The Westing Game

(Raskin, E. (1978). The Westing game. New York: Dutton.)



Summary: Upon Samuel W. Westing’s death, a game begins between the sixteen residents of the Sunset Towers. They are paired up and given scraps of appear with words written on them. The pairs work together to decipher their own clues and attempt to gain other people’s clues as well. This story progresses to be about more then just the puzzle itself and the resulting inheritance as family members and neighbors work together and come to conclusions that are larger then the game itself.

Reading Level: Ages 10 -12, Lexile 750L

Key words/phrases:

1.      Mystery

2.      Puzzle

3.      Death

4.      Family

5.      Heirs

Suggested Delivery: Small Group

Electronic Resources:

1.  This Prezi on The Westing Game provides the student with information on this book which might help hook them into reading it.
2. The Westing Game Manuscript provides information of the writing of The Westing Game which would be of interest during or after reading this book to see the process of writing a novel.

Teaching Suggestions:

   Key Vocabulary: mimicked, will, heir, ulcer, embalmed, stock market

Reading strategies to increase comprehension:

         Before: Introduce the book to a small group though a book talk, explaining the characters, the problem, and the basic plot. Outline the characters and give at least one identifying attribute for each character. The chart can serve as a reference for when the students are reading.

As the story is read students can add more derails about the characters.

Main Characters	Description
Sam "Windy" Windkloppel	Samuel W. Westing's birth name
Sam Westing	Self-made millionaire and started Westing Paper Products Corporation
Otis Amber	Delivery boy for Sunset Towers
Flora Miller Baumbach	A dressmaker
Judge Josie-Jo Ford	Judge who resides in Tenant in 4D
George Theodorakis	Owner of the coffee shop in the lobby
Catherine Theodorakis	Runs the coffee shop with her husband George
Theo Theodorakis	older son of George and Catherine , a high school senior who wants to be a writer, friends with Douglas Hoo
Christos "Chris" Theodorakis	Younger son of George and Catherine, he suffers from a neurological disease which confines him to a wheelchair.
Sydelle Pulaski	the secretary to the president of Schultz Sausages
Jake Wexler	a podiatrist who keeps his office on the first floor
Grace Windsor Wexler	a social climber and self-professed decorator
Angela Wexler	Older daughter of Jake and Grace, known for her beauty and her engagement to Denton Deere.
Turtle Wexler	Younger daughter of Jake and Grace, Interested in the stock market.
Denton Deere	A medical intern engaged to Angela Wexler
Barney Northrup	Realtor who convinces most of the residents to move into Sunset Towers
James Shin Hoo	owner of Shin Hoo's Restaurant on the fifth floor
Sun Lin Hoo	James' second wife, she came from China to marry and wishes to return to her homeland. She begins the novel unable to speak English.
Douglas Hoo	son of James and stepson of Sun Lin, he is a talented  high school runner, friends with Theo Theodorakis
Julian R. Eastman	Newly-elected chairman of Westing Paper Products Corporation
Berthe Erica Crow	Tenant in the maid's apartment on the fourth floor
Alexander "Sandy" McSouthers	Doorman at Sunset Towers

         During: Have the students participate in a regular small group literary discussion where they will discuss the text. They will discuss the plot, the events that occurred, the motivations, for the characters actions, and how the characters are all related. This time should also be used by the students to clarify any parts of the text that are confusing, relying on other students interpretations to create clearer meaning.

         After: Discuss with a partner the role Sandy played in the book, especially with solving the puzzle. Also reflect on the character of Sam Westing and how the multiple characters he assumed influenced the events that occurred. Then share their reflections with the whole group.

Ellen Raskin



   Writing activity demonstrating inferential comprehension: Have students respond to the following writing prompt: What do you think Samuel W. Westing set out to accomplish with the game? Do you think he accomploshed it? Do you think he was happy with the end results?