January Prompts: My favorite book

[owlmoose]

green_maia asked me about my favorite book when I was ten. The funny thing is, my favorite book when I was ten (I think -- I can't remember exactly when I read it, but 10 seems about right, or possibly a little younger) remains among the pantheon of my favorite books today, and that book is The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin.

I do remember the first time I read it. It was a red paperback on the spinning rack of the kids section in the library, with puzzle pieces and an intriguing back cover. So I brought it home, and was transported into the world of Sunset Towers, and the Westing heirs, and the mystery of Sam Westing's will. There were not one but two awesome female characters I fell in love with -- the bratty and brilliant Turtle Wexler, and the solid, smart Judge J.J. Ford. The twists and turns kept me guessing, and the resolution made me cheer. I read it again and again, checking it out from the library many times, all the way through elementary school, junior high, high school. And then I let it aside for a few years, until grad school, when I was buying some textbooks from Amazon (my first ever Amazon purchase), and somehow the hardcover found its way into my shopping cart. I re-read it once a year or so, and every time I crack it open it's like spending some time with an old friend.

There are other books from my childhood I love almost as much -- The Time Trilogy by Madeline L'Engle, the Narnia series, the Oz books. But none of them quite touch my continuing affection for The Westing Game. If any of you out there haven't read it, you totally should.

From the January Prompts meme (On DW / On LJ). Many more slots open, especially in the latter half of the month!