Murder Mystery Games Party - Mystery in the Library, a murder mystery party for 13 girls and boys ages 13 to 15

The other night in the library, when many characters were out of their books enjoying a sojourn in the night air, a crime was committed, grim and grave, right in the library. As a result, his Majesty Henry VIII that famous monarchy from the English history books- has disappeared.

Please join Sherlock Holmes as he solves The Disappearance of Henry the Eighth in Mystery in the Library.

Character Descriptions

Master Sherlock Holmes - I am a man with such superior detective skills that I have become world famous. Nothing goes unnoticed by me. I already know a lot about each of the suspects, just from looking at their appearance. For example, I can tell Alice is a little girl with a very fanciful imagination and Aladdin is from the Far East. But, I am not a great reader of fiction, I prefer to do chemical experiments and I also play the violin. Did any of you happen to steal my lighter from me? I seem to be missing it ever since my visit to the library last night. Was the King a thief? Do you think he stole my lighter? I am really missing my pipe. I can't use it without my lighter. This certainly does not seem like a normal case. Things are not what they seem. It is more like the Mr Angel case. You may like to read about it in my diary, if you get time. Dress suggestions: Dress in old-fashioned clothes, carry a magnifying glass and a pipe.

Alice - Mr Holmes is wrong. Wonderland was not my imagination. It was a wonderful dream - a dream filled with strange creatures." I saw a White Rabbit looking at its watch and I followed it down a rabbit hole. I fell down a deep well, but I fell slowly so I had plenty of time to look at the jars of "Orange Marmalade" and such. I came to a bottle saying "Drink Me", but "the bottle was not marked poison", so I drank it. I "shut up like a telescope" till I was only "ten inches high". Then I found a cake marked "Eat Me" and I ate it and grew very tall. My feet were so far away. Dress suggestions: Dress as a little girl with braids and rosy cheeks.

Queen of Hearts - Oh there is so much to tell - all about the tea cups and my shouting "Off with his head! or "Off with her head" and all the other people Alice met in Wonderland, but it would take too long. Alice comes into the library and looks at the children's books. King Henry said he didn't like little girls. He said his wives had too many of them and not enough boys - only one boy in fact. Dress suggestions: Wear white and stick big red cardboard hearts on your clothes.

Cinderella - I am a merchant's daughter. Then my mother died and my father remarried a widow with two grown daughters. Alas, when I met them, they treated me as a slave rather than as a step-sister. My step-sisters saw me covered in cinders after cleaning the fireplace and, my name being Ella, they gave me the nickname of "Cinder-ella". Dress suggestions: Dress like a princess with tinsel/glitter or as a servant covered in cinders.

The Fairy Godmother - After working all day on her chores, Cinderella often wondered if she would ever be happy again. The ladies of her household were invited to the Duke's ball. But Cinderella's step-mother said she could not go unless her chores were done. Fortunately, I came to Cinderella's aid and - well, you all know the rest of the story. King Henry was fascinated by Cinderella's glass slippers. I think he thought that if she had no slippers, that the Duke's son would not find her in her fairytale and then she would be free to marry him instead. Dress suggestions: Like a fairy complete with wings & a wand with which to grant wishes. also in red). Carry some little cakes or cookies.

Snow White (from Snow White by The Brothers Grimm) My step-mother was jealous of my beauty and asked a huntsman to do away with me. He took pity on me and let me run away into the forest and I came to the house of the dwarfs. I ate their porridge. They found me later asleep and asked me to stay and take care of them. But I am not a porridge thief like you Goldilocks, I only took a little from each bowl as I was fainting from hunger. And since then I have kept house for them, so I have repaid my debt to them. My step-mother asked her looking-glass `Who is the fairest of us all?' and it told her I was living in the glen. Then my stepmother, plotted to get rid of me. She dressed as an 'old pedlar woman' and sold me some lace for my waist. Then she laced me up so tight, I `lost ... (my) breath, and fell down as dead.' Fortunately, the seven dwarfs soon returned and cut the lace in two, so that I could draw breath. The Queen knew I wasn't dead because her mirror told her so, so she came again with a poisoned apple. The dwarfs thought I was dead. A prince saw me and carried me away. Then the apple fell out of my mouth and I came back to life and we married. King Henry kept trying to get me to marry him, but I refused. Dress suggestions: Old-fashioned clothes such as a drawstring sash at the waist, puffy sleeves, flouncy skirt. She had black hair, red lips and white skin.

Pinocchio - When I was a puppet I lied a lot, but the Good Fairy taught me not to and to be good. 'How stupid I was as a puppet. And how glad I am to be a real live boy.' When I lied my nose became so long I 'could not move without banging it against the walls or door.' Geppetto sold his coat to buy me a spelling book for school. I sold it to go to the puppet theatre. Then I saved a puppet from being burnt by the showman and the showman gave me coins for my father. A fox and a cat told me they could multiply my money in "The Field of Miracles". A bird and the ghost of the cricket tried to warn me not to. The evil fox and cat hung me in a tree to die, but the Good Fairy saved me. But I still let them fool me into burying my money so it would grow. They stole it. Later I became a donkey and ended up rescuing Geppetto from the belly of a whale with the help of the Good Fairy. King Henry thought that I was a silly puppet and he tried to fool me into being his slave. But the Good Fairy warned me that he was an evil man. Dress suggestions: A red jacket with a white frill-necked shirt. Make a pencil nose out of cardboard.

Peter Pan - I live on an island inhabited by pirates, mermaids, fairies and Indians. I taught the three children of the Darling family to fly so they could return with me to the island. We were trying to stop the evil pirate Captain Hook from going about his wicked ways. But then Captain Hook plotted to do away with me and he captured Wendy Darling. Dress suggestions: A green cap, a green outfit and a toy sword.

Tinkerbell - There is also a crocodile that follows us about that has a clock inside his belly going tick, tick, tick. I used my magic fairy dust to help Peter Pan and Wendy and the others to fly. On the island there are lots of fairies. "When the first baby laughed for the very first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about and that was the beginning of the fairies." King Henry was impressed with Peter's victory over Captain Hook. Dress suggestions: Dress as a golden fairy with a little bell you always ring as you move about.

Wizard of Oz (from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum) To get to my place you follow the yellow brick road. People think that I can accomplish anything. Dorothy and her friends came to see me. Scarecrow was amongst them. He was in search of a brain. They all expected me to wave a magic wand and to solve their problems for them. Instead I told them that they must first prove themselves worthy by bringing me the broomstick of the Wicked Witch before I would grant their requests. They succeeded and I pointed out to them that they already possessed what they sought. They just had to start using their abilities. King Henry was jealous of my supposed abilities. He wanted to be able to do anything himself. Dress suggestions: A wizard's outfit with stars and the moon on it and with a long pointy hat.

Goldilocks - I ate porridge at the bears' house. The bears hadn't locked their front door, so that's permission to eat their porridge, isn't it? I didn't get much porridge anyway. Great Big Bear's porridge was too hot, Middle-sized Bear's bowl was too cold. So I had to eat Tiny Little Bear's and his bowl is so small. Then I tried to find a comfortable chair to sit on, but Great Big Bear's chair was too hard, Middle-sized Bear's chair was too soft and Tiny Little Bear's chair collapsed on me. I was getting tired after all this, so I went upstairs to find a bed to rest on. Great Big Bear's bed and Middle-sized Bear's bed both weren't right for me. But Baby Bear's tiny bed was perfect, so I got in. I didn't even take my shoes off. King Henry kept saying I was a spoiled little girl and that if I was his child, he would lock me in the tower. The King had a chair in the library that he liked to sit on. It was large and I suppose it reminded him of his throne. Whenever he found me sitting in it, he got very angry. Dress suggestions: Cute little-girl clothes. Tie a ribbon in your golden hair and don a blue dress, a frilly white apron, red shoes and yellow socks

Aladdin - I met a 'mysterious stranger who said he would pay me a silver penny if I went down a manhole for him'. I found myself in a 'large chamber... (filled with) pots of gold.' 'Put out the flame and bring me the lamp!' he said. When I hesitated, he left me in there, dropping his ring in the chamber as he did so. Terrified, I put the ring on my finger and 'twisted it round and round'. 'Suddenly the room was flooded with a rosy light and a great genie with clasped hands appeared on a cloud', and said he was at my command. Dress suggestions: Wear middle eastern clothes (eg baggy trousers). Add sequins and jewels.

The Genie - Aladdin said he wanted 'to go home' and he immediately found himself there. He told his mother of his adventures. She was a little disappointed he had returned with only the old oil lamp. But she started to polish it and 'out shot another genie'. That was me. I said that they had set me 'free after centuries' and that I would be their servant. Things went pretty well after that for Aladdin and he married a beautiful princess. King Henry was jealous of Aladdin having a genie and even though he was already wealthy, he ordered Aladdin to give me to him but he refused. Dress suggestions: Wear middle eastern clothes (eg baggy trousers) and a turban. You may like to carry the lamp in which you live.