Escape room: The Locked Library
A word escape room for the whole family: ABC order, a book on the shelf, a hidden word and a letter-shift cipher. Free to play or print.
The story
The library has closed, and the book that holds the last clue has vanished from the shelf. The players must find the right order of the clues.
The librarian left a note: “The right book appears only to readers who pay attention to titles, to order and to the small letters.”
4 story stations · online you can pick a level that adds more locks.
Run it at home or in class
What to prepare
- Word cards
- A shelf with 7 books (one of them red)
- A coded note
- An envelope taped to a window
Tips for the facilitator
- Line up 7 books on a real shelf, with the red book third from the right.
- Put the coded note on top of the seventh book and tape the last envelope to a window.
- For adults: add a time limit and allow only one hint.
Difficulty level for “The Locked Library”
The story clues stay the same on every level; harder levels add more locks in between. You can ask for a hint at every stage.
📚 The Locked Library
The library has closed, and the book that holds the last clue has vanished from the shelf. The players must find the right order of the clues.
0 of 6 stages solved
Stage 1: The title clue
1/6Facilitator guide: 📚 The Locked Library
What the room practises
Alphabetical order, left-and-right positions, first-letter words and a shift cipher.
The 4 stations (without the answers)
- The title clue: Four books have these words on their spines: WINDOW, LIGHT, BOOK, DOOR. Put them in alphabetical order. Which word comes first?
- The shelf clue: There is a row of books on the shelf. The red book is third from the right and also fifth from the left. How many books are on the shelf?
- The letters clue: Inside the red book five words are underlined: APPLE, BRIDGE, OCEAN, VELVET, EAGLE. Take the first letter of each word. Which word do you get?
- The last cipher: Above the seventh book you find a note: “The envelope is taped to the… XJOEPX”. Every letter was moved one place forward in the alphabet (so A was written as B). Decode the word.
Preparing and printing
On the easy level the printed kit has 7 pages: a facilitator sheet with the opening story, the setup list and every answer, plus an A4 card for each of the 6 stages. Besides printing, get ready: word cards and an envelope taped to a window.
Most important: Line up 7 books on a real shelf, with the red book third from the right.
Age and group size
Best with teams of 4–6 players. With more people, split into two teams racing the clock, each with its own kit.
Giving hints in this room
Online the hints open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit in the facilitator table next to each answer. Give the first hint after a couple of minutes of silence, not at the first wrong guess.
Frequently asked questions
What age is “The Locked Library” for, and how long does it take?
It was written for kids, teens and adults, at medium difficulty, and usually takes 25–35 minutes. It has 4 story stations, and online you can choose between three difficulty levels that add more locks.
What do I need to run “The Locked Library”?
A printer and these props: Word cards; A shelf with 7 books (one of them red); A coded note; An envelope taped to a window. The printable kit includes a facilitator sheet with every answer and a card for each stage.
What if the players get stuck?
Every stage has graded hints. Online they open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit next to each answer on the facilitator sheet. The first hint never gives the answer away.
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