Help Me Choose a Mystery - Original Backup

We have five mysteries to choose from, each with different themes and levels of difficulty. All of our mysteries are good for girls and boys. We recommend our mysteries for kids between the ages of 8 and 13, but some of them are good for kids who are a bit younger, and some for kids a bit older. Our mystery Escape the Master Loop is perfect to do with a group of people that can include teens and adults.

Treasure Hunt!: age 6+

The pirate-themed Treasure Hunt! is an exciting story involving long-lost pirate treasure and double-crossing pirates. The story has a strong appeal to kids 6 - 10. (Younger kids may need some help with the reading.) The narrative is engaging but not overly complex and this is the age when kids take shovels to the backyard to bury their treasure, imagine trips to remote islands and tell all their friends about their great pirate ancestor. When it comes to kids 11 and older, it may depend on what the kid is into.

The Enchanted Slumber: age 6+

The fairy-tale themed Enchanted Slumber is a magical story involving an unlikely cast of characters. A knight, a troll, a librarian, a dragon, and the child receiving the mystery must come together to wake a princess who has been sleeping for almost 700 years. Along the way they learn about the power of love and the importance of friendship. Younger kids love this story for the wax-sealed parchment missions, the cipher-etched necklaces and the wonderful characters. But 11-12 year olds can appreciate the complexities of the story, a twisting take on the old fairy tales, with powerful themes around love, friendship and stewardship of the earth.

Spies, Lies and Serious Bad Guys: age 9+

The espionage-themed Spies, Lies and Serious Bad Guys contains complex ciphers and clues within clues; it is challenging enough that we get messages from adults who are stumped, and younger kids may need help along the way. This mystery begins with an acceptance letter to a top-secret spy school, but the kid receiving the mystery quickly becomes involved in a madcap mission to find a missing spy and stop an evil villain. Kids receive plenty of gadgets along the way, and at the end they get a very cool safe disguised as a book that they can only open once they crack a secret code.

The Case of the Missing Bigfoot: ages 9+

The Case of the Missing Bigfoot is a detective-themed whodunnit that takes place in an old mansion not far from where you live. When the contents of a safe at the mansion go missing, the kid receiving the mystery is called in to help solve the case. Each installment contains a number of clues including newspaper photos, magazines, crime scene photos, fingerprint reports, interview transcripts and more. For kids who are into hidden animals like Bigfoot, Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster and so on, there is a lot to discover about cryptozoology that goes beyond the “monster hunting” trend. And the canvas field bag that comes in the final installment is SO COOL that almost everyone on the Mail Order Mystery team has claimed one for their own. We recommend this mystery for kids age 9 and up because it is substantial, elaborate and involves quite a bit of reading.

Escape the Master Loop: ages 9 - 109

Escape the Master Loop is a time travel themed mystery in which you receive letters from your future self warning you about the messes you have made in the space time continuum. Your present self must help your future self fix your mistakes before the time police catch on. Escape the Master Loop is more like an escape activity than any of our other mysteries, and great for group activities like birthday parties and family game night. Although we can send Escape the Master Loop one letter at a time, we think it is best to get all in one box so you can spread out the clues and set straight to work untangling your tangled up timelines.

Ages 13+: We get a lot of inquiries from people asking if older kids would like Mail Order Mysteries. You just have to walk into a room full of 13 year olds to know how difficult this question is to answer. These kids vary drastically in terms of interests, maturity and willingness to engage in any kind of activity. So when it comes to 13 year olds, we have to put the ball back in your court. We can say, however, that for a kid who may be into Spies, or solving ciphers and clues, Spies, Lies and Serious Bad Guys is definitely challenging enough. And for a kid into detective stuff or cryptozoology and hidden animals, the Case of the Missing Bigfoot is very cool.

Age 4 - 5: We are not saying there are no five year olds out there who would be game to follow along with a Mail Order Mystery, but for the most part we think 4 or 5 is probably too young.

If you have any questions we are always happy to help. Just contact us.