This guide has everything you need to know about a Mail Order Mystery. There are many ways you can use it. You can use it as a “re-set” guide to put a mystery back in order if it gets mixed up. You can check if something is lost or missing. There are ongoing summaries if you want to follow along with the story. Every puzzle and activity is listed, with hints and a separate section for answers.

ENVELOPES ARE NUMBERED

Envelopes are numbered on the back from one to five. The numbers are small. The 6th installment is always the largest package. Envelope and paper colors can vary due to shortages and supply chain issues.

MAIL ORDER MYSTERIES ARE NOT REAL

Mail Order Mysteries are a blend of fiction and fact, but they are not real. We don’t recommend telling kids they are real, even though it can be fun to pretend to. You don’t need to believe a novel or a movie is real to enjoy it, do you?

DON’T GOOGLE

We try our best not to use character names or specific terms that kids might stumble across in an internet search, but we strongly recommend that kids avoid Googling. There are spoilers on the internet. All of our mysteries contain all of the information you need to solve them. If you can’t find an answer right away it will come in a later installment.

TRY NOT TO LOSE STUFF

Mail Order Mysteries include a lot of stuff, including small objects. Please try to keep everything in one place and avoid situations where you, your housekeeper or your husband/wife/partner accidentally throws them away. Oddly enough we never hear that kids throw stuff out, but they do lose things. If you are missing something and need a replacement please let us know.

Mail Order Mysteries are also sometimes tasty treats for dogs and rabbits. Please don’t feed Mail Order Mysteries to your pets.

Mail Order Mysteries contain small objects and may present a choking hazard for small children; they are not for children under 3.