Norma is always right. But has she got the right train tickets? What happens when Mrs Roberts has coffee with Mrs Price? And is David ready for his wedding? The answers are in these six sketches....

Terry Fox has cancer and he has an artificial leg. He runs across Canada for sick children and he gets $10,000,000. Read about his Marathon of Hope, his pain, and his short life. This is the true story of a strong athlet...

Contemporary / British English Gordie Lanchance and his three friends are always ready for adventure. When they hear about a dead body in the forest they go to look for it. Then they discover how cruel the world can be....

Kate Grant comes from Canada. She is visiting Europe with her mother and father. One evening she sees two men in a museum. They are taking a very famous picture…“Girl with a Pearl Ear-ring.” What can Kate do?...

This is the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus. One day, Nemo finds three men in the sea. For months the men live on the Nautilus. They find a town on the sea floor, beautiful coasts and a lot of gold....

Original / British English Felix is not a happy bird. He comes from Brazil but he doesn't live there. He lives in New York in a cage. Then one day his cage opens and Felix says goodbye to New York. Can he find his family...

Tina Daniels is thirteen years old and a star. She sings beautifully, and everyone loves her. Her mother has big ideas about Hollywood, but Tina is not happy. One day she goes away on a train. Who does she meet? What doe...

Original / British English (Available February 2008) Billy and his sister want new bicycles, but they don't have any money. Then their grandmother has an idea. There's a competition in Palace magazine. The first prize is...

Mark Jackson is on holiday in Turkey. He visits the old city of Troy and finds a yellow stone. ‘I know this stone,’ he thinks. ‘It comes from … from ...’ Suddenly Mark goes back in time. He can see a beautiful city, sold...

The House of the Seven Gables is the home of an important family: the Pyncheons. They have the house and a lot of land, but no money and many problems. Is there a curse on the family? This is a story about money, murder,...

Rip Van Winkle walks into the mountains one day and meets some strange old men. He comes home twenty years later. One dark night, Ichabod Crane is riding home and sees a man on a black horse behind him. The man has no he...

'Penguin Readers' are simplified texts designed to promote reading for pleasure, with activities for improving comprehension and writing skills. Level 1 books are for beginners, with 300 headwords....

Original / British EnglishA girl sees a quiet good-looking boy on the boat to Spain. She loves his shy smile and she wants to see him again. The boy wants to be with her too, but there are problems. Can the boy and the g...

British English Tommy Grant is a taxi driver. One morning his boss telephones him. 'Can you be at the Ritz hotel at 9 o'clock?' he asks. The 12-year-old son of a film star is in London. His name is Dino. 'Be very nice to...

Hannah loves her job on old Mr Duval's small boat. The boat takes people to the beautiful coral reef every day. Then a rich man arrives with a big new boat. Suddenly, there isn't any work for Hannah and Mr Duval. Then th...