The Carnival Mystery

“The Carnival Mystery,” made for kids ages 7 to 10, turns an outing to the fair, a neighborhood block party, a backyard, or a park set up as a little village of rides into an investigation of a carnival secret. The old owner of the carousel has lost his grandmother’s locket somewhere at the fair, and he left five clues for anyone who can follow them: a ticket with patterns to recognize, a ride color to find, a map of the fairgrounds to complete, a carousel-organ tune to rebuild from pictures, and the silhouette of an attraction to identify. The kids move, search, compare, and figure things out, booth to booth, without ever going in circles: every clue points clearly to the next one. The book includes the clue cards, a fairgrounds map to customize, an investigation journal to fill in, and a guide for the grown-up that sets up the trail in a few minutes, with simple rules for staying together in a crowd. The game works for a small group or a big crowd of kids. At the last stop, every player earns a Carnival Detective diploma to cut out and fill in. The guide also offers options for different places, backup hints, and a shorter version for the youngest players.