Whether it’s your birthday or you just want to have fun sleuthing around with Nancy Drew, planning a Nancy Drew
movie theme party is sure to be full of mystery,
suspense, and fashionable flair!
The basic premise of the movie is that Nancy searches for clues to uncover clues about the mysterious death of a beautiful
actress, Dehlia Draycott.
Party Tips:
If you’re having a large party, check to see if a local theater has a party room or a theater can be rented out just for
your party! Often, if you go early and at certain
days of the week, the rental rates are a lot less. Otherwise, plan on seeing the movie and purchasing your tickets in
advance to ensure you’ll get to see it.
If you want ideas for planning your party before the movie comes out, there is a movie novelization in stores.
If there’s one thing about Nancy Drew that has enticed kids for generations, it’s a good suspenseful mystery! Set up your
party like a mystery and you’ll have all
your party guests snooping for clues just like Nancy and her chums. Whether you’re solving a mystery like Nancy in
“Hollywood,” throwing a red carpet
Hollywood theme bash, or setting your mystery back in Nancy’s swell town of River Heights, any true Nancy Drew fan is sure
to be pleased!
Nancy Drew publisher, Simon & Schuster, has a set of PDF files on their website to
host a fun clues filled Nancy Drew event. You’ll work through several activities
to get clues to solve a mystery. You can print these files out and make copies for those attending your party.
Simon & Schuster has also published 2 puzzle books that tie-in to the movie which are filled with all kinds of fun puzzles and activities—even recipes—that you can
use for your party. These books make great favors for the kids attending.
They come with charm necklaces and on the back have detective membership cards and
a decoder wheel. They are called, Still Sleuthing and Hollywood Head Scratchers.
If you are crafty and want to plan out some arrangements on your own, here are a few things from the movie, without giving anything away, that you can use in
crafting decorations, favors, and other party items:
- 1. Compass that points back to River Heights
- 2. Sleuth kit filled with mystery tools (flashlight, fingerprint powders, etc.)
- 3. Magnifying glass pin with initials “N.D.”
- 4. Lemon bars and blondies
- 5. Pee Chee or Sleuth folder to put all your clues and case information
- 6. Slogan, “Everything is Evidence”
- 7. In the movie, Nancy Drew® has a birthday party. She hangs streamers and balloons and has these refreshments: popcorn balls, pigs in blankets, canapés,
and plans a taffy pull.
- 8. Nancy searches for a will in the movie.
- 9. Nancy sleuths in a spooky old house like the mansions in The Hidden Staircase and The Secret in the Old Attic.
Sleuth Kit Ideas:
A trunk box, pencil case, or tote bag are super for storing any of the following:
- 1. Magnifying glass (to search for fingerprints and other clues)
- 2. Flashlight (for those spooky investigations at night or in the dark)
- 3. Notebook, pen, and pencil (for writing down clues and interviewing suspects)
- 4. Small envelopes and plastic bags (for collecting evidence)
- 5. Tape measure (for measuring footprints and other clues)
- 6. Tweezers (for collecting small scraps of evidence)
- 7. Talcum powder and graphite/pencil lead sanded into fine grains, or black eyeshadow (for dusting fingerprints)
- 8. Finger print brush/make-up brush (for dusting fingerprints with your talcum or graphite)
- 9. Clear roll of tape and black/white paper squares (for lifting and organizing fingerprints)
- 10. Scissors (for cutting tape and other detective tasks)
- 11. Disposable or Polaroid camera (for taking crime scene photos)
- 12. Blank index cards and black sharpie marker (for identifying each photo with a number--place in scene, then take picture)
- 13. Latex or plastic gloves (so you won't leave any fingerprints behind!)
- 14. Binoculars (for spying from afar)
- 15. Compass (so you won't get lost while sleuthing)
Use Nancy Drew images to decorate your kit.
