Free puzzle · no email required
The Case of the Missing Cupcake
A 10-minute mini mystery to try the Print a Mystery style at your kitchen table. Print one page, hand over a pencil, watch what happens.
The story
Grandma baked twelve cupcakes for the party. She counted them twice. Twelve.
Ten minutes later there were eleven — and a tiny note on the plate, written in secret code.
Only three suspects were in the kitchen: Uncle Bob (who loves cupcakes), little cousin Mia (who loves frosting), and Biscuit the dog (who loves everything).
Ages 7–12 · 10 minutes · 1–6 detectives · one page to print, solution printed upside down at the bottom.
PDF, about 160 kB. Free to print and share for private use.
What this puzzle shows you
- • How a cipher card looks and how the key is explained to kids
- • Whether your detectives enjoy decoding (if they do, the full case has six more puzzle types)
- • Our print style: black and white, clear shapes, one task per card
Ready for the real thing?
The Midnight Museum
A meteorite has vanished from the museum. Five suspects, seven clues, one thief. Can your detectives crack the case before midnight?
See the full casePrefer to hear about new cases? Email hello@printamystery.com with “New cases” in the subject. We write a few times a year, never more, and never share your address.