Penguin Readers & Pearson English Readers (200 headwords)

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?

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 in Brazil again?

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 the boy,’ Tommy’s boss says.

Tom breaks his leg in a football game — it’s not his lucky day! A week later, Tom sees his favorite movie star. But Tom falls again—and suddenly the movie star is falling too! Reporters are taking pictures of Tom. Is this his lucky break?

Abdullah knows a lot about oryx, the rare and gentle creatures of the desert. But there are cruel and ignorant people in the desert too - and someone needs to stop them.

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.

Marcel is a mouse and a famous detective. He lives in Paris. One evening, two thieves steal a very expensive diamond ring – the ‘White Star’. Then they steal a car. Marcel follows them across Paris to a café. Can he get the ‘White Star’ and bring it back?

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 help her?

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 head. Are there ghosts in these stories? What do you think?

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.

Kim is running through the streets of the old town. She is frightened. A man with dark eyes and a knife is looking for her. He is going to catch her. This holiday in beautiful Barcelona is suddenly very dangerous. Where is Kim’s friend Dave? What can she do?

One of Hollywood’s most successful actors, Tom Cruise has starred in numerous films since his début in Risky Business. Read about his life and career, his major film roles, his involvement with Scientology and his marriages.