FREE INTERACTIVE STORY · AGES 8–10
The Dragon Who Wouldn’t Fly: a free interactive story
At the Dragon Sanctuary, every young dragon makes a first flight before the autumn winds, but Ember would rather stay on the ground. Our hero makes two choices about how to help, and the four endings show four different kinds of courage.
- Reading age 9
- 2 short chapters, 2 choices and 4 endings
- About 2 minutes
- Friendship
Read the story
Choose your hero
Paint it your way
Chapter 1Feet on the ground
The Dragon Sanctuary was a valley of waterfalls and blossom trees, where young dragons hatched in nests on the cliffs and learned to fly over the river.
Every autumn, before the strong winds came, each young dragon made a first flight across the valley. The whole sanctuary came out to watch and cheer.
This year, Ember was the only young dragon who hadn’t flown. She sat on her ledge with her wings folded tight, watching the others swoop and tumble.
“What if I’m no good at it?” she asked Archie quietly. “Everyone will be watching. I’d rather just walk.”
Warden Aziz, who ran the sanctuary, gave Archie a small nod. “Ember trusts you,” he said. “Perhaps you can help.”
What happens next is up to your child
What should Archie do first?
Questions for grown-ups to ask
Did you spot it?
- EasyWhat did every young dragon do before the autumn winds?Answer: Made a first flight across the valley.
- MediumWhat were Ember’s two worries?Answer: Flying in front of a crowd, and leaving her brother, who hadn’t hatched yet.
- HarderEmber says “That was mine” after flying at dawn. What does she mean?Answer: That the flight felt like her own achievement, done her way, not a performance for other people.
Talk about it
- Each ending shows a different way of being brave. Which one is most like you?
- In “What Ember said”, the hero listens without talking. Why can that help someone who is worried?
Words to talk about
- sanctuary
- A safe place where animals are looked after.
- soared
- Flew high and smoothly.
- admitted
- Said something true that was a bit hard to say.
- speckled
- Covered in small spots.
Reading it together
The Dragon Who Wouldn’t Fly is a friendship story about nerves, written at Litsee’s reading level for age 9. It never makes Ember’s worry seem silly: each path takes it seriously and finds a different, gentle way through.
The first choice is between listening first and doing something practical; the second between solving one worry or another, or between going it alone and going together. Talk about which your child would choose for themselves.
If your child has something coming up that worries them (a performance, a new school, a swimming lesson), the story is a kind way to start that conversation.
About this story
- Reading age
- 9 (ages 8–10). Written for Litsee’s reading level for age 9, where sentences are mostly 10–18 words long.
- Length
- 2 short chapters, 2 choices and 4 endings. Each way through is 287–299 words.
- Reading time
- About 2 minutes for a 9-year-old reading on their own, at Litsee’s pacing of 120 words a minute for that age. Reading aloud to your child is usually quicker.
- Book band
- Roughly Grey, if your child’s school uses book bands (schemes differ; see our book bands guide).
- Characters
- Ember, a young dragon, Warden Aziz, who runs the sanctuary, Ember’s little brother, still in his egg
- Theme
- Friendship