What books are similar to The Westing Game?

The 10 closest matches to The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin on ReadingList include When You Reach Me, Holes, The Reappearance of Rachel Price, The Crossover, and Ghost. Each is scored on shared themes (mystery, identity, and teamwork), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Westing Game reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Westing Game

If you liked The Westing Game, read When You Reach Me, Holes, or The Reappearance of Rachel Price — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Mystery · 750L · grades 5–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of mystery, identity, and teamwork. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 5–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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When You Reach Me750L: Shares themes of mystery, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 750L). Amazon →
Holes660L: Shares themes of justice, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (660L vs 750L). Amazon →
The Reappearance of Rachel Pricegrades 7–12: Shares themes of mystery and identity, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 750L). Amazon →
Ghost730L: Shares themes of identity and teamwork and a close reading level (730L vs 750L). Amazon →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (770L vs 750L). Amazon →
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler700L: Shares themes of mystery, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (700L vs 750L). Amazon →
The Graveyard Book820L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (820L vs 750L). Amazon →
Merci Suárez Changes Gears700L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list, and a close reading level (700L vs 750L). Amazon →
Maniac Magee820L: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (820L vs 750L). Amazon →

Books like The Westing Game for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of mystery, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña · 610L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (610L vs 750L).
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner · 490L — Shares themes of mystery and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
A Visit to William Blake's Inn by Nancy Willard · grades K–5 — Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (K–5).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and a close reading level (750L vs 750L).

Books like The Westing Game for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (790L vs 750L), and the same era (1970s).
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson · 810L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (810L vs 750L), and the same era (1970s).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (820L vs 750L).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (950L vs 750L).
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes · 360L — Shares themes of identity and justice and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like The Westing Game for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, and a close reading level (800L vs 750L).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 750L).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (790L vs 750L), and the same era (1970s).
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson · 810L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (810L vs 750L), and the same era (1970s).
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson · 690L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (690L vs 750L).

Books like The Westing Game for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of mystery and identity and same genre (Mystery).
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of mystery and justice and same genre (Mystery).
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, and a close reading level (800L vs 750L).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 750L).
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger · 790L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (790L vs 750L).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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