Books in the Pearson English Graded Readers series

Mark Twain is one of America's most famous and best-loved writers. He wrote about every important subject of his time. Twain's stories are usually amusing but with a serious message too. You will read about people's hopes and fears, happiness and terrible sadness-and wonderful practical jokes!

Paul is shy and Judy has no friends. Oliver is afraid of other boys. Jane and Leo can't talk about their feelings, and Sue lies to her boyfriends. These five short plays tell the stories of young people with problems. Are there any answers? What do you think?

King Lear is old but not wise. He loves the two daughters who secretly hate him. He hates the only daughter who really loves him. In time, he discovers his mistake. Has he learnt his lesson? Or will his proud and angry nature bring him even more sadness and pain?

Racing was a men's sport - and then came the women. Danica Patrick is from the United States. Mika Duno is Venezuelan. Laleh Seddigh is from Iran. They race with men and they are winners. Read their stories.

In Middlemarch, in the heart of England, Dorothea wants to change the world and Dr Lydgate hopes to make great scientific discoveries. But after disastrous marriages, they both lose control of their lives. Can they ever achieve their dreams? Middlemarch is generally considered to be one of the greatest novels in the English language.

This reader is accompanied with a CD that contains the full audio of the text in MP3 format. Who killed Charles McCarthy at Boscombe Pool? And why? Detective Lestrade from Scotland Yard thinks it was McCarthy's son, James. Things do not look good for James. But the famous English detective, Sherlock Holmes, sees things differently. His friend, Dr Watson, joins him and tells the story.

This reader is accompanied with a CD that contains the full audio of the text in MP3 format. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the idea of women in business seemed strange. Today more and more women are reaching the top of business life. This book tells the business success stories of five very different women: Coco Chanel, Hanae Mori, Anita Roddick, Oprah Winfrey and Madonna.

The team arrives for another day at the office. The workers are happy, but their bosses have a surprise for them. Is it going to be a nice surprise-or not?

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.

This reader is accompanied with a CD that contains the full audio of the text in MP3 format. Everybody 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.

Visiting the fashionable city of Bath, 17-year-old Catherine Morland looks for the excitement she finds in romantic fiction. She makes friends and falls in love. But when she is invited to Northanger Abbey, she experiences desperate unhappiness. What is real, and what is the product of her wild imagination?

Penguin Readers are simplified texts which provide a step-by-step approach to the joys of reading for pleasure.

This reader is accompanied with a CD that contains the full audio of the text in MP3 format. 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 marriage?

Classic / British EnglishOthello is a popular soldier who is in love with his beautiful new wife. He also has good friends like Iago, another soldier. So when Iago tells him terrible stories about his wife, Desdemona, who should Othello believe? Will jealousy destroy all their lives? This is one of William Shakespeares greatest plays.

Some people choose adventure. Others suddenly find themselves in danger in their ordinary lives. This book tells the true stories of survivors. In the Antarctica cold or the Sahara Desert heat, in the wide Atlantic Ocean or a small Rwandan bathroom, these people have known terrible suffering -- but have lived.