🔎 Cookie thiefGrade 3Reading: grades 3-4Place valueAdditionSubtractionSkip countingDivision

The Great Cookie Jar Caper

Oh no! The grand prize cookie jar is empty, and there are crumbs leading out the bakery door! The Head Baker needs your help to track down the Crumb Bandit before the town festival tonight.

Suspects

Possible suspects

Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.

21 of 21 still in play

Name	Sneaking Skill	Thief Gear	Handedness	Hair Color	Weakness
Famous Amos	Oven unlocking	Choco detector	Left handed	Chocolate brown hair	Hot cocoa
Chef Chip	Flour sack hiding	Sugar sprayer	Right handed	Blue frosting hair	Apple juice
Debbie Little	Flour sack hiding	Sugar sprayer	Right handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Patty Pastry	Flour sack hiding	Crumb brush	Left handed	Blue frosting hair	Hot cocoa
Cocoa Clara	Oven unlocking	Crumb brush	Left handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Fudge Freddy	Oven unlocking	Cookie tongs	Left handed	Chocolate brown hair	Hot cocoa
Penny Peanut	Flour sack hiding	Flour blaster	Right handed	Blue frosting hair	Hot cocoa
Duncan Hines	Rack climbing	Sugar sprayer	Right handed	Strawberry pink hair	Cold milk
Frosting Fiona	Oven unlocking	Choco detector	Left handed	Strawberry pink hair	Hot cocoa
Danny Dough	Rack climbing	Sugar sprayer	Left handed	Strawberry pink hair	Cold milk
Sprinkle Sam	Bowl swiping	Cookie tongs	Left handed	Strawberry pink hair	Hot cocoa
Peter Pan	Flour sack hiding	Crumb brush	Left handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Macadamia Mary	Oven unlocking	Sugar sprayer	Right handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Crumbly Craig	Bowl swiping	Choco detector	Right handed	Chocolate brown hair	Hot cocoa
Suzy Sugar	Rack climbing	Flour blaster	Right handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Wally Wafer	Oven unlocking	Sugar sprayer	Left handed	Chocolate brown hair	Apple juice
Buster Butter	Bowl swiping	Flour blaster	Left handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Barney Biscuit	Dough room creeping	Choco detector	Right handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Otis Oatmeal	Oven unlocking	Sugar sprayer	Left handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Baker Betty	Rack climbing	Cookie tongs	Right handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk
Ginger Snap	Dough room creeping	Crumb brush	Left handed	Blue frosting hair	Cold milk

Clue 1

Place value

The digital lock on the vault is blinking. To find the secret code, we need to look closely at the digit in the tens place.

Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.

2000

300

8000

2000

300

8000

5000

8000

600

2000

6000

8000

1000

300

8000

2000

8000

2000

800

What is the value of the 2 in 92,675?T

What is the value of the 8 in 8,173?E

What is the value of the 2 in 123?D

What is the value of the 5 in 15,404?F

What is the value of the 4 in 6,848?C

What is the value of the 9 in 3,294?I

What is the value of the 3 in 538?O

What is the value of the 3 in 2,324?H

What is the value of the 6 in 864?S

What is the value of the 6 in 6,840?U

What is the value of the 1 in 71,724?A

What is the value of the 6 in 618?N

What is the value of the 8 in 899?R

0/13 letters found

Clue 2

Addition

The thief dropped several small bags of sugar. Let us add up all the bags to find out how heavy the thief's backpack was.

Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.

863

638

626

252

510

899

311

626

911

881

656

621

881

643

510

490

626

987

626

282

621

311

863

638

881

656

311

435

638

863

638

881

987

282

516 + 347 =T

232 + 389 =W

155 + 280 =G

370 + 529 =K

221 + 269 =P

255 + 401 =R

143 + 139 =D

276 + 605 =A

612 + 299 =J

108 + 144 =C

470 + 517 =N

193 + 118 =I

290 + 353 =S

320 + 190 =O

396 + 242 =H

357 + 269 =E

0/16 letters found

Clue 3

Subtraction

The bakery jar started with many cookies, but now only a few are left. Subtract the leftovers from the start to find the missing clue.

Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.

517

375

659

517

375

867

659

573

722

383

192

604

427

319

427

757

573

722

156

254

196

156

227

246

254

867

227

850

803 - 286 =T

370 - 51 =W

713 - 338 =H

533 - 341 =N

527 - 144 =U

1047 - 388 =E

504 - 348 =O

470 - 274 =C

365 - 138 =L

572 - 318 =M

308 - 62 =D

876 - 119 =Y

625 - 21 =S

975 - 253 =R

690 - 117 =F

615 - 188 =A

1192 - 342 =K

1066 - 199 =I

0/18 letters found

Clue 4

Skip counting

We follow footprints spaced out across the floor. Let us count by fives to measure the path the thief took to escape.

Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.

120

130

120

Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, ___, 70, 75W

Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, ___, 90, 100N

Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, ___, 45, 48G

Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, ___, 140, 150H

Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, ___, 28, 30D

Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, ___, 30, 33U

Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, ___, 130, 140S

Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, ___, 18, 20C

Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, ___, 10, 12I

Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, ___, 42, 45A

Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, ___, 80, 90R

Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, ___, 50, 60B

Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, ___, 33, 36L

Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, ___, 36, 39T

Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, ___, 60, 65E

Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, ___, 25, 30O

Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, ___, 65, 70F

0/17 letters found

Clue 5

Division facts (1-12) — the last clue

We have a tray of frosting tubes to share. If we divide them equally among our helper puppies, we will decode the final message.

First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!

Step 1 — solve these

5 ÷ 1 = ?

48 ÷ 8 = ?

44 ÷ 4 = ?

48 ÷ 12 = ?

18 ÷ 6 = ?

100 ÷ 10 = ?

10 ÷ 5 = ?

56 ÷ 8 = ?

24 ÷ 3 = ?

60 ÷ 5 = ?

54 ÷ 6 = ?

Step 2 — cross out the sentence with each answer

1.The villain climbs the cooling racks, then sprays white powder with a flour blaster.

2.The villain swipes the mixing bowls, then snatches the treats with cookie tongs.

3.The villain swipes the mixing bowls, then finds the best chips with a choco detector.

4.The villain climbs the cooling racks, then coats the floor with a sugar sprayer.

5.The villain unlocks the giant oven, then coats the floor with a sugar sprayer.

6.The villain climbs the cooling racks, then snatches the treats with cookie tongs.

7.The villain unlocks the giant oven, then finds the best chips with a choco detector.

8.The villain unlocks the giant oven, then snatches the treats with cookie tongs.

9.The villain climbs the cooling racks, then sweeps up the evidence with a crumb brush.

10.The villain sneaks under the flour sack, then finds the best chips with a choco detector.

11.The villain sneaks under the flour sack, then coats the floor with a sugar sprayer.

12.The villain creeps through the dough room, then sprays white powder with a flour blaster.

Solve it

Name the culprit

Choose the one suspect left standing.

Answer Key — The Great Cookie Jar Caper

Culprit: Suzy Sugar (Rack climbing · Flour blaster · Right handed · Blue frosting hair · Cold milk)

Clue 1 (Place value): "THE THIEF DOES NOT USE A CHOCO DETECTOR"
What is the value of the 2 in 92,675? = 2000 (T) · What is the value of the 8 in 8,173? = 8000 (E) · What is the value of the 2 in 123? = 20 (D) · What is the value of the 5 in 15,404? = 5000 (F) · What is the value of the 4 in 6,848? = 40 (C) · What is the value of the 9 in 3,294? = 90 (I) · What is the value of the 3 in 538? = 30 (O) · What is the value of the 3 in 2,324? = 300 (H) · What is the value of the 6 in 864? = 60 (S) · What is the value of the 6 in 6,840? = 6000 (U) · What is the value of the 1 in 71,724? = 1000 (A) · What is the value of the 6 in 618? = 600 (N) · What is the value of the 8 in 899? = 800 (R)
Clue 2 (Addition): "THE COOKIE JAR WAS OPENED WITH A RIGHT HAND"
516 + 347 = 863 (T) · 232 + 389 = 621 (W) · 155 + 280 = 435 (G) · 370 + 529 = 899 (K) · 221 + 269 = 490 (P) · 255 + 401 = 656 (R) · 143 + 139 = 282 (D) · 276 + 605 = 881 (A) · 612 + 299 = 911 (J) · 108 + 144 = 252 (C) · 470 + 517 = 987 (N) · 193 + 118 = 311 (I) · 290 + 353 = 643 (S) · 320 + 190 = 510 (O) · 396 + 242 = 638 (H) · 357 + 269 = 626 (E)
Clue 3 (Subtraction): "THE THIEF RUNS AWAY FROM COLD MILK"
803 - 286 = 517 (T) · 370 - 51 = 319 (W) · 713 - 338 = 375 (H) · 533 - 341 = 192 (N) · 527 - 144 = 383 (U) · 1047 - 388 = 659 (E) · 504 - 348 = 156 (O) · 470 - 274 = 196 (C) · 365 - 138 = 227 (L) · 572 - 318 = 254 (M) · 308 - 62 = 246 (D) · 876 - 119 = 757 (Y) · 625 - 21 = 604 (S) · 975 - 253 = 722 (R) · 690 - 117 = 573 (F) · 615 - 188 = 427 (A) · 1192 - 342 = 850 (K) · 1066 - 199 = 867 (I)
Clue 4 (Skip counting): "WE FOUND A BLUE FROSTING HAIR AT THE SCENE"
Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, ___, 70, 75 = 65 (W) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, ___, 90, 100 = 80 (N) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, ___, 45, 48 = 42 (G) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, ___, 140, 150 = 130 (H) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, ___, 28, 30 = 26 (D) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, ___, 30, 33 = 27 (U) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, ___, 130, 140 = 120 (S) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, ___, 18, 20 = 16 (C) · Skip-count by 2s. Fill the blank: 2, 4, 6, ___, 10, 12 = 8 (I) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, ___, 42, 45 = 39 (A) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, ___, 80, 90 = 70 (R) · Skip-count by 10s. Fill the blank: 10, 20, 30, ___, 50, 60 = 40 (B) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, ___, 33, 36 = 30 (L) · Skip-count by 3s. Fill the blank: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, ___, 36, 39 = 33 (T) · Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, ___, 60, 65 = 55 (E) · Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, ___, 25, 30 = 20 (O) · Skip-count by 5s. Fill the blank: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, ___, 65, 70 = 60 (F)
Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 1) → Suzy Sugar
5 ÷ 1 = 5 · 48 ÷ 8 = 6 · 44 ÷ 4 = 11 · 48 ÷ 12 = 4 · 18 ÷ 6 = 3 · 100 ÷ 10 = 10 · 10 ÷ 5 = 2 · 56 ÷ 8 = 7 · 24 ÷ 3 = 8 · 60 ÷ 5 = 12 · 54 ÷ 6 = 9

About this mystery

Grade level: Grade 3 math
Math topics: Place value, Addition, Subtraction, Skip counting, Division
Reading level: grades 3-4
Theme: The Great Cookie Jar Caper — set in The Sweet Treats Bakery
Format: Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
Solution: One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects

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