Arthur Goes to the Library Game Rules Explained With Pictures

Objective of Arthur Goes to the Library Game

The objective of Arthur Goes to the Library Game is to collect the most Book Tokens by the end of the game.

Setup

Place a plastic stand on each of the character pawns.
Assemble the backpacks by attaching the pockets to the backs.
Attach the shelves to the bookcase. Place the stand into the back of the bookcase.
Place the bookcase on the table facing all of the players.
Randomly place four Book Tokens on each shelf of the bookshelf. You should place the books so you can see the covers.
Shuffle the cards. Randomly place the cards facedown into rows in front of the bookshelf.
Randomly place one pawn on top of each of the cards.
Each player takes a backpack.
The youngest player starts the game. Play moves clockwise/left throughout the game.

Playing Arthur Goes to the Library Game

To start your turn you will spin the spinner. If the spinner lands on a line, spin the spinner again.

Spinning the spinner — The current player has spun Arthur on the spinner.

Look for the character pawn that matches the character that the spinner landed on. If the pawn is not on a card, you can choose any of the other character pawns that are on top of a card.

Trying to guess what is on the card — The current player spun Arthur so they need to try and guess what is on the card underneath the corresponding pawn.

You will then try to guess what book is pictured on the card that your pawn is on. You can look at the books on the bookcase to see what books could potentially be on the card. When you have picked a book you will point to it on the bookshelf.

Picking a book in Arthur Goes to the Library Game — The player decided to guess that Arthur’s Halloween is on the card below the Arthur pawn.

After you have chosen a book, you will pick up the character pawn so you can flip over the card underneath it. When you flip over the card you will do so where all of the players can see what book is printed on the card.

Checking For A Match

If the card matches the book that you picked, you will pick up the matching Book Token, the book card you flipped over, and the character pawn that you spun/picked this turn. You will insert the card and token inside your backpack. You will place the character pawn in front of you.

Guessing the right book — The player guessed that Arthur’s Halloween would be under the Arthur pawn. They were correct.

Taking the matching card and token — Since this player guessed correctly, they take the Arthur’s Halloween card and token and add them to their backpack.

If the card does not match the book you picked, you will return the card to the space where you found it. You will then place the character pawn on top of the card. Players should try to remember what book was pictured on the card.

Guessing the wrong book — The card underneath Arthur was not Arthur’s Halloween. Therefore the player did not find a match. They will flip the card over to the other side and end their turn.

Whether you found a match or not, your turn ends. Play passes to the player on your left.

Winning the Game

The game ends when all of the Book Tokens have been removed from the bookshelf.

Each player counts up how many Book Tokens they collected throughout the game. Do not count the Book Cards. The player that collected the most Book Tokens win the game.

Winning Arthur Goes to the Library Game — The top player collected the most book tokens in the game. They have won the game.

If there is a tie, see who collected the Arthur character pawn. The player that collected the Arthur pawn wins the game even if they didn’t have the most Book Tokens.

Easier Game

To make the game easier for younger players you can decide to only use eight Book Tokens. Place the chosen Book Tokens on the bookshelf. Find the corresponding Book Cards as those will be the only cards you use in the game. Shuffle the Book Cards and place them facedown on the table. Randomly pick eight character pawns and place them on the cards. You must choose Arthur as one of the eight character pawns.

Set the remaining Book Tokens, Book Cards, and character pawns aside as they won’t be used in the game.

The game is otherwise played the same as the normal game. Whichever player collects the most Book Tokens wins the game.

Arthur Goes to the Library Game FAQ

If you have any questions about how to play Arthur Goes to the Library Game, leave a comment below on this post. I will try to answer any questions asked as best and as quickly as possible.

Components

Bookcase
4 Backpacks
16 Cards
16 Book Tokens
16 Pawns and Stands
Spinner
Instructions

Year: 1996 | Publisher: Milton Bradley | Artist: Marc Brown

Genres: Children’s, Memory

Ages: 4-7 | Number of Players: 2-4 | Length of Game: 20-30 minutes

Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: Moderate-High

For more board and card game rules/how to plays, check out our complete alphabetical list of card and board game rules posts.

Written By:

Eric Mortensen

Eric Mortensen is an owner and head writer on Geeky Hobbies since 2014. He is an avid board game player and collector with over 3,000 board and card games in his collection. Since 2014 he has written more than 1,100 board game how to play guides.