The Great American Novel?
Chappysmom posted a request for the best children's books, the great, personality-and-sense-of-country-shaping ones that really stuck. Like good ribs. Mmmmm...ribs.
My choice? Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game
Why?
A bunch of seemingly random people, from different backgrounds and walks of life, with varied desires, needs, strengths, weakness, and hidden criminal activities, come together in a high-rise apartment building only to discover that they are all (mostly) connected to one person who has died. They have to play his game to win his fortune, but the game is not what it appears.
The heroine? A cheeky enfant terrible named Turtle.
The book is patriotic without being insipid, supports competition while showing that it's not good to hurt others to be successful. There are broken hearts and failures and Great Lessons Learned. The book, for me, is America.
And it's fun and funny. It won a Newbery Award. It's freaking awesome. This is my favorite book to give to girls, although I'm thinking I should pass it on to a few boys too. If you haven't read it, read it. It's just light and good and fun.
Comments
That is my children's favorite book.
Posted by: Sherry | July 5, 2007 05:47 PM
I just recently bought that book and read it again. It's SO GOOD. I couldn't put it down,and I know what happens! (although I'd forgotten a lot of it..)
can you do lunch sometime this week or next? I have news...I got a new job!
Posted by: Carrie | July 5, 2007 10:34 PM
p.s. it looks great around here! I love the banner!
Posted by: Carrie | July 5, 2007 10:35 PM
Thanks! Although, to be precise, the meme was asking for the "Great American Novel," and my ANSWER was to pick the genre of children's books . . .
Hey--be sure to head over to the Booking Through Thursday site and leaving a link to your post!
(www.btt2.wordpress.com)
Posted by: --Deb | July 5, 2007 11:00 PM
i love the westing game. i read it over and over when i was young. and even had a copy in hardcover/back which was pretty serious for me then.
Posted by: rebecca | July 6, 2007 02:59 PM
I loved the Westing Game. I read it in 6th grade and really enjoyed it. Even my non-reader of a sister enjoyed it.
BTW: Your socks are done and it's killing me that they have to sit around for a few weeks before I mail them out.
Posted by: sock pal | July 9, 2007 04:01 PM
WOW! I remember that book! I learned about the stock market in that thing.
Posted by: karen | July 11, 2007 01:00 PM