We design our mysteries for kids between the ages of 8 - 13, but with help with reading and clues some are good for kids age 6 or 7. Our "Escape the Master Loop" mystery is perfect to do as a group that can include teens and adults.
Kids don't just read the story, they're part of the story
They receive personalized letters, curious objects and perplexing clues from the characters in a mystery that they help solve
"I loved being able to give an experience instead of another toy they don't really need. My son loved it!!!"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
JONATHAN H.
Why do kids AND parents love Mail Order Mystery?

Gets Kids Reading
Our story adventures are designed to make reading fun

Solve Puzzles
Kids get excited about problem solving instead of zoning out on screens

Perplexing Clues
Each mystery contains intriguing objects like cipher necklaces, ancient treasure maps or a safe disguised as a dictionary

Personalized
Each mystery is personalized, so kids are heroes of their own stories
What age is this for?
What exactly do I get in a mystery experience?
Mail Order Mysteries are stories that are told through a series of letters, documents and clues. The letters are written to kids from the characters, which means that kids are directly involved in the story. Each mailing also contains documents or objects relating to a mysterious event that you will come to understand as the story unfolds. Depending on the mystery you could receive top secret dossiers, newspaper clippings, postcards, maps, keys, necklaces and so on.
How is the mystery sent out?
Each mystery has six installments. You can have them packaged up together and delivered "All in One Box" which allows you to do the mystery at your own pace. Or you can select "Send Weekly" and we'll mail one installment a week for six weeks. You get exactly the same mystery no matter which delivery option you choose. If you choose "Send Weekly" keep in mind that each installment is being sent lettermail with no tracking information and the speed at which letters move through the postal system is not precise, so delivery times can vary.
It really depends on how old the kid is and what they're interested in. If you're not sure where to start, we put together this guide: Help Choose a Mystery.
Is this a subscription where I keep getting charged if I forget to cancel?
Absolutely not! All of our mystery experiences are one time purchases. You pay once for all six installments of each mystery. There is never any recurring billing.
The gift that kids love getting and you'll feel great about giving




What our customers think
from 2554 reviewsPurchased the Pirate Mystery for my 7 year old grandson. The mystery was solved over a month ago and he is STILL EXCITED about the adventure!!! He visited last weekend and brought over every letter, clue and piece of treasure. We will definitely purchase another mystery!!!
My son enjoyed this so much! It’s usually a hassle trying to convince him to read but he always looked forward to receiving the packages and reading everything included.
This mystery was enthralling! My grandson (age 12) anticipated his weekly mailing, enlisted his friends, was engrossed in his mystery. If you are wondering if this is worth you money, let me tell you, it IS. Do not hesitate to buy this, and I recommend you pace it out over the weeks to let your "detective" have time to work out his clues, and wait for his next assignment. This was the BEST gift he received this Christmas!
My 7 year old LOVED this. All the materials were super high quality - from the crinkled old paper to the hand written calligraphy to the real metal necklaces. I was constantly amazed by the creativity that went into creating the physical materials that were sent. We loved figuring out the puzzles together - they were hard! I will say there is NO way my very smart child could have solved the codes on her own without parent assistance. I would buy this again in a heartbeat for her!
Such an outstanding collection of letters and mysteries to solve - enough to keep my 7-year-old busy and interested but not overwhelmed. She watched the mailbox daily hoping for another letter, and squeals of delight when one arrived. Quality contents, well thought out. Highly recommended.
I got this for my 9 year old nephew. IT WAS FANTASTIC!! He was hooked from the very first letter! The personalization of the letters was fabulous! He was so worried about calling the number on the business card and giving someone wrong the information! We have all anticipated the arrival of the next clues! I cannot recommend this enough!
Our 9-year-old was captivated by this magical experience. As her parents, we were equally delighted with the materials she received and the level of engagement they generated. She couldn't wait to check the mailbox every day to see when the next letter would arrive, and as each one came in she furiously read through the materials, worked on the puzzles, and speculated on the various characters and activities described therein.
This was such a fabulous experience for all of us! We cannot wait for the next one to begin and have already signed up!
This was by far one of the greatest gifts my kids have received. They loved it and I have been telling anyone I know about it!
My two 8 year old grandsons absolutely loved treasure hunt. I had all the letters delivered at once and mom took charge. The boys loved the clues and were over the moon when they got the treasure key. It was a great way for them to learn deciphering clues using secret messages. My daughter in law said it was the best birthday gift ever. They are still overjoyed with the treasure they got and totally believe they have a great great great great grandfather Boggybottom Collins! Thank you Mail Order Mystery for all the family fun. I will be ordering another one for Christmas.
This was so much fun for my 10 year old daughter and I to do together! She looked forward every week to checking the mail! So did I!!!
I very rarely write reviews but feel like a great review is definitely due in this case! My kids absolutely loved each part of this mail order mystery! As happy as we were to solve the final mystery, we were sad to see it come to an end! Each delivery was just challenging enough to make it engaging without being overwhelming or discouraging. My kids are 8, 10, and 11 and were so excited when each new package arrived. I plan to order another mystery soon! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! You won’t be disappointed!
Escape the Timeloop is a masterpiece. You have truly outdone yourselves. All the art is amazing and the level of detail is fantastic. My child and I have thoroughly enjoyed solving this mystery. Bravo!!!!
This our 3rd or 4th (?) Mail Order Mystery and now our all-time favorite. There was a perfect amount of “work” for both my kids to participate, but they loved it so much that they actually would each work independently and then compare answers. We began to ration our activities because they didn’t want the fun to end - in fact they still refuse to solve the final puzzle!
The production value of these mysteries is always so very impressive, but I have to say that the artwork in this one was even more dazzling than I he other mysteries we’ve enjoyed.
There were one or two tiny typos (I think?) where the year of a painting didn’t match, but I’m certain these will be quickly caught and addressed in future printings. Honestly, I’d enthusiastically recommend this to any family with curious kiddos. Thank you so much and we’re ready for more time travel!
Our Daughter loved it and we definitely appreciated the amount of detail, aged maps and overall great quality. Very engaging and believable for kiddos. At some point we had 7 neighborhood kids trying to solve the riddle. Priceless!!!
We gave our grandson the Treasure Hunt mystery for his 8th birthday. He loved it! He was totally engaged. I'll be looking for another Mail Order Mystery for him at Christmas and I'm recommending it to my friends for their grandchildren.
Kids don't just read the story, they're part of the story
They receive personalized letters, curious objects and perplexing clues from the characters in a mystery that they help solve
"I loved being able to give an experience instead of another toy they don't really need. My son loved it!!!"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
JONATHAN H.
Why do kids AND parents love Mail Order Mystery?

Gets Kids Reading
Our story adventures are designed to make reading fun

Solve Puzzles
Kids get excited about problem solving instead of zoning out on screens

Perplexing Clues
Each mystery contains intriguing objects like cipher necklaces, ancient treasure maps or a safe disguised as a dictionary

Personalized
Each mystery is personalized, so kids are heroes of their own stories
"When we paid for this I thought it was a little overpriced. After seeing everything you get week after week I feel like we underpaid. I was more than a little surprised at how much material they give with each shipment. Our kids absolutely loved them!"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
BRANDT M.

What age is this for?
We design our mysteries for kids between the ages of 8 - 13, but with help with reading and clues some are good for kids age 6 or 7. Our "Escape the Master Loop" mystery is perfect to do as a group that can include teens and adults.
What exactly do I get in a mystery experience?
Mail Order Mysteries are stories that are told through a series of letters, documents and clues. The letters are written to kids from the characters, which means that kids are directly involved in the story. Each mailing also contains documents or objects relating to a mysterious event that you will come to understand as the story unfolds. Depending on the mystery you could receive top secret dossiers, newspaper clippings, postcards, maps, keys, necklaces and so on.
How is the mystery sent out?
Each mystery has six installments. You can have them packaged up together and delivered "All in One Box" which allows you to do the mystery at your own pace. Or you can select "Send Weekly" and we'll mail one installment a week for six weeks. You get exactly the same mystery no matter which delivery option you choose. If you choose "Send Weekly" keep in mind that each installment is being sent lettermail with no tracking information and the speed at which letters move through the postal system is not precise, so delivery times can vary.
It really depends on how old the kid is and what they're interested in. If you're not sure where to start, we put together this guide: Help Choose a Mystery.
Is this a subscription where I keep getting charged if I forget to cancel?
Absolutely not! All of our mystery experiences are one time purchases. You pay once for all six installments of each mystery. There is never any recurring billing.
The gift that kids love getting and you'll feel great about giving




What our customers think
from 2554 reviewsPurchased the Pirate Mystery for my 7 year old grandson. The mystery was solved over a month ago and he is STILL EXCITED about the adventure!!! He visited last weekend and brought over every letter, clue and piece of treasure. We will definitely purchase another mystery!!!
My son enjoyed this so much! It’s usually a hassle trying to convince him to read but he always looked forward to receiving the packages and reading everything included.
This mystery was enthralling! My grandson (age 12) anticipated his weekly mailing, enlisted his friends, was engrossed in his mystery. If you are wondering if this is worth you money, let me tell you, it IS. Do not hesitate to buy this, and I recommend you pace it out over the weeks to let your "detective" have time to work out his clues, and wait for his next assignment. This was the BEST gift he received this Christmas!
My 7 year old LOVED this. All the materials were super high quality - from the crinkled old paper to the hand written calligraphy to the real metal necklaces. I was constantly amazed by the creativity that went into creating the physical materials that were sent. We loved figuring out the puzzles together - they were hard! I will say there is NO way my very smart child could have solved the codes on her own without parent assistance. I would buy this again in a heartbeat for her!
Such an outstanding collection of letters and mysteries to solve - enough to keep my 7-year-old busy and interested but not overwhelmed. She watched the mailbox daily hoping for another letter, and squeals of delight when one arrived. Quality contents, well thought out. Highly recommended.
I got this for my 9 year old nephew. IT WAS FANTASTIC!! He was hooked from the very first letter! The personalization of the letters was fabulous! He was so worried about calling the number on the business card and giving someone wrong the information! We have all anticipated the arrival of the next clues! I cannot recommend this enough!
Our 9-year-old was captivated by this magical experience. As her parents, we were equally delighted with the materials she received and the level of engagement they generated. She couldn't wait to check the mailbox every day to see when the next letter would arrive, and as each one came in she furiously read through the materials, worked on the puzzles, and speculated on the various characters and activities described therein.
This was such a fabulous experience for all of us! We cannot wait for the next one to begin and have already signed up!
This was by far one of the greatest gifts my kids have received. They loved it and I have been telling anyone I know about it!
My two 8 year old grandsons absolutely loved treasure hunt. I had all the letters delivered at once and mom took charge. The boys loved the clues and were over the moon when they got the treasure key. It was a great way for them to learn deciphering clues using secret messages. My daughter in law said it was the best birthday gift ever. They are still overjoyed with the treasure they got and totally believe they have a great great great great grandfather Boggybottom Collins! Thank you Mail Order Mystery for all the family fun. I will be ordering another one for Christmas.
This was so much fun for my 10 year old daughter and I to do together! She looked forward every week to checking the mail! So did I!!!
I very rarely write reviews but feel like a great review is definitely due in this case! My kids absolutely loved each part of this mail order mystery! As happy as we were to solve the final mystery, we were sad to see it come to an end! Each delivery was just challenging enough to make it engaging without being overwhelming or discouraging. My kids are 8, 10, and 11 and were so excited when each new package arrived. I plan to order another mystery soon! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! You won’t be disappointed!
Escape the Timeloop is a masterpiece. You have truly outdone yourselves. All the art is amazing and the level of detail is fantastic. My child and I have thoroughly enjoyed solving this mystery. Bravo!!!!
This our 3rd or 4th (?) Mail Order Mystery and now our all-time favorite. There was a perfect amount of “work” for both my kids to participate, but they loved it so much that they actually would each work independently and then compare answers. We began to ration our activities because they didn’t want the fun to end - in fact they still refuse to solve the final puzzle!
The production value of these mysteries is always so very impressive, but I have to say that the artwork in this one was even more dazzling than I he other mysteries we’ve enjoyed.
There were one or two tiny typos (I think?) where the year of a painting didn’t match, but I’m certain these will be quickly caught and addressed in future printings. Honestly, I’d enthusiastically recommend this to any family with curious kiddos. Thank you so much and we’re ready for more time travel!
Our Daughter loved it and we definitely appreciated the amount of detail, aged maps and overall great quality. Very engaging and believable for kiddos. At some point we had 7 neighborhood kids trying to solve the riddle. Priceless!!!
We gave our grandson the Treasure Hunt mystery for his 8th birthday. He loved it! He was totally engaged. I'll be looking for another Mail Order Mystery for him at Christmas and I'm recommending it to my friends for their grandchildren.