The Sleeping Door
Ada is a curious girl who notices the little details everyone else walks right past. One day, she comes across a mysterious door she has never seen before and discovers that behind it lies a world beyond her wildest dreams. In this magical place, full of glittering keys, whispering doors, and new friends, Ada begins to learn that every door hides a different story. But to uncover some secrets, it isn't enough just to open the doors. You have to truly listen to them. A tale of curiosity, friendship, and the value of forgotten things, The Sleeping Door invites children to follow the magical discoveries hidden in the most ordinary-looking places.
20 Minutes
3 Endings
7-10
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About This Story
“The Sleeping Door” is an interactive fantasy story for children aged 7-10, about 20 minutes long. The reader decides how it goes at 3 choice points, and there are 3 different endings. It is available to Kitapz Premium subscribers; the opening is free to read below.
- Age range
- 7-10 years
- Reading time
- about 20 minutes
- Genre
- Fantasy
- Format
- Interactive · 3 choice points · 3 endings
- Language
- English, Turkish
- Access
- With a Premium subscription
- Characters
- Ada, Twinkle, Rory, Granny Violet
- Collections
- Fantasy stories, Stories for ages 7-8, Stories for ages 9-10
- Reading support
- dyslexia-friendly font, bionic reading, color-blindness filters
An Excerpt from the Story
Ada (thinking):
Wait a minute... This wasn't here yesterday.
Ada slows down and looks carefully at the old stone wall.
Ada:
“Where did this brass door come from?”
Gripping her bag strap tightly, she studies the carvings on the door.
Ada (thinking):
It looks like it doesn't open onto anything, but...
When the wind blows, a very soft hum rises from the brass door.
Ada:
“Is there a sound coming from inside?”
Ada (thinking):
Should I get a little closer?
As Ada steps closer to the door, a tiny jingling light suddenly appears in the air.
Twinkle:
“Sparkle sparkle! Hello, new kid!”
“The Sleeping Door” · Ages 7-10 · kitapz.com
school For Parents and Teachers
In this story, children follow Ada through a brass door that appears overnight in an old stone wall, into Skygate Academy, where doors talk and sing but some have fallen strangely silent. Setting impatient Rory beside careful Ada, it shows why it pays to stop, look and listen before acting. Readers' choices decide how Ada searches for answers.
What will children learn from this story?
- Learns to stop and look closely at something new and strange before rushing into it.
- Practises telling sounds apart, like a sea-like roar and a wind-like whistle, and using them as clues.
- Thinks about the difference between hurrying and being patient by comparing how Rory and Ada go about things.
- Notices, as Ada does when she sees the silent doors, that others may feel lonely or left out.
Curriculum links: Language arts, Life skills, Science
Fact Box
What is brass, and what is it used for?
Brass is an alloy (a mix of metals) of copper and zinc, usually with about twice as much copper as zinc. Because it resists corrosion and moves with little friction, it is often used for locks, hinges and doorknobs, and also for musical instruments such as horns and bells.
Source: Wikipedia
Does sound travel faster through air, water or solids?
Sound usually travels slowest in gases, faster in liquids and fastest in solids. At 20 °C it moves through air at about 343 m/s and through fresh water at about 1,481 m/s, while in iron it travels at about 5,120 m/s, almost 15 times as fast as in air.
Source: Wikipedia
Reading Comprehension Questions (5W1H)
The questions cover the opening that every reader sees, whatever they choose. Tap a question to see the answer.
-
Who? Who appears in the air near the door and says she is its guardian?
Answer: Twinkle, a tiny, jingling ball of light.
-
What? What does Ada hear when she steps into the enormous hall?
Answer: The murmurs, laughter and songs of hundreds of doors.
-
Where? According to Twinkle, what is the place behind the door?
Answer: Skygate Academy, the place where all doors are born.
-
When? When does Ada first notice a sound coming from the brass door?
Answer: When the wind blows and a very soft hum rises from it.
-
Why? Why doesn't Ada turn the glowing key right away?
Answer: She wants to figure out exactly what's going on first.
-
How? How does Ada try to decide which of the two big doors on the landing to open?
Answer: She listens carefully to their sounds and presses her ear against the giant brass door.
Questions to Talk About After Reading
- At the first choice, did you have Ada open the door that roars like the sea or the one that whistles like the wind? What drew you to that sound?
- Rory wants to do everything right now, while Ada likes to stop and look first. Which of them are you more like? When does rushing help, and when does it get in the way?
- Ada feels sad when she sees the silent doors. Have you ever felt unnoticed or left out in a group? What would you have liked someone to do?
- Ada notices little details that other people walk right past. What have you noticed around your home or school that others seem to miss?
Word List
- brass
- A shiny, yellowish metal made by mixing copper and zinc; the door in the story is made of it.
- carving
- A pattern or picture cut into wood, stone or metal to decorate it.
- spellbound
- So amazed by something that you can't stop looking at it or listening to it.
- landing
- A flat area at the top of a staircase or between two flights of stairs.
- hinge
- The metal joint that holds a door to its frame and lets it swing open and shut.
- tarnished
- Dull and darker than before, the way old metal looks when it has lost its shine.
Activity Idea
Go on a “sound hunt”: like Ada, close your eyes for two minutes and write down every sound you hear, in order. Then press one ear to a table while someone taps gently on the far end, listen again with your head lifted, and talk about the difference.
Completion Rewards
What you'll earn when you finish this story: