Penguin Readers & Pearson English Readers (2300 headwords)

These stories paint colourful pictures of life in Britain and America in the past. We meet some unusual people. There’s the dreamy boy who wakes up one day to find a bird making a nest in his hair! And there’s the man who tries to catch a ghost.

The War of the Worlds is one of the most frightening science fiction novels ever written. When a spaceship falls from the sky and lands in southern England, few people are worried. But when strange creatures climb out and start killing, nobody is safe.

Patrick Lanigan, a lawyer, dies in a car crash. Later, the partners in his law firm discover that Patrick is not really dead. He is living in Brazil, and he has 90 million dollars of his partners’ money…

Ten-year-old Tonya Hailey is attacked and raped by two local men. Carl Lee, Tonya’s father, shoots them. Now only his lawyer and friend, Jake Brigance, stands between him and the electric chair. Is there a legal defense for Carl Lee’s actions?

During the Great Depression in the United States, and after the loss of their farm in Oklahoma, the Joad family is faced with a journey of more than one thousand miles to California in search of a better life. Can hope defeat poverty, illness, hunger, and even death as they follow their dream?

Classic / British English
A stranger arrives in a small village wearing a long coat and gloves. His head is covered in bandages and dark glasses hide his eyes. The villagers are curious. Who is he? When they discover the stranger’s terrible secret, they realize that they are in great danger.

When a Chinese politician is assassinated in Hong Kong, Jason Bourne's name is found at the scene. The killer has returned! Who is paying him and who will he kill next? But American officials know that there never was an assassian called Jason Bourne. So who is is the impostor? How can he be stopped?

American English

I have no job. I have no money. I have debts I can’t pay. I do, however, have a case.
Rudy Baylor is ready to finish law school but loses his first job before he has even started. Then Dot and Bud Black ask for his help in their fight against a powerful insurance company. Their son, Donny Ray, is dying. His claim for medical insurance has been refused. Can Rudy, an inexperienced student, really give them any hope?

In Washington, two Supreme Court judges are murdered and only the young and beautiful law student Darby Shaw knows why. She has uncovered a deadly secret but will anyone believe her? Can she stay alive long enough to persuade them she is right?

Michael Henchard is a wealthy and respected man, but he has a terrible secret. Twenty years ago, when he was unemployed and penniless, he sold his wife to a sailor. Now she is looking for him again. Why? And what will happen when she finds him?

A stranger arrives in a small village wearing a long coat and gloves. His head is covered in bandages and dark glasses hide his eyes. The villagers are curious. Who is he? When they discover the stranger’s terrible secret, they realize that they are in great danger.

When Andrew Manson starts work as a doctor he discovers some unpleasant facts about the medical profession. He struggles against a system that seems to value money more than curing illness. But the system is extremely powerful. Will he win his battle?