Penguin Readers & Pearson English Readers (1200 headwords)

Laura and her father live quietly in a castle in the middle of a thick forest, but their lives change when beautiful, strange Carmilla becomes their guest. People start dying, and Laura also becomes ill. Laura's father is worried. Will his daughter die too? Or can the deaths be stopped?

Benjamin Button is a very strange baby. Born with a white beard, he looks like his grandfather. As years pass, he seems to get younger. This brings many problems, for him and the people around him. In these three stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, people are not always as they seem.

American English

While John Wood was working for Microsoft, he went on vacation to Nepal. There, in a small mountain village, he visited a school library which had very few books. The shock of this experience changed his life. Now his charity, Room to Read, has built more thgan 10,000 libraries and schools to give children in poor countries a better future.

American English

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? British English

A blind musician plays to the spirits of the dead. A priest is attacked by heads that have left their bodies. An old man meets a woman who has no face. Read these and many more strange, ghostly stories from old Japan – and be afraid! CD-ROM - additional activities and the complete audio recording

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?
This Penguin Reader play is written for acting – making English come alive.