The Mystery Circus

“The Mystery Circus,” made for kids ages 7 to 10, locks your team under a big top the night before the show. The ringmaster has vanished, the doors to the ring have locked, and there is only one hour left to find the props for the grand finale before the curtain goes up. Every corner of the circus hides a puzzle: pick out the right costume among several, put the steps of a juggling act in order, crack the code on a magician’s trunk, and piece together a torn poster. The puzzles are solved as a team, by looking closely and reasoning, with no long reading and no supplies to buy. The book already includes the padlocks to cut out and assemble, the clue cards, a countdown to start, and the grown-up guide, which explains the game step by step and offers backup hints so the game never stalls. It works as well for a birthday party as for a family evening, for a small group or a big table of kids. Five puzzles drive the preparations, from backstage to the ring, where the team that solved everything opens the curtain and earns a Circus Performer diploma.