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Penguin Readers

160 books in this series
Penguin Readers Level 1: A Christmas Carol (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 1: A Christmas Carol (ELT Graded Reader)
In this story, Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas. He is angry that people are not working. Then, he meets the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley. Can Scrooge be a good person before it is too late?

Our Penguin Readers books include:
Simple text (CEFR-levelled)
Pictures to help you understand the story
• Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English

With the print book, you can get even more help online:
• Read the book online
Listen to the book being read out loud
• Get lesson plans for teachers
• Find answers to check your understanding

Note: online resources not available with the eBook.
Penguin Readers Level 1: Plastic (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 1: Plastic (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.


Plastic, a Level 1 Reader, is A1 in the CEFR framework. Short sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the past simple tense and some simple modals, adverbs and gerunds. Illustrations support the text throughout, and many titles at this level are graphic novels.

We all use a lot of plastic every day. It is cheap and strong, and plastic things last. But where does plastic come from? And what can we do to recycle all the plastic in our world?
Penguin Readers Level 1: Tales of Adventurous Girls (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 1: Tales of Adventurous Girls (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Tales of Adventurous Girls, a Level 1 Reader, is A1 in the CEFR framework. Short sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the past simple tense and some simple modals, adverbs and gerunds. Illustrations support the text throughout, and many titles at this level are graphic novels.

These folk tales tell the stories of four brave girls from four different countries around the world: Zanzibar, Japan, India and China. The girls all have to do dangerous and difficult things, so they must be strong and clever. Join them on their adventures!
Penguin Readers Level 2: Boy (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 2: Boy (ELT Graded Reader)
This story is about sweet shops, school days and summer holidays! It is the story of the famous writer Roald Dahl when he was a boy. These tales are exciting, funny and sometimes frightening. All of them are true.

Our Penguin Readers books include:
Simple text (CEFR-levelled)
Pictures to help you understand the story
• Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English

With the print book, you can get even more help online:
• Read the book online
Listen to the book being read out loud
• Get lesson plans for teachers
• Find answers to check your understanding

Note: online resources not available with the eBook.
Penguin Readers Level 2: How to Turn Down a Billion Dollars
Penguin Readers Level 2: How to Turn Down a Billion Dollars
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

How to Turn Down a Billion Dollars: The Snapchat Story, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages.

In 2008, Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and Bobby Murphy made a photo app called Snapchat. Just two years later, Facebook wanted to buy Snapchat for $3 billion. This is the story of how Snapchat grew from a university student's idea into a multibillion-dollar company.
Penguin Readers Level 2: Private (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 2: Private (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Private, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages.

Jack Morgan has a company called Private. Private helps people. Sometimes, Private helps the police, too. Now, Jack's friend is dead. Private must find the killer.
Penguin Readers Level 2: The Call of the Wild (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 2: The Call of the Wild (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

The Call of the Wild, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages.

In 1897, people found gold in the Klondike, Canada. Thousands of people traveled there to find more gold. They needed big, strong dogs to work for them. This is the story of one of those dogs, Buck. A man takes him from his family in California, and Buck has to pull a sled in Canada. Will he survive?
Penguin Readers Level 3: Climate Change (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 3: Climate Change (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Climate Change, a Level 3 Reader, is A2 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing first conditional, past continuous and present perfect simple for general experience. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages.

Why is the Earth's climate changing? And how will this change our lives? HRH The Prince of Wales is worried about climate change. In this book, he explains why it is so important for us to stop climate change now, and he shows how we can do it.
Penguin Readers Level 3: Dracula (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 3: Dracula (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Dracula, a Level 3 Reader, is A2 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing first conditional, past continuous and present perfect simple for general experience. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages.

Jonathan Harker visits a castle in Transylvania to help a man named Count Dracula to buy a house in England. While he is there, he discovers many terrible things about the count. As strange things begin to happen in England, Jonathan sees that Count Dracula must be stopped!
Penguin Readers Level 3: The Great Gatsby (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 3: The Great Gatsby (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

The Great Gatsby, a Level 3 Reader, is A2 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing first conditional, past continuous and present perfect simple for general experience. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages.

Everybody wants to know Jay Gatsby. He is handsome and very rich. He owns a big house, and he has wonderful parties there. But after the music and dancing, does anybody really know who Jay Gatsby is? This is a story of love, money, and secrets.
Penguin Readers Level 3: Wonder (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 3: Wonder (ELT Graded Reader)
This ELT Graded Reader is made for people learning English as an additional language. The short, simple text is also perfect for anyone looking for an easier read. It is an adapted version of the original story.

In this story, August "Auggie" Pullman has been home-schooled all his life. Now he is starting fifth grade at a school in New York City. He doesn't want other students to look at him, but that isn't easy when he looks like he does.


Our Penguin Readers books include:
  • Simple text (CEFR-levelled)
  • Pictures to help you understand the story
  • Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English

With the print book, you can get even more help online:
  • Read the book online
  • Listen to the book being read out loud
  • Get lesson plans for teachers
  • Find answers to check your understanding

Note: online resources not available with the eBook.
Penguin Readers Level 4: Me Before You (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 4: Me Before You (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Me Before You, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly.

When Lou Clark loses her job at a café, she is given a job caring for Will Traynor. Will was disabled in a motorbike accident. Lou knows she needs the money. Will knows that his accident took away his love of life. Neither of them know that they're going to change each other's lives forever.
Penguin Readers Level 4: Pride and Prejudice (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 4: Pride and Prejudice (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Pride and Prejudice, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly.

Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of an English country gentleman, meets Mr Darcy, a rich man who owns land. At first, Elizabeth hates him and thinks he is proud, but slowly her feelings start to change. Can she fight her own pride and find happiness?
Penguin Readers Level 4: Women Who Changed the World (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 4: Women Who Changed the World (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Women Who Changed the World, a Level 4 Reader, is A2+ in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing more complex uses of present perfect simple, passives, phrasal verbs and simple relative clauses. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly.

These are the stories of some of the women who changed our world. Read about the women who fought to be equal to men, and learn about the things that women have done in education, science, sport and politics.
Penguin Readers Level 5: Doctor Who: Borrowed Time (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 5: Doctor Who: Borrowed Time (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Doctor Who: Borrowed Time, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing present perfect continuous, past perfect, reported speech and second conditional. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly.

Andrew Brown works at a big international bank. He makes lots of money every day, but he never has enough time. Now, he might have found a way to borrow some. But, instead of making his life easier, more time might just give him more problems. Maybe the time-travelling Doctor can help!
Penguin Readers Level 5: Wuthering Heights (ELT Graded Reader)
Penguin Readers Level 5: Wuthering Heights (ELT Graded Reader)
With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction.

Wuthering Heights, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing present perfect continuous, past perfect, reported speech and second conditional. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly.

It is winter in Yorkshire, England. A man rides through the snow to visit a house called Wuthering Heights. While there, the man learns about Catherine, who lived in the house years before. Catherine's story of love and sadness still affects the lives of those in the present.

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