Young sleuths invited to Mystery Academy in Oxford

The Story Museum will open the Mystery Academy: School for Young Detectives on Saturday, July 18.

The exhibition will immerse visitors in a fictional detective boarding school, complete with a missing head teacher—Christie Moyo.

The experience is built around an original story by award-winning author Sharna Jackson.

Designed by the museum’s Story Curators, a group of young people aged 12 to 16 who work with the museum’s production team, the exhibition combines hands-on detective work with literary exploration.

Author Sharna Jackson said: “It’s been an honour to collaborate with the Story Curators on Mystery Academy – it’s been such a collaborative, imaginative, and fun process.

“Together we’ve created an experience where visitors arrive for a seemingly normal school open day, then quickly find themselves cast as detectives.”

Visitors can follow clues, solve puzzles and explore themed rooms including a forensics lab and a library.

They can even discover a hidden door in a bookcase.

Conrad Bodman, CEO of The Story Museum, said: “We are delighted to be opening this stunning new interactive exhibition, which celebrates the history and rich variety of the detective genre.

“Young people are at the heart of our collections and exhibitions, so who better to ask to design our next exhibition than the young designers of the future? Our Story Curators, whose curiosity, energy and talent has filled a brand-new exhibition that young detective fiction fans will love; it will also no doubt enthuse and entertain those new to the genre, and those who simply love great stories.”

Visitors will have a chance to explore the history of the detective genre, with some of their favourite characters and authors; from the classics like Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Morse, to contemporary authors such Robin Stevens’ Murder Most Unladylike and Mini Grey’s Hermelin and Mark Haddon’s Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Author Robin Stevens has also provided additional creative consultation on the exhibition.

He said: “I’m so delighted that my characters and I will be part of the upcoming Mysteries exhibition. The Story Museum is such a special place, and one I’ve loved for years.

“I’m delighted that they’re putting the mystery genre front and centre of this new exhibition.

“I know this will spark so many readers’ imaginations, and allow children to see themselves as the brave, smart, thoughtful detectives they all are.”

The exhibition will also display historical detective tools, including early fingerprint kits and a camera hidden in a waistcoat.