Penguin Readers (Simplified-text)

Contemporary / British EnglishIt is 1954 and Kabuo Miyamoto is on trial for murder. He is a Japanese American living on the island of San Piedro, off the north-west coast of America. The Second World War has left an atmosphere of anger and suspicion in this small...

Oliver Twist's parents are dead and he grows up in the workhouse, where life is very hard. One day Oliver runs away to London. There, he enters a life of crime with the old man Fagin, the Artful Dodger, frightening Bill Sykes and kind-hearted Nancy.How will Oliver live in this...

Contemporary / British English My Fair Lady is the story of a poor young flower-seller and a professor who doesn’t like women. The professor decides to teach the flower-seller to speak better English. He wants to change her from street-girl to lady. But what will he learn from her?...

Classic / British EnglishEmma Bovary is a dreamer. She escapes from her boring life with her father by marrying Charles, a doctor, but married life does not bring her the love and excitement she expected. She looks for love outside her marriage, and one of literature’s great tragedies begins to...

Classic / British English Edmond Dantes is a clever young seaman, but he has enemies who tell lies about him. On the day of his wedding to the beautiful Mercedes, Edmond is thrown into prison. There he meets a man who tells him about some treasure on the island of...

Contemporary / British English Precious Ramotswe is a kind, warm-hearted and large African lady. She is also the only female private detective in Botswana. Her agency – the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – is the best in the country. With help of her secretary, Mma Makutsi, and her best friend,...

Classic / British English Resting one night on a boat on the River Thames, Charlie Marlow tells his friends about his experiences as a steamboat captain on the River Congo. There, in the heart of Africa, his search for the extraordinary Mr Kurtz caused him to question his own nature...

Original / American English In the 1930s Grey Owl was the most famous North American Indian in the world. He wanted to save his land, its forests and animals. He wanted to change the world. He also had a very strange secret. This book tells his true story. This Pack contains...

Original / British English This is Nicky’s first visit to New York. He is going to stay with his aunt, but she is not at the airport. Then some older boys on motorbikes play a dangerous game with him. Not long after he arrives, the police are looking for Nicky....

This popular series of readers has now been completely revised and updated, using a new syllabus and new word structure lists. Readability has been ensured by means of specially designed computer software. Words that are above level but essential to the story are explained within the text, illustrated, and then...

Jane Eyre, a poor girl, leaves her cruel aunt’s house and goes away to school. Later, she becomes a teacher and works for the rich Mr Rochester. She loves him and wants to marry him. He loves her too, but he has a dark secret ...

Contemporary / British English It is 1942 in Holland and the Germans have invaded. All Jewish people are frightened for their lives, so the Frank family hide. Life is dangerous but they hope for the best – until they are finally discovered. Anne Frank was a real person, and this...

Classic / British English When her mother dies, Mary Yellan goes to live with her aunt and uncle at Jamaica Inn. Strange things happen there at night, and Mary slowly discovers that she and her aunt are in terrible danger. Can she save herself and her aunt before it is...

Contemporary / British EnglishThis is a great love story set in the tragedy of war. It is 1941. The Italian officer, Captain Corelli, falls in love with Pelagia, a young Greek girl. But Pelegia’s fiancé is fighting the Italian army…Captain Corelli’s Mandolin...

Classic / British English Sir Robert Chiltern is a successful politician and an honest man. He is an ideal husband for the beautiful and serious Lady Chiltern. But somebody knows a dangerous secret about Sir Robert. Can Sir Robert's charming Society friends save his job and his...

The man has been shot many times. Who wants to kill him, and why? The man can't remember. As he begins to learn about his past, he becomes even more confused. Does he have a future? Or will he be killed before he knows who - or...

Anna Karenina, one of world literature’s greatest novels, tells the story of a beautiful young woman who is unhappily married to a man much older than herself. When she falls in love with a handsome young soldier, life suddenly seems wonderful. But real happiness is not so easily found ...

Classic / British English When a fisherman opens an old jar, a giant comes out. When a donkey opens its mouth, gold falls out. There is magic in these five fairy tales. Good people are often very unhappy but in the end they have happy...

Classic / British English A family of wolves take a little boy into their home in the jungle. The child learns and plays with the other cubs. But can he really live in the jungle? Will the other wolves want him to stay? And will the dangerous tiger Shere Khan...

Classic / British English Hans Andersen wrote many stories, and these are some of the best. We meet a very, very small child, a bird with a beautiful voice, a mermaid with legs, an ugly duckling with no friends and an emperor with some very...