, Lies and Deceit, Society and Class |
| Point of View | Third-person omniscient |
| Memorable Quote | “Life, too, is senseless unless you know who you are, what you want, and which way the wind blows.” |
| First Line | “The sun sets in the west (just about everyone knows that), but Sunset Towers faced east. Strange!” |
The Westing Game Activities
The Westing Game Book Unit Samples
This sample contains…
- Vocabulary Practice for Chapters 1-2
- Comprehension Questions for Chapters 1-2
- Constructed Response Question for Setting
Teaching Idea #1 ~ Character Trait Cards
With so many suspects, students get confused about who is who. Download this free set of cards (including an answer key) to help students
Activities
- Sort the character cards by the places the characters live, families they belong to, etc.
- Use the cards to discuss suspects.
- Make a T-Chart on a large piece of construction paper. Sort cards by guilty or not guilty.
Teaching Idea #2 ~ Character Interview Activity
Have students imagine that they are interviewing characters from the novel. They can prepare a list of questions and answers based on their analysis of the character. Encourage students to think about the character’s motivations, feelings, and experiences.
The following materials have been prepared for this activity:
- A List of Ten Interview Questions – You may want to cut this list down depending on the level of your students and the amount of class time you have to devote to this activity.
- Sample Interview Reactions for Each Question for Turtle Wexler, Flora Baumbach, Sydelle Pulaski, and Chris Theodorakis
Options:
- Divide students into small groups and assign one character to each group. Students will write how the character would answer the questions and then present their interview to the class.
- If you don’t have time for students to create their own interview answers, the following slides include sample interview questions and answers for students to analyze. Again, because the slides are editable, you can easily cut down the number of interview questions. Due to class time and student levels, few questions/answers might be more manageable for your students. Also, analyzing the answers provided is also a great activity for small groups. Students can learn from one another by hearing different viewpoints of their classmates.
- Sample Answer Key Analyzing the Different Interviews
Teaching Idea #3 ~ Sunset Towers Organizer
Students use clues provided in the novel to determine where each person lives and label their apartments on this organizer. You’ll find this organizer in the unit sample. If you missed the link above, here it is again.
Teaching Idea #4 ~ Foldable Organizer
You’ll find this organizer and lesson in the unit sample.
Teaching Idea #5 ~ Wanted Posters
Use Storyboard This to create wanted posters for each of the 16 heirs.
Teaching Idea #6 ~ 3-D Sunset Towers
I love this idea by Susie Rios. Students not only draw the characters but write about them inside the window flaps.
See the product that inspired this post.
The Westing Game Novel Study includes vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, constructed response writing, and skill practice.
