Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls’ number 23, is very famous. And he can fly! Maybe he is the best basketball player of all time. But where did he come from? How did he start in basketball? Read about his life and about ...

Original / American English Ricardo and Gisela are going home to Rio. Gisela likes reading and quiet people. Ricardo likes noise ... and he likes Gisela. In Rio, a thief takes Gisela's bag. What can Ricardo do?...

Marcel visits his friend, Henry, in London. Henry knows a professor and he has some very interesting letters – by William Shakespeare! Marcel and Henry want to see the letters, but they are not in the professor’s flat. M...

Pete and Carla are students. One day they look at some very old coins and stamps in a shop. Pete wants to buy some stamps, but they are very expensive. Later that day some coins are missing from the shop – and the shopke...

Original / British English (Available May 2008) Ali wants to take photos of people and places in Istanbul, but he has a big problem. He hasn't got a camera. How can he get one?...

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....

Marcel and his friend Céline are on holiday in Los Angeles. They are staying in the home of Arnold Waldman, a famous film director. But on the first night of their holiday, kidnappers take away Arnold’s daughter…...

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...

Marcel is a French mouse, and a detective. One evening, at the Louvre museum, he sees a man steal a famous painting – the Mona Lisa. Marcel follows the thief to Venice and risks his life to get the painting back again....

Maisie King lives in the Bahamas. Her mother and father work at an Animal Hospital. Maisie has a new friend. His name is Ben and he’s a dolphin. Ben is very ill. Maisie helps him. Then Maisie has a big problem. Can Ben h...

Original / British English Joanna Jimbuku is a nurse in Australia. She works with a Flying Doctor. One day a baby is very ill. Joanna takes the baby to Sydney. It's her first visit to a big city, and she loves it. Does s...

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...

Original / British English Sarah and Jessica arrive in New Zealand for a holiday. They find a mobile phone in the taxi from the airport. It is Michael's mobile, but they can't find him? He has messages from home -- are t...