Classic / British EnglishMoby Dick is the most dangerous whale in the oceans. Captain Ahab fought him and lost a leg. Now he hates Moby Dick. He wants to kill him. But can Captain Ahab and his men find the great white whale? A young sailor, Ishmael, tells the story of their exciting and dangerous trip.
Classic / American EnglishBoston in the 1600s is a small town, but a large crowd waits for Hester Prynne outside the prison. She carries a baby in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” is on her dress. “A” is for adulteress. Who is the father of her baby? Nobody knows and Hester will not say.
Classic / British EnglishAfter his parents die, young David Balfour goes to the house of his uncle Ebenezer. But his uncle is a dangerous man. When he puts David on a ship to America, a difficult and dangerous time begins. But who is the stranger on the ship? Can he help David?
Classic / British EnglishThis is the story of four friends – Toad, Rat, Mole and Badger. Rat loves the river. Mole is often afraid. Badger likes to stay at home. But Toad is always looking for new adventures – and some of his ideas are dangerous.
Classic / British EnglishSheherezade is beautiful and clever. She also knows a thousand and one wonderful stories. Her husband wants to kill her, but he can’t. Sheherezade tells him stories about a clever servant girl and a boy judge, about Ali Baba and Aladdin. What happens next? Her husband wants to know. He listens – and she lives.
Classic / British EnglishThese are the stories of some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. We travel to Venice, Greece, Denmark and Rome, and meet many different people. There is a greedy money-lender, a fairy king and queen, some Roman politicians and a young prince who meets the ghost of his murdered father.
Classic / British EnglishDavid Copperfield’s happy life suddenly changes when his mother marries again. Her new husband is cruel to him and sends him away to school. When David’s mother dies, he is sent to work in London. He hates his job so he runs away. He has no money for food or for travelling. But it is the beginning of his life of adventure.
Classic / British EnglishCount Dracula is a vampire. He drinks people’s blood. He lives in a lonely castle in the mountains of Transylvania. But then he comes to England and strange things start happening. People change. People become ill. Professor Van Helsing knows about vampires, but can he stop Count Dracula?
Classic / British EnglishWhy is the frightening Mr Hyde a friend of the nice Dr Jekyll? Who is the evil little man? And why does he seem to have power over the doctor? After a terrible murder, everyone is looking for Mr Hyde. But he has disappeared. Or has he?
Contemporary / British EnglishEverybody tells Forrest Gump that he’s an idiot. But he’s a great football player, and he plays the harmonica beautifully. He’s also a brave soldier. But can he ever marry the girl he loves? This story of his journey through life is sometimes sad and sometimes very funny.
Classic / British EnglishIn 1891, the great detective, Sherlock Holmes, disappeared in Switzerland while working on a dangerous case. Everyone thought that he was dead. But three years later, he returned to England. Holmes and his friend, Dr Watson, had many more adventures together. Three of his most interesting cases are in this book.
Classic / British EnglishRomeo and Juliet is one of the most famous love stories in the world. But it is more than a great love story. It is also about life and death, happiness and sadness, and the terrible hate between two great families. Shakespeare’s beautiful tale is still as popular today as it was more than 400 years ago.
Classic / British English‘It was the seventh day of the storm. We didn’t know where we were. Everyone on the ship believed that death was very near.’The Robinson family do not die at sea; they find their way to a small island. But what can they do now? Where will they live? What will they eat? Luckily, the father and their mother have useful skills and they can teach their four young sons. But how long will they be there, on the island?
Contemporary / British English It is 1839. The slave ship, Amistad, is carrying African slaves to America. There is a bloody fight on the ship, and the Africans are free. But soon they are in prison in the US. Must they return to their ‘owners’, or are they free people?
Classic / British EnglishAre you brave enough to read four of Poe’s famous horror stories? Edgar Allan Poe wrote strange stories about terrible people and evil crimes. Don’t read this book late at night!