Fantasy Decodable Books
The Moonlit Mountain Readers combine captivating stories with intentional phonics practice, bridging the gap between the enchanting worlds of fantasy and the foundational skills of early literacy.
Scope and Sequence
The Moonlit Mountain Readers series follows a structured phonics scope and sequence that ensures systematic teaching of decoding skills, phonics concepts, and high-frequency words. Each book provides concentrated decoding practice with new phonics features, building skills step by step.
Download the scope and sequence and see how this design supports a steady, staircase-like progression through phonics and decoding challenges.
Download the Scope & Sequence
About the Moonlit Mountain Readers
The Moonlit Mountain Readers is a decodable text system designed to support beginning readers, from the earliest stages of decoding development through more advanced skills.
Featuring a unique cast of vibrant characters and their stories, this collection of fantasy and science fiction-themed decodable books combines captivating storytelling with purposeful phonics practice.
From the Scottish Highlands of the past with Finn and Nox, a lovable Loch Ness Monster, to a futuristic city with Ro-Bo 7 and her robot family, this series invites kids to fall in love with these mythical creatures, anthropomorphic animals, and fantastical landscapes—all while building the skills and confidence to become lifelong readers.
Phonics Progression
The 90 Moonlit Mountain Readers titles are grouped into 13 irresistible character-centric series that encourage readers to keep reading, from one book to the next. Each story within a series presents readers with familiar characters and the next part of their epic adventure!
Each book provides concentrated decoding practice with new phonics features, building skills step by step.
- Set A introduces foundational skills
- Set B expands into advanced phonics and multisyllabic words
- Cumulative review books within each series provide landing points to consolidate learning, reinforcing earlier concepts without adding new ones.
Overall, the Moonlit Mountain Readers supports a steady, staircase-like progression through phonics and decoding challenges.
Early Phonics Concepts
Set A of the Moonlit Mountain Readers introduces foundational skills and early phonics concepts.
Set A Includes:
- 48 titles across 6 unique series
- Gradual progression in text complexity and length, ranging from 8-page books to 16-page books
- An expanding collection of high-frequency words
- Gradual progression of phonics concepts in single-syllable
words:
- Alphabet Knowledge
- Short Vowels
- Blends
- Digraphs
- Open Syllable
- Cumulative Review
Advanced Phonics Concepts
Set B of the Moonlit Mountain Readers expands into more advanced phonics concepts and multisyllabic words.
Set B Includes:
- 42 titles across 7 unique series
- Gradual progression in text complexity and length, ranging from 16-page narratives to 32-page chapter books.
- An expanding collection of high-frequency words
- Gradual progression of phonics concepts in single-syllable
and
multisyllabic words:
- Review of Set A Concepts
- Silent E
- Inflectional Endings
- Cumulative Review
- Vowel Teams
- Consonant -LE
- R-Controlled Vowels
- Special Vowels
Research
Decodable texts are supported by decades of research. Studies show that systematic, explicit phonics instruction—paired with practice in decodable texts—is the most effective way to teach early reading skills. By giving children texts that match their phonics knowledge, we set them up for success and prevent the frustration that can come from encountering words beyond their skill level.
The Moonlit Mountain Readers follow a systematic research-based
phonics progression.
Read the research brief to learn more
Alignments
See how the Moonlit Mountain Readers structured phonics scope and sequence aligns to popular core reading programs and complements other decodable readers.
Related Insights and Resources
Engage Students with Fantasy Decodable Books: Meet the Heroes of Moonlit Mountain Readers
When Phonics Meets Fantasy: A Joyful Path to Reading