Penguin Readers & Pearson English Readers (1200 headwords)

Sephy Hadley and Callum McGregor are two young people who fall in love. But Sephy is a Cross, the daughter of a government minister, and Callum is a nought. In their world, Crosses and noughts cannot be friends. Must they become enemies? Or is there hope for them - and for their unhappy country?

British English

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

American English

Lord Cutler Beckett wants to command the oceans and put an end to pirates. The Pirate Lords have other ideas. Follow William Turner, Elizabeth Swann and the crew of the Black Pearl as travel to World's End to rescue Jack Sparrow and save the pirates of the Caribbean. American English

There are five stories in this book. ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ and ‘The Barrel of Amontillado’ are stories of madness; ‘The Maelström’ describes fear of death during a storm on the ocean; and in ‘The Murders of the Rue Morgue’ and ‘The Stolen Letter’ meet C. Auguste Dupin, Poe’s famous Parisian detective.

‘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?

One day Rafael was well; the next day he was completely mad. What happened to him? The story of Rafael and his gold ring is a strange story of murder, mystery and love. Many people know part of the story. But only Rafael knows the true facts. And Rafael is mad.

Anna Scott is an American film star. She is rich, beautiful and very famous. William Thacker is a shy man who has a small, unsuccessful bookshop in London. Their lives are different in every way, but they are both looking for someone special. Can a future together be more than a dream? Notting Hill is a wonderful – and very funny – love story.

Meet the Larkin family! They enjoy a wonderful country life, never worrying about money, work – or the law. But then, one day, a man arrives from the tax office. Is the taxman going to change the Larkin’s lives? Or is his life going to change forever?

Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. His heart is filled with sadness and pain. Why? Only his two best friends, Horatio and Marcellus, know the true reason. The new king, Claudius, murdered Hamlet’s father and married the young prince’s mother. Will Hamlet be strong and brave enough to take revenge? Is he mad? Or does he have a secret plan?

Has Mrs Brown killed Granny on the beach? Why does Mrs Hill want to leave her husband? Who wants to steal the Professor’s invention? And what is little Johnny trying to say? Discover the answers when you read the plays in this book. They are plays about ordinary people and the unusual, often funny, things that happen to them.

Britain is a small country but it has a long history. Two thousand years ago it was part of the Roman Empire. In the 1930s the British Empire was the biggest empire in world history. In the past, kings and queens fought to rule Britain. Discover how wars, revolutions and religion have changed its history. Read about the different countries of the United Kingdom – and the great men and women who have shaped the British nation.