30 Day Book Challenge: Day Twenty-Four

So Many Books, So Little Time is hosting the 30 Day Book Challenge. Each day for 30 days I'll be answering one question about books.

Day Twenty-Four: Your favorite book as a child

I was a vociferous reader even as a kid, devouring library books like my life depended on it. My mom knew that if she went to a garage sale the only think I'd really be interested in her buying me would be books. She'd grab up whatever she thought I'd like (and, at 25 cents a pop, she could afford to get a whole bunch at one time) and I'd plow through them in a few days time. Some of these books never got read again, but there were, however, several that I kept coming back to over and over again. There are some of them that I still come back to as an adult. While I have an ample amount of books to choose from, I'm going to say that my favorite book when I was a kid was:

I've lost track of how many times I've read Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game. I'm going to guess the number hovers somewhere in the range of five to ten. I'm planning on rereading it next month, in fact, so the number will continue to climb.

Despite the fact that I've read it so many times that I know what happens, the book never ceases to delight me. It's a murder mystery and usually those lose their appeal after the first one or two reads. You know who did it, with what, and where. Why read it a million times? This book is just so good that I can't help but revisit it. It's funny, the characters are quirky, and the plot is fast-paced.

Without giving anything away, a murder has been committed and sixteen people who live in the same apartment building discover that they are all suspects based on the will that the victim left behind. They must work in pairs of two to uncover clues that will lead not only to the murderer but also a hefty cash prize. The reader is able to solve the case along with them as they are given hints, clues, and puzzles throughout the novel. It's great for both kids and adults.

One strange thing to note about this book is the connection I have somehow made in my head between it and a song that came out when I was a kid. I don't really know why the song reminds me of the book and vice versa, although I'm going to guess that it's because it was playing on the radio at the time and both are kind of spooky. Regardless, the song is, get this, "Your Woman" by White Town. Anyone who remembers this song gets a virtual cookie from me. For those of you who don't (or who are too young to know about it), here it is:



If anyone can explain to me how a connection between the two is even possible, I'd love to hear your theory.

Also, today is my two-month blogoversary! Technically I started blogging on March 7th, but I switched from Wordpress over to Blogger on the 11th, so that's the date I'm going from. So, yay!

-Gabe