The de facto protagonist of the novel and the youngest of Sam Westing’s 16 potential heirs, Turtle Wexler is a precocious preteen who is fiercely protective of herself, her secrets, and the beloved long braid that hangs down her back. She’s Angela’s sister and Grace and Jake’s daughter. A tomboyish shin-kicker who doles out physical punishments to anyone who dares touch her precious braid, Turtle doesn’t fit in with her family at all. The Westing game, then, presents her with a chance to shine on her own terms. While working through clues (and playing the stock market) with her partner in the game, the dressmaker Flora Baumbach, Turtle learns important lessons about empathy, teamwork, and having faith in other people. All her life, Turtle has felt lonely even within her own family—her bedroom is little more than a closet in her family’s apartment, and Grace’s preference for Turtle’s beautiful sister, Angela, has never been much of a secret. As a result, Turtle has cultivated a practical understanding of the world around her, refusing to play by anyone else’s rules or to let anyone get too close to her. As the novel progresses, Turtle finds herself questioning the defense mechanisms she’s developed and reconsidering her relationships with other people. Ultimately, after discovering the true identity of Sandy McSouthers—and the fact that Sam Westing created four aliases for himself based on the directions of the four winds—the logical and enterprising Turtle wins the Westing game, but she doesn’t tell any of the other players that she’s solved the puzzle. Turtle becomes the apprentice of Julian R. Eastman—Westing’s latest alias—and eventually, many years into the future, she inherits control of the Westing Paper Products Corporation. Shrewd, resilient, thoughtful, and observant, Turtle Wexler exemplifies the combination of canniness, enterprise, and self-determination that Westing seeks in an heir—not just to his company, but to his entire legacy. Show
The Westing Game is a mystery book written by Ellen Raskin and published by Dutton on May 1, 1978.[1] It won the Newbery Medal recognizing the year's most distinguished contribution to American children's literature.[2] The Westing Game was ranked number nine all-time among children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal in 2012.[3] It has been adapted as the 1997 feature film Get a Clue (also distributed as The Westing Game).[4] Plot summary[edit]Sunset Towers is a new apartment building on Lake Michigan, north of Milwaukee and just down the shore from the mansion owned by reclusive self-made millionaire Samuel W. Westing. (Despite its name, Sunset Towers faces east – into the sunrise.) Sam Westing was a wealthy businessman who made his fortune in paper 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. After Sam Westing dies, at the beginning of the book, it emerges that most of the tenants are named as 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 eight pairs, assigned seemingly at random, is given $10,000 cash and a different set of baffling clues. The pair that solves the mystery of his death will inherit Westing's entire $200 million fortune and control of his company. Characters[edit]Pair One[edit]
Pair Two[edit]
Pair Three[edit]
Pair Four[edit]
Pair Five[edit]
Pair Six[edit]
Pair Seven[edit]
Pair Eight[edit]
Other characters[edit]
Epilogue[edit]The epilogue of the story is told in the book's last three chapters, which depict what happened to the heirs after the game ended, and how it affected them.
The Westing Game, adapted to a stage play by Darian Lindle and directed by Terry Brino-Dean, was first produced at Prime Stage Theatre in Pittsburgh in 2009. The script is published by Dramatic Publishing.[5] Get a Clue, adapted by Dylan Kelsey Hadley and directed by Terence H. Winkless, was produced for television in 1997. It was announced on September 9, 2020 that HBO Max has placed a script-to-series order based on the book.[6] Reception[edit]At the time of the book's publication, Kirkus Reviews called it "A supersharp mystery, more a puzzle than a novel, but endowed with a vivid and extensive cast... If Raskin's crazy ingenuity has threatened to run away with her on previous occasions, here the complicated game is always perfectly meshed with character and story. Confoundingly clever, and very funny."[7] In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, literary critic Zena Sutherland wrote of The Westing Game, "Still a popular book with the group of readers who are mystery or puzzle fans, in retrospect this seems more entertaining than distinguished. Its choice as a Medal book underscores the problematic question: Can a distinguished book also be a popular book?"[8] How would you describe a Turtle Wexler?Shrewd, resilient, thoughtful, and observant, Turtle Wexler exemplifies the combination of canniness, enterprise, and self-determination that Westing seeks in an heir—not just to his company, but to his entire legacy.
What was Turtles Secret In the Westing game?When she meets with the judge about it, Turtle accidentally reveals Angela's the bomber, because she's so focused on keeping that a secret. During their discussion, Turtle and the judge both realize that Sam Westing might not be dead after all. Turtle sells Sandy her last timed candle, and admits to all the bombings.
Who is Turtle in the Westing game?Turtle Wexler is a fictional character in the book The Westing Game. She marries Theo Theodorakis and says she is the bomber to protect her sister, Angela. Turtle only did one bomb so people would believe that it was her.
Why is Turtle important in the Westing game?Turtle is the most one of the smartest heir's and the only person to ever beat Sam Westing at a chess game, and one of the most committed to playing Sam Westing's game. She ends up winning the 200 million dollar estate.
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