All of our Mail Order Mysteries are a blend of fact and fiction. This allows us to create a window of sorts, where a child’s Mail Order Mystery opens into a larger mystery, which can then send the imagination sparking in all directions.
The story of the Treasure Hunt mystery, for example, is based on two real-life pirates and one genuine treasure. The pirates are Bernard Nageon L’Estang, aka “Booty Man”, and Olivier “La Buse” Lavasseuer, both of whom have ancient connections to a mysterious missing treasure in the Seychelles Islands.
Treasure Hunters have been searching for this treasure for years: they have solved puzzles based on Greek myths, located a hidden staircase in an underground cave, found a small metal door in a sea cave that can only be opened twice a year when tides are low…
Now it is obvious to us that this treasure once belonged to your child’s pirate ancestor and if it is found - by which we mean when it is found - it will surely belong to your family. Unless it’s intercepted along the way, yaaar!
Some of you may be surprised to learn that you have a notorious pirate ancestor, but we were surprised when we got a message from the mom of one of our latest treasure-hunters telling us that they have a genuine pirate ancestor. His name was Joseph Barss, born in Nova Scotia in 1776, Captain of a Ship called the “Liverpool Packet.” His career as a privateer was wild with adventure and hardship. Captain Barss survived a shipwreck, was rescued at sea, won and lost plenty of battles, captured 33 vessels and was eventually captured himself.
Another day in the life of a pirate, matey. Hope he buried a little something for his great-great-great-great-great grandson to come across some day.
Our nine year old couldn’t believe she was chosen to help solve such an important mystery! She still needed a little guidance on cracking codes, but it turned into a fun family evening every time a new envelope arrived! We helped her set up her own cork board and white board to “keep track of the evidence”. Loved this product and will likely order another soon to keep the magic going!
I purchased this for my grandson. He has a summer birthday and i thought it would be fun for him. He’s already looking forward to next summer’s mystery.
