An interesting tale of mystery and murder. I was told once that this makes an excellent read aloud for students. The beginning is a little hard to get into with all the switching between characters and not really being sure of what is going on yet, but once the game has begun, you can't help but be pulled into it. Sometimes the jump between perspectives can still be confusing but it works out in the end.
Specially selected families were picked to move into Sunset Towers shortly before the presumed death of the wealthy Mr. Westing. In his will, a game is instructed for these families to inherit his holdings and as long as they play and discover his murderer, they will each be awarded 10,000 dollars. They are handed a stack of clues and paired up and the game begins. At some point, each is under suspicion, not just for the murder but for bombings and theft as well. Over the course of the novel, the mystery is not only solved but people's lives are changed.
Fun book. Good mystery. Interesting characters. Good red herrings but nothing too predictable. Full of fireworks and intrigue.
Interest level: Grades 5-8 Reading level: Grade 5
Genre: mystery
Comparable titles: Well...I can't help but think of the game Clue.
Book connections: Playing along--giving students similar clues in pairs as the book moves along. Chess.
No comments:
Post a Comment