Mystery Party Game for Tweens

Press Print this list for the adult's host sheet, then print a cast sheet for each player from the menu.

Host sheet (for the adult)1: Adult host: before the guests arriveYou need one copy of each sheet in the menu, and extra guess slips so that every player gets one. Snip the fifteen clue cards into singles and stack them by round. The answer sheet stays folded in your pocket.
2: Read this aloud to startTonight is the Maple Grove School talent show. The winner's trophy, the Golden Microphone, stood on the judges' table when intermission began at seven o'clock. When the lights flashed fifteen minutes later, the table was bare. Nobody has left the gym, so someone in the cast took it. You are the cast.
3: The rule of the game: tell the truthSay this before round 1. All answers are true and come from your cast sheet. Your sheet has one secret that you share only if somebody asks about it. No one may ask outright who took the trophy: if someone does, every player, whoever they are, replies: ask me after guess time.
4: Deal the castGive each player one cast sheet to read in secret. Max the juggler must always be in the game.
5: Round 1, ten minutesStart with the five round 1 cards, read aloud. Then everyone walks around and asks everyone else where they were at intermission.
6: Round 2, ten minutesFive more cards. From now on the secrets on the cast sheets are fair game: a player who is asked about theirs must tell.
7: Round 3, ten minutesThe last five cards. Leave time for final questions before you call guess time.
8: Guess timeEach player gets a slip and writes a name, a hiding place and a reason, without talking. Gather them all in before any guess is spoken.
9: The answerNow take out the answer sheet and read it to the room. All players who named the right cast member win.
Deal for six playersDeal Max, Nora, Eli, Zoe, Sam and Priya. The other four are busy in the music room, and the clue cards say all that is needed about them.
Extra players: seven to tenAdd Theo, then Ava, then Leo, then Mia.

Next step Case closed: more party games More puzzles: build an escape room

How it works

This mystery party game for tweens is one complete whodunit for 6 to 10 players aged 9 to 13. The trophy has vanished from the school talent show, one of the cast took it, and nothing scary happens.

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What to print

An adult runs this game, and the first sheet on screen, the Host sheet, is written for that adult. The menu beside Print this list has fifteen more sheets: clue cards for rounds 1, 2 and 3, a guess slip, a cast sheet for each of ten performers and the answer. Print each one, snip the clue cards into singles and deal one cast sheet a player.

Play three rounds of ten minutes

Each round opens with five clue cards read aloud; then the cast question each other in character. Everyone tells the truth, and nobody may ask outright who took the trophy. When round three ends, each player writes a guess slip and the adult reads the answer.

Tips

Keep players off this page. The answer is one tap away in the menu and again further down.
The host sheet says which cast members to deal for six, seven, eight, nine or ten players.

Questions and answers

How do you run a mystery party game for tweens?

An adult prints the kit and deals one cast sheet to each player. Over three ten-minute rounds the adult reads clue cards while the players question each other in character. Then everyone writes a guess, and the adult reads the answer.

Is this mystery party game for tweens free?

Yes. Nothing to buy and no sign-up: pick a sheet from the menu, press Print this list, and repeat for the next one. The school, the cast and the fifteen clues are our own.

How many players does it take?

Six to ten. There are ten cast members, and the host sheet lists which six to deal first and who to add for a seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth player. The adult host does not need a part.

Is it scary?

No. Nobody is hurt or in danger. A trophy goes missing at a school talent show, and the performer who took it meant well. The clues are paint, tape and a prop box.

All 78 lines

Host sheet (for the adult) 11

1: Adult host: before the guests arrive You need one copy of each sheet in the menu, and extra guess slips so that every player gets one. Snip the fifteen clue cards into singles and stack them by round. The answer sheet stays folded in your pocket.
2: Read this aloud to start Tonight is the Maple Grove School talent show. The winner's trophy, the Golden Microphone, stood on the judges' table when intermission began at seven o'clock. When the lights flashed fifteen minutes later, the table was bare. Nobody has left the gym, so someone in the cast took it. You are the cast.
3: The rule of the game: tell the truth Say this before round 1. All answers are true and come from your cast sheet. Your sheet has one secret that you share only if somebody asks about it. No one may ask outright who took the trophy: if someone does, every player, whoever they are, replies: ask me after guess time.
4: Deal the cast Give each player one cast sheet to read in secret. Max the juggler must always be in the game.

Show all 78 lines (74 more)

Host sheet (for the adult), continued

5: Round 1, ten minutes Start with the five round 1 cards, read aloud. Then everyone walks around and asks everyone else where they were at intermission.
6: Round 2, ten minutes Five more cards. From now on the secrets on the cast sheets are fair game: a player who is asked about theirs must tell.
7: Round 3, ten minutes The last five cards. Leave time for final questions before you call guess time.
8: Guess time Each player gets a slip and writes a name, a hiding place and a reason, without talking. Gather them all in before any guess is spoken.
9: The answer Now take out the answer sheet and read it to the room. All players who named the right cast member win.
Deal for six players Deal Max, Nora, Eli, Zoe, Sam and Priya. The other four are busy in the music room, and the clue cards say all that is needed about them.
Extra players: seven to ten Add Theo, then Ava, then Leo, then Mia.

Clue cards, round 1 5

Round 1, clue 1: Intermission At seven o'clock Theo called intermission, and the Golden Microphone was on the judges' table at the front of the gym. At a quarter past seven the lights flashed, and the table was bare.
Round 1, clue 2: The finale practice At seven o'clock sharp Ms. Bell took the five finale performers to the music room: Priya, Leo, Mia, Ava and Theo. She counted five heads going and five heads coming back at a quarter past.
Round 1, clue 3: Green paint There is a smear of green paint on the white tablecloth, just where the trophy stood. It is the green of the forest backdrop.
Round 1, clue 4: A playing card The seven of hearts is lying under the judges' table.
Round 1, clue 5: A rubber chicken A rubber chicken is sitting on one of the judges' chairs.

Clue cards, round 2 5

Round 2, clue 1: The backdrop The forest backdrop was still wet when it was carried on stage at a quarter to seven. Three people carried it and came away with green hands: Nora, Max and Eli. Nobody else in the cast touched it, and everyone else's hands are clean.
Round 2, clue 2: Scuff marks The floor beside the judges' table is covered in small scuff marks.
Round 2, clue 3: The sound booth Coach Reed ran the sound booth at the back of the gym. She says Eli stood beside her calling light cues from seven o'clock until the lights flashed.
Round 2, clue 4: The trophy plate Ms. Bell admits she never ordered a new plate for the trophy. It still has last year's winner's name on it.
Round 2, clue 5: The stage kit A roll of gold tape and a black marker are missing from the stage manager's kit.

Clue cards, round 3 5

Round 3, clue 1: Face painting Six little kids have a fresh painted star on one cheek. Their parents say Nora never left the face-painting table during intermission.
Round 3, clue 2: Last year's program Last year's program is pinned up in the hall. The winner's name on it is Max Rivera, juggler.
Round 3, clue 3: The prop box Before intermission Max's prop box stood beside the judges' table. It is backstage now, and its latch is stuck down with gold tape.
Round 3, clue 4: Green fingerprints There are green fingerprints on the lid of a box backstage.
Round 3, clue 5: At the door The parent at the gym door says no performer has left the building tonight. The trophy is still in the school.

Guess slip 5

1: Detective's name Your real name.
2: Who took the trophy? Write one cast member.
3: Where is the trophy now? Say where you think it is hidden.
4: Why did they take it? Your best guess, in a few words.
5: My best clue The clue card that made up your mind.

Cast: Zoe Park, magician 4

Zoe 1: your act Your act is card tricks in a cape and spotless white gloves.
Zoe 2: where you were at intermission You spent the whole intermission in the snack line in the hallway and bought the last soft pretzel.
Zoe 3: what you know You did not help with the backdrop. Your gloves and your hands are clean.
Zoe 4: your secret, unless asked At ten to seven you did a card trick for the judges and dropped the seven of hearts under their table. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

Cast: Max Rivera, juggler 4

Max 1: your act Your act is juggling, and you won this show last year. YOU TOOK THE TROPHY. Its plate still had your name on it, and you wanted this year's winner to get one with a fresh plate. Never say you took it and never say you did not.
Max 2: where you were at intermission At a quarter to seven you helped carry the backdrop on stage. At intermission you picked up your prop box from beside the judges' table and took it backstage.
Max 3: what you know The backdrop paint was still wet. It got on your hands, and on Nora's and Eli's.
Max 4: your secret, unless asked Nobody is allowed to ask outright who took the trophy. If someone does, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time. Give the same reply to any question you could only answer by owning up.

Cast: Priya Shah, singer 4

Priya 1: your act Your act is a song, and you are in the group finale.
Priya 2: where you were at intermission From seven o'clock to a quarter past you were in the music room with Ms. Bell, practicing the finale with Leo, Mia, Ava and Theo.
Priya 3: what you know Before intermission, Max's prop box stood at the side of the stage right beside the judges' table.
Priya 4: your secret, unless asked You told Ava you would love to hold the trophy just once. You never touched it. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

Cast: Leo Novak, drummer 4

Leo 1: your act Your act is a drum solo, and you are in the group finale.
Leo 2: where you were at intermission From seven o'clock to a quarter past you were in the music room with Ms. Bell and the rest of the finale group.
Leo 3: what you know You were first back through the gym door at a quarter past seven, and the judges' table was already bare.
Leo 4: your secret, unless asked One of your drumsticks is missing. It rolled under the stage curtain at twenty to seven. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

Cast: Ava Brooks, tap dancer 4

Ava 1: your act Your act is a tap dance, and you are in the group finale.
Ava 2: where you were at intermission From seven o'clock to a quarter past you were in the music room with Ms. Bell and the rest of the finale group.
Ava 3: what you know Ms. Bell counted five heads on the way to the music room and five on the way back.
Ava 4: your secret, unless asked At half past six you practiced your steps right beside the judges' table. The scuff marks on the floor there are yours. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

Cast: Sam Ortiz, comedian 4

Sam 1: your act Your act is jokes, told while wearing two giant foam hands.
Sam 2: where you were at intermission At intermission you sat in the front row with your back to the stage, telling jokes to the second graders.
Sam 3: what you know Ms. Bell taped the foam hands to your wrists at half past six and they have not come off since. You could not carry the backdrop, and you could not have lifted a trophy.
Sam 4: your secret, unless asked At five to seven you sat your rubber chicken on a judge's chair as a joke. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

Cast: Mia Chen, violinist 4

Mia 1: your act Your act is a violin piece, and you are in the group finale.
Mia 2: where you were at intermission From seven o'clock to a quarter past you were in the music room with Ms. Bell and the rest of the finale group.
Mia 3: what you know At a quarter to seven you held the stage door open while three people carried the wet backdrop through: Nora, Max and Eli. Nobody else touched it.
Mia 4: your secret, unless asked You were so nervous that you hid in the coat room for five minutes at ten to seven. You were back before intermission. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

Cast: Eli Foster, stage manager 4

Eli 1: your act You run the show from a clipboard, with a headset on.
Eli 2: where you were at intermission From seven o'clock to a quarter past you were up in the sound booth at the back of the gym with Coach Reed, calling the light cues.
Eli 3: what you know From the booth you could see Nora's face-painting line by the gym door. It never stopped.
Eli 4: your secret, unless asked The roll of gold tape and the black marker are missing from your stage kit, and you are afraid you lost them. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

Cast: Nora Kim, speed painter 4

Nora 1: your act Your act is painting a picture in two minutes, and you painted the forest backdrop too.
Nora 2: where you were at intermission At intermission you ran the face-painting table by the gym door and painted a star on six little kids, one after another.
Nora 3: what you know The backdrop was still wet when you, Max and Eli carried it at a quarter to seven. All three of you got green paint on your hands.
Nora 4: your secret, unless asked You think the trophy is ugly, and you told the judges the school should let you repaint it. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

Cast: Theo Grant, emcee 4

Theo 1: your act You introduce every act, and you are in the group finale.
Theo 2: where you were at intermission You called intermission at seven o'clock, then went to the music room with Ms. Bell and the rest of the finale group until a quarter past.
Theo 3: what you know When you called intermission the trophy was on the judges' table. In your opening you read from last year's program: last year's winner was Max.
Theo 4: your secret, unless asked You lost your cue cards before the show and have been making up the introductions all night. If anyone asks outright who took the trophy, reply as every player must: ask me after guess time.

The answer (adult only) 7

1: The answer: who took the trophy Max Rivera, the juggler.
2: Why Max took it Max won last year, and the plate on the trophy still had his name on it. He wanted this year's winner to lift a trophy with a fresh plate, and he was too embarrassed to tell Ms. Bell.
3: How Max did it At intermission he lifted the trophy off the judges' table, leaving a smear of backdrop paint on the cloth, set it in his prop box and carried the box backstage. There he covered the old plate with gold tape from the stage kit and wrote This year's winner on it with the marker.
4: Where the trophy is Backstage, in Max's prop box, with its latch taped down.
5: How the clues rule out everyone else Only Nora, Max and Eli had green hands. Eli was in the sound booth with Coach Reed. Nora never left the face-painting table. Priya, Leo, Mia, Ava and Theo were in the music room, and Zoe's and Sam's hands were clean.
6: The false trails The seven of hearts fell from Zoe's card trick. The rubber chicken was Sam's joke. The scuff marks came from Ava's tap shoes. Nora only said she would like to repaint the trophy. Eli did not lose the tape and the marker: Max borrowed them.
7: Read this to end the game Max opens his prop box and hands the trophy to Ms. Bell. The old name is covered and the plate is ready, and the show goes on to the finale.

How this list was compiled: An original story written by the Game Night Generator editors for this page on 2026-10-02: The Case of the Golden Microphone, a whodunit for players aged 9 to 13 with nothing worse in it than a trophy that goes missing at a school talent show. The school, the ten cast members and the fifteen clue cards are invented: no real person, book, film or boxed game is named, and Maple Grove is a common school name that stands here for no school in particular. The puzzle has one answer (the fifteen cards are counted here in reading order, 1 to 15): the taker had green paint on their hands (clue 3), only three of the cast did (clue 6), and two of those three were somewhere else in front of witnesses (clues 8 and 11). The builder of this list checks that by script each time it is made, and the answer was read twice by hand against all fifteen cards and all ten cast sheets. Licence: own work