Questor's Academy: The Box of Locks by Sam Hay

Tom Friday was never meant to be a magical-object-guarding, super-brave secret agent. But on a visit to the Natural History Museum he gets embroiled in the world of the Questers Academy – protectors of mythical treasures and artefacts from around the world.

Questers student Leesha is determined to be the youngest ever agent for Questers, but first she’ll need to prove her worth. That’s where Tom comes in. Tom is a super-recogniser, someone with the ability to pick out people from a crowd after barely glimpsing them for a moment. Together Leesha is sure they can solve a complex and intriguing quest: to find the key to the mythical Box of Locks, before it falls into the wrong hands.

Faced with a bunch of complicated ciphers and coded clues, the new friends must learn to trust each other in order to beat the forces of darkness and save the world from potential apocalypse.

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A code-cracking adventure where nothing is explained and everything is a clue.

Pre-Reading Thoughts
MG mystery + secret academy + ciphers? I was expecting something fast, clever, and maybe just a little chaotic in that “the adults are being suspiciously unhelpful” way.

Post-Reading
As I thought... it’s a genuinely fun, fast-paced puzzle-box of a story. The clues are smart without being inaccessible, and the way everything clicks into place at the end is so satisfying.
It surprised me by... just how well the structure holds up. This isn’t just a string of riddles - it’s tightly plotted, with everything pulling together in a way that rewards paying attention.

Music Pairing
🎵 Featured Song: “Secret Agent Man” – Johnny Rivers
🎶 Vibe Album: “The Great Unknown” – Jukebox the Ghost
🎧 Artist Recommendation: They Might Be Giants

Vibe Check
🎨 Colour Palette: brass, parchment, midnight blue, puzzle-box gold
🎼 Soundtrack: ticking clocks, whispered theories, the scratch of pencil on paper
🍂 Season: autumn term energy (new school, new secrets)
🌫 Mood: curious, slightly overwhelmed, determined to figure it out anyway
🕯 Scent: old books, museum dust, and something faintly metallic

Tarot Pull
🗡 Page of Swords – curiosity, quick thinking, and asking questions (even when no one is answering them). Very much Tom-and-Leesha energy: observant, sharp, and always one step away from figuring it out.

For Fans Of
📖 The London Eye Mystery
🎬 Murder on the Orient Express (but make it MG and full of ciphers)

Questers Academy: The Box of Locks publishes on 4th June. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.