The Viking Kite experience
One class.
Many different readers.
One teacher. A whole world of stories.
A teacher starts by giving the class the specially designed Viking Kite reading test.
International ELT licensing
Story-first ELT that gets
the whole class reading.
Viking Kite is a collection of original fiction and classroom resources for learners aged 11–16, spanning approximately A1–C2 and designed to sit alongside existing English courses and curricula.
See the Viking Kite experience 3:47 · narrated, with captionsOne story. Many ways in.
A class. A story. A shared experience.
One class.
Check My Reading
A place
to begin.
- Read
- Answer
- Find a starting point
- Discover a story
It gives each student an approximate English reading level, from A1 right through to C2.
That gives the teacher a clear idea of where the class is, and helps suggest which Viking Kite stories might be right for them.
One example from the wider collection
Fantastic Me
Fantastic Me · September 6th
Thirty-one people staring at me. Sixty-two eyes. I don’t know why actors like it. I hate it. People looking at me. Judging me by what I look like and what I say. How shallow is that? How can people know if I’m fantastic or ordinary? Clearly, I’m fantastic, but they don’t know that.
Story by Andy CoombsFor example, Fantastic Me might be suggested for a class reading somewhere between A2 and B2.
Original fiction
A whole library.
A world of possibilities.
Ages 11–16 Approx. A1–C2
The students would typically be around 12 to 14 years old, and Fantastic Me is just one example from the much wider Viking Kite collection.
Fantastic Me
Different ways into
the same story.
They may use different reading routes, but they remain in the same story.
Once the class has chosen a story, Viking Kite offers different ways into it.
The aim is simple: to keep the whole class engaged in the same story, with the same characters and the same events.
Some students might read the prose version. Others might use an illustrated or graphic route.
Exactly how those routes work changes slightly depending on the age of the students and their reading level.
Students with SEN, and others who need more support with the reading, can use a route that allows them to.
So everybody can enjoy the same fun story world, while improving their English at their own pace, and at a level that works for them.
Read · Check · Think · Talk · Make
Student packs help everybody
keep up with what’s going on.
Actual classroom sample pages
As they read, the student packs help everybody keep up with what’s going on.
Short comprehension checks and guided discussion after every chapter fit naturally into the reading process,
so the teacher can see that everybody is following the story before the class moves on.
Beyond recall
Understanding becomes
interpretation.
The reading route can be adjusted
without simplifying the ideas.
“Say what makes you think that.” · Bilious Blue classroom sample
And this is where it goes beyond simple comprehension.
Viking Kite can deal with difficult ideas, and offer real intellectual challenge, while adjusting the reading access so that everybody can take part.
The reading might be made more accessible.
The ideas don’t have to be.
Fantastic Me
They remain
in the same story.
Every route can lead to thoughtful discussion, different interpretations, and genuinely complicated questions.
So you don’t end up with students switching off because they can’t keep up with the reading,
or other students getting bored because everything they are being asked to think about is too simple.
Everybody can be challenged, just in different ways.
Creativity at the heart of learning English
Reading becomes speaking, writing,
drawing, making, imagining
and listening.
Fantastic Me · Creative response
Draw Jake’s first day in two frames:
how he wants to look
and how he might feel.
And then reading becomes speaking, writing, drawing, making, imagining and listening.
For Viking Kite, creativity sits right at the heart of learning English.
The story gives students something they actually want to talk about, write about, make things from, and have ideas about.
Connected classroom resources
The teacher doesn’t
have to build anything.
Teacher guidance · Fantastic Me
“Humour gives Jake some control but can also push people away. His voice tells us about embarrassment and confidence together.”
“Ask what readers learn that his classmates may miss.”
From the teacher guidance supplied with this sample
And the teacher doesn’t have to build anything.
The stories, the questions, the discussions, the creative work, and the different reading routes are already there.
The teacher can interpret them in their own way, and use them in whatever way works best for their class.
But they aren’t starting from scratch.
Reflect together
And at the end of the story,
the class looks back.
Read.
Think.
Discuss.
Create.
Reflect.
And at the end of the story, the class looks back.
They work out their own ideas, challenge the ideas of others, and share their thoughts and learning with the group.
Ages 11–16 · Approx. A1–C2 · Original stories
Multiple reading routes · Teacher + student resources
Designed to complement existing ELT courses
Viking Kite
Stories worth reading.
English worth using.
Different ways into the same story.
One class reading together.
One class getting better at English.
International ELT licensing + translation opportunities
Different ways into the same story.
One class reading together.
One class getting better at English.
Stories worth reading.
English worth using.
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Read the experience
- The class A teacher starts by giving the class the specially designed Viking Kite reading test.
- A starting point It gives each student an approximate English reading level, from A1 right through to C2. That gives the teacher a clear idea of where the class is, and helps suggest which Viking Kite stories might be right for them.
- Choose a story For example, Fantastic Me might be suggested for a class reading somewhere between A2 and B2.
- The library The students would typically be around 12 to 14 years old, and Fantastic Me is just one example from the much wider Viking Kite collection.
- Different ways in Once the class has chosen a story, Viking Kite offers different ways into it. The aim is simple: to keep the whole class engaged in the same story, with the same characters and the same events. Some students might read the prose version. Others might use an illustrated or graphic route. Exactly how those routes work changes slightly depending on the age of the students and their reading level. Students with SEN, and others who need more support with the reading, can use a route that allows them to. So everybody can enjoy the same fun story world, while improving their English at their own pace, and at a level that works for them.
- Stay with the story As they read, the student packs help everybody keep up with what’s going on. Short comprehension checks and guided discussion after every chapter fit naturally into the reading process, so the teacher can see that everybody is following the story before the class moves on.
- Think further And this is where it goes beyond simple comprehension. Viking Kite can deal with difficult ideas, and offer real intellectual challenge, while adjusting the reading access so that everybody can take part. The reading might be made more accessible. The ideas don’t have to be.
- Come together Every route can lead to thoughtful discussion, different interpretations, and genuinely complicated questions. So you don’t end up with students switching off because they can’t keep up with the reading, or other students getting bored because everything they are being asked to think about is too simple. Everybody can be challenged, just in different ways.
- Create And then reading becomes speaking, writing, drawing, making, imagining and listening. For Viking Kite, creativity sits right at the heart of learning English. The story gives students something they actually want to talk about, write about, make things from, and have ideas about.
- For the teacher And the teacher doesn’t have to build anything. The stories, the questions, the discussions, the creative work, and the different reading routes are already there. The teacher can interpret them in their own way, and use them in whatever way works best for their class. But they aren’t starting from scratch.
- Reflect And at the end of the story, the class looks back. They work out their own ideas, challenge the ideas of others, and share their thoughts and learning with the group.
- Viking Kite Different ways into the same story. One class reading together. One class getting better at English. Stories worth reading. English worth using.
Viking Kite at a glance
- Ages
- 11–16
- Reading range
- A1–C2Approximately, across the collection
- Reading
- Multiple routesOne shared story
- Classroom
- Connected resourcesFor teachers + students
Reading guidance Check My Reading ↗ (opens in a new tab)Designed to complement existing ELT courses and curricula
How it works
Different reading routes.
One shared story.
- 01Check reading
- 02Choose a story
- 03Choose a reading route
- 04Read
- 05Check understanding
- 06Discuss & interpret
- 07Create
- 08Reflect & go further
The collection
A library built
for ELT reading.
Original fiction for English learners aged 11–16, spanning approximately A1–C2 across the collection.
Selected covers, including Swedish editions published by Liber. Formats and licensing availability vary by title and territory.
Two examples from the wider Viking Kite collectionBilious Blue ↗ (opens in a new tab)Fantastic Me ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Published in Sweden by Liber
Built from real
ELT publishing experience.
More than one million books sold in Sweden by creators Andy Coombs and Sarah Scho, according to Liber. More than twenty years creating English-learning stories for young readers in Sweden.
Publishing record: Liber ↗ (opens in a new tab)Andy CoombsWriter and educational author
Sarah SchoIllustrator and visual storyteller
International ELT + translation
Interested in Viking Kite
for your market?
For the full catalogue, sample material, rights information and market-specific discussions, contact our international representatives.
ELT licensing. Translation and localisation where rights permit.
Andy Cowle
andy@firstimpressioncommunications.com+44 (0)7860 339 420Phil Lowry
educontent@outlook.ieArtwork & edition credits
Stories by Andy Coombs. Original illustrations by Sarah Scho. Collection covers retain the credits of their published editions.
Classroom pages shown are the supplied sample editions.