Dear Hero
Start the Adventure

A subscription delivered by real mail

Your child doesn't just read the adventure. They write it.

Kids love getting mail, and they love sending it back even more. Each chapter arrives by envelope, your child decides what happens next and writes back, and the next chapter is mailed back to them in return. It's a real book, written together through the mail, one anticipated letter at a time.

Start the Adventure See How It Works
Illustrated keepsake book included, every story Pause anytime for trips or breaks
Watch on YouTube

How it works

One letter at a time, the whole story through

A real book you write together through the mail: 8 to 12 chapters, back and forth, from the first envelope to the last page.

1

Pick a world and a style

Choose a story world and a tier: Starter Trail picks from a few options each chapter, Trailblazer writes freely about what should happen next.

2
A boy kneeling on a window seat watching for the mail truck

Chapter one lands in the mailbox

A real envelope arrives with the start of the adventure and a postage-paid reply card tucked inside.

3
A girl writing a reply letter at a sunlit table

Your child writes back

Think of the choose-your-own-adventure books from the '80s, except the child is corresponding with a real person: on Starter Trail, they circle one of a few choices on the reply card; on Trailblazer, they write a letter describing what should happen next and actually help craft the story. Either way, it costs the family nothing to send.

4
A girl collecting envelopes from a rural mailbox

The next chapter is mailed back

Usually within 5 to 7 business days, so the story keeps moving instead of leaving anyone waiting.

5

The story ends with a keepsake book

A bound, professionally printed copy of the whole story, illustrated with artwork designed for it and any drawings they mailed in along the way, with their name credited as co-author on the cover.

Story worlds

Pick the world that fits your kid

Every world uses the same letter-writing adventure — only the setting changes.

A girl gazing off thoughtfully with an open storybook in front of her
Available nowAges 7–11

Deep Space Rescue

A cadet's ship breaks down near an uncharted planet, and every choice decides what's found there.

Available nowAges 6–10

Dragon Keeper's Oath

A young apprentice inherits a dragon egg nobody else wanted, and has to decide how to raise it.

Available nowAges 7–11

The Last Ranch

A family ranch is about to be sold unless the herd can be saved in time.

Available nowAges 8–12

The Clockmaker's Apprentice

A broken magical clock is slowly erasing a town's memories, one hour at a time.

Available nowAges 7–11

Starlight Stable

A rescued horse seems to know more about the farm's old secret than anyone.

Available nowAges 8–12

Codename Firefly

A new kid at school turns out to be recruited into a junior spy network hiding in plain sight.

Available nowAges 7–11

The Briar Throne

When a rival court threatens the kingdom, a young princess has to outwit advisors twice her age to protect her family's throne.

Available nowAges 9–13

Keeper of the Last Light

When fog swallows the coast and the family's lighthouse beacon fails, the only child left at home has one night to fix it.

Available nowAges 7–11

Secret Garden Society

A hidden garden behind an old house holds a puzzle only kids can solve.

Available nowAges 8–12

Pirate Tide

A map found in a bottle points to a reef no ship has returned from.

Available nowAges 8–12

City Under Watch

A kid detective notices the same stranger outside three different crime scenes.

+ more worlds added regularly

About us

Why we built this

We started Dear Hero because our own kids lit up every time something arrived for them in the mail, and dimmed a little every time a screen did the same job faster and less memorably. Letter writing used to teach patience, imagination, and the simple thrill of waiting for a reply. Somewhere along the way it mostly disappeared from childhood.

So we built the thing we wished existed: a story our kids could actually help write, one real envelope at a time, slow enough to be worth waiting for, ending in a book they will still have on a shelf years from now.

We're a Christian family, and that shapes how we build every story. Our stories are something you can hand your child and walk away from, adventure and imagination with nothing you'll need to explain away later.

The family behind Mail Your Own Adventure

The keepsake

A real book, with your child's name on it

Every story ends here: bound, printed, illustrated, and co-authored.

Codename Firefly keepsake book, co-authored by Jane Simpson
A child curled up in an armchair reading a storybook
And then, they actually read it

An AI-generated photorealistic rendering, not a photo of an actual printed proof yet.

Pricing

Two ways to ride along

Both tiers end in the same exciting payoff: a keepsake book co-authored with your child, included standard. No add-on, no surprise charge.

Buying for someone else's kid? Give it as a gift instead →

Starter Trail
$22/month
At least 2 chapters a month if you reply right away · an 8-chapter story
  • ✓Circle one of 2–3 choices on the reply card
  • ✓Lowest-effort way to try it out
  • ✓Pause shipments anytime
A keepsake book you co-author with your child, included
Trailblazer
$38/month
At least 2 chapters a month if you reply right away · a 10-chapter story
  • ✓Write a free-form letter about what happens next
  • ✓Blended into the story with your child's own ideas
  • ✓Pause shipments anytime
A keepsake book you co-author with your child, included

Give as a gift

Surprise someone with their own adventure

A one-time gift, not a recurring charge to you. The very first envelope includes a plain-language explainer for both the child and their parent, so nobody's left guessing what it is or how to write back.

Questions

Before you sign up

The answers we get asked most, straight from the mailbag.

How does this actually work?

Your child gets a chapter in the mail, decides what happens next, either by circling a choice or writing their own idea, and mails it back. The next chapter arrives in return. By the end of the story, it's bound into a real book with their name on it.

What's the difference between Starter Trail and Trailblazer?

Starter Trail lets your child circle one of a few choices at each turn, the lowest-effort way to try it. Trailblazer lets them write a free-form letter describing what they want to happen, which gets woven into the story. Both tiers mail back at least 2 chapters a month if they reply right away.

How long does a full story take?

Most stories run 8 to 12 chapters. Starter Trail runs about 8 chapters, Trailblazer about 10, depending on how quickly replies come back.

What do we get at the end?

A bound, professionally printed keepsake book of the whole story, illustrated and co-authored by your child, included in the price. No add-on, no surprise charge.

Can we pause if we go on a trip?

Yes, anytime, from the Manage Subscription panel. Set a pause and resume date and the story picks back up right where it left off, no need to cancel.

What if none of the story worlds fit my kid?

Use the "Request a custom topic" option on the signup form and tell us what they're into. We'll build a world around it.

What ages is this good for?

Generally 6 to 13. Each story world lists its own recommended age range on the Story Worlds section above, since tone and complexity vary by world.

Is my child's information safe?

The parent is always the account holder. We collect only what's needed to mail the story, your child's first name and mailing address, and your contact info for billing. There's no direct, unsupervised channel from your child to us.

How does billing work?

It's a monthly subscription, cancel anytime. Payment is handled through a secure checkout; we never see or store your full card details.

Can I give this as a gift?

Yes. Use the Gift It option in the menu, or jump straight to the gift signup. It's a one-time charge to you, not a recurring one, and we loop in the recipient's parent before anything ships.

Still have a question?

Send it straight to us

Leave your email and what's on your mind, and a real person will write back.

Enroll

Send the first chapter

A few details and your child's first envelope goes in the queue.

A boy putting a reply envelope into the mailbox