The Dropped Pass
Pre-order Now. Ships August 5th
A decodable chapter book for 4th–7th graders who still need help decoding.
The Dropped Pass is a fully decodable chapter book written for older students who still need decoding support who have outgrown early reader books but aren't yet ready for grade-level text. Kyree lives for football and his group chat, until one dropped pass and one cruel meme turn his whole world upside down. With his team, his coach, and his grandmother beside him, he learns that a mistake can be repaired — and that one bad night doesn't get to write the whole story.
Written at a grade 2–3 phonics band with a grade 4–7 interest level, this book gives striving readers what they rarely get: a real middle school story — football, friendship, group chats, and a comeback — that they can decode and finish on their own.
With controlled text, reader-friendly spacing and formatting, and full-color illustrations throughout, The Dropped Pass is built for independent reading practice, not just instruction. And every support a reader, family, or teacher needs is bound right inside the book — no extra downloads, no separate guide to print.
Skills Focus:
✔️ Blends and digraphs in connected text
✔️ CVCe and common long-vowel patterns
✔️ Vowel teams and high-utility heart words
✔️ Multisyllabic word attack across a full-length story
✔️ Fluency built chapter by chapter, not page by page
✔️ Comprehension through a clear problem-and-solution arc
Inside the Book:
Word list for pre-reading decoding practice
Character name pronunciation guide
Comprehension questions to build understanding
Writing prompts that position students as thinkers, not remedial learners
Glossary of key story words
"How to Use This Book" guide for teachers, tutors, and families
Why Families and Teachers Love It:
Reads like middle school, decodes like intervention
Reflects authentic language and honors African-American English
Centers a Black boy, his family, and his community with dignity
Opens real conversations about digital citizenship, growth mindset, and repairing a friendship
The Why
Picture a sixth grader in the library.
He reads at a second-grade level. Every book he’s interested in is too hard to decode. Every book at his reading level has a puppy or a princess on the cover.
So he picks nothing. And walks out one more time believing he's not a reader.
That's the child we wrote The Dropped Pass for.
It's a real chapter book — football, group chats, a dropped pass, a meme that goes too far, a team, a grandmother, and a repair. It just happens to be decodable, so the reader everyone assumed couldn't do it finally can, on his own.
Interest level: grades 4–7. Phonics band: grades 2–3. No baby-book design. No stereotypes. A full family and community, drawn with dignity.
beta reader video
Here's what our beta readers said the moment they finished it.
We recruit teachers, students, parents, education professionals, administrators, etc. to read our books before the final edits. We want real users giving real feedback before they ever enter the marketplace.
Don't take our word for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
One dropped pass doesn't get to write the whole story.
Neither does one hard year of reading. Pre-order The Dropped Pass and put this book in the hands of a reader who's waited long enough.
Literacy is liberation.
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It's written so a striving reader can actually sound out the words using phonics patterns they've been taught, rather than guessing from pictures or context. That's what lets them read it independently and finish a real book — often for the first time.
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Yes. It uses controlled, decodable text and reinforces taught patterns in an authentic story context.
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Blends, digraphs, CVCe and long-vowel patterns, vowel teams, high-utility heart words, and multisyllabic word attack — across a full connected-text story rather than isolated drills. The word lists inside map to the patterns in the book.
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If they're in grades 4–7 (or older) and read below grade level — especially if they've outgrown traditional skill based decodable books but can't yet decode grade-level text — yes. The story reads middle-school; the decoding is grades 2–3.
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That's the whole design. The football hook, the group-chat conflict, and a character who feels real are built to pull in kids who usually avoid books.
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No. It's built for independent practice. Word lists, comprehension questions, a glossary, and writing prompts are inside, so the reader has everything in one book.
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Books ship starting August 5, 2026. Order by August 1 for the first wave; later orders ship within a few business days.
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Yes — Email us at info@dreamskc.org for orders of 10 or more.
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Your signed book still ships to you. Tickets are non-refundable but transferable, so feel free to pass them to a family member, friend, or colleague who can go.
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TBA: August 22 or August 29. An email invitation will be sent as soon as details are finalized.
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On live video via Zoom — you'll get the link by email after you order. It takes place Friday, September 4.