** Haunted Library Escape Room: The Whispering Stacks of Larkspur Library (Printable, Teens and Adults)

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About this kit

** It is the night before the 100th birthday party of Larkspur Library, and the lamps are flickering in a friendly sort of way. Miss Thistlewick, the beloved head librarian who ran the place for 35 years (the staff say she never quite left), has hidden the Centennial Book in the Belfry and left a trail of riddles for her Night Volunteers. Your team cracks a Vigenere bookplate cipher, fills in a 4 x 4 logic grid, shelves a cart of books by invented call numbers, rebuilds a shuffled poem to find its hidden word, reads a thick-and-thin spine code, solves a 1926 calendar and clock ledger, climbs a word ladder from DARK to light and combines everything to open the Belfry door. It is cozy rather than frightening: no jump scares, no gore, no occult, and every lock is on paper. Print it, read the Case File aloud, pour some tea and start the 75-minute timer.

What you get

• Teens and adults (13+), 2-6 players per team, 60-75 minutes of play, about 20 minutes to set up
• 8 original puzzles at a harder level: Vigenere keyword cipher with a printed square, 4 x 4 logic grid, call-number ordering with decimal traps, numbered acrostic poem, binary spine code, calendar-and-clock ledger, word ladder, and a final Belfry meta-lock
• Host guide with setup steps, a minute-by-minute timing plan, tips and read-aloud start and ending
• 24 cut-out hint cards (3 per puzzle, from a gentle nudge to the full answer)
• Answer key with a step-by-step logic-grid solution and a completed meta board, plus a Centennial Book Found certificate
• Every puzzle checked by computer: only one keyword decodes the cipher, the logic grid has exactly one solution and every clue is needed, the call numbers sort without ties, the spine code, calendar and clock each have one answer, every ladder rung has one fitting word and the lock code follows from earlier answers
• Prints on US Letter or A4; no special supplies (pencils, scissors, optional envelopes, tea and a lamp)

What is included in the download

• ** Quietcog-Haunted-Library-Player-Pages.pdf (11 pages)
• Quietcog-Haunted-Library-Host-Guide-and-Hints.pdf (5 pages)
• Quietcog-Haunted-Library-Answer-Key.pdf (3 pages)
• README.md
• LICENSE.txt

Free 2-page sample (cover and Puzzle 1 or opening pages, no answers, no purchase needed): Sample (PDF)

Questions

• Is it scary? No. The ghost is a kind, helpful librarian. There are no jump scares, no gore and no occult content; the mood is lamplight, old books and tea.
• How hard is it? Harder than our kids' kits. Puzzles 1, 2 and 6 are the toughest; every puzzle has three hint cards, so a team never has to get stuck.
• Is it OK for younger players? It is written for teens and adults. Younger players do well with an adult on the team.
• Can I use it in my classroom or library club? Yes, for one classroom, club or group you lead. Schools wanting several classrooms can ask for a site license at gb1@mail.grokbot.com.
• How many teams can play? As many as you like: print one set of Player Pages per team.
• Are the call numbers a real library catalogue? No. They are invented for the puzzle.
• Is it a physical product? No. You get an instant digital download (ZIP of PDFs) to print at home.
• Can I get a refund? One-time digital purchases can be refunded within 14 days; see the refund page.

Personal, household and single-classroom use. Do not resell or share the files. Every lock is on paper. Story, characters and puzzles are original. Support: gb1@mail.grokbot.com. See also the terms, refund policy and privacy policy.