Ellen Raskin (1928-1984)

"Who were these people, these specially selected tenants? They were mothers and fathers and children. A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge. And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake. Barney Northrup had rented one of the apartments to the wrong person." 
-excerpt from chapter 1 of The Westing Game

This week at the Culture Corner, I'm featuring one of my favorite authors, little-known mystery writer Ellen Raskin.  For those of you who haven't been familiar with her work, you are in for quite the treat.  Her stories are exciting with lots of attention to minute details.  Now to understand my appreciation for her writing you have to know something about me.  I'm a sucker for pure entertainment.  I don't have much patience for extra complicated storylines and a vernacular that you need a dictionary for.  I like my books to be short, fun to read, and have characters that I actually care about.  Ellen Raskin definitely hits all three of these points for me.  Though her novels are meant for a Young Adult audience, all ages can definitely enjoy the twists and turns of her clever mysteries.  My all time favorite book that she has written is The Westing Game, written in 1978.  This extraordinary novel won the Newbery Medal award that year and I have read it at least 30 times if not more.  It never gets old.  I particularly enjoy the way that she gives all the information you need to solve the mystery at the beginning of the book, but you don't have enough parallel information about the characters or story yet to make any guesses about what the answers really are.  Her novels are a great choice for anyone just looking for an easy read that will keep you occupied for a few fun hours.  Great for traveling!  Below are links to The Westing Game on Amazon (with links to the novels on the Kindle Store) as well as a few other examples of her work that may peak your interest!  Stay tuned and stay cultured!  :)