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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-82-1
Lexile® Rating: 700L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 4.8 what is this?
F&P Level: Z what is this?
£6.99
‘I believe the only way to live, is to be true to oneself. The only way to get rid of temptation is to give into it.’
Young, rich and handsome, Dorian Gray seems to have it all. So why do people who were once his friends leave the room when he enters? Can there really be any truth in the dark tales that are told about him? And why does he keep his portrait locked away in an attic room?
Two men hold the answer to Dorian’s secret. One is the artist, Basil Hallward, who paints Dorian’s portrait. The other is Lord Henry Wotton, who convinces the impressionable Dorian that youth and pleasure are the only things worth living for.
Is Dorian Gray really as innocent as he seems? Can love and friendship save him from himself? Or will the secret of the picture of Dorian Gray be a secret he takes to his grave?
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The Pit and the Pendulum
The blackness of eternal night encompassed me. The intense darkness oppressed and stifled me so that I struggled for breath.
Having been condemned to death by the Spanish Inquisition, the narrator descends into a kind of hell. Dizzy with weakness and fainting with fear, he experiences such torments that death itself would be welcome. What troubles him most is the eternal question: how will he die?
Toledo Prison is notorious for the torture of the condemned. What minds have dreamed up the terror of the pit in the centre of the cell? What is the significance of the painted figure of Time with his menacing pendulum? Why do the walls glow with heat?
Experience with the narrator the intensity of his suffering when death seems inevitable but its form uncertain. Can anything, or anybody, help him?
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The Red Badge of Courage
Henry Fleming leaves his widowed mother behind and marches off to join a war that is tearing his country apart.
His regiment has yet to be tested in the fire of battle. Together the soldiers wait while distant guns rumble and the lights of enemy campfires flicker on the hills beyond a darkened river.
The young man recalls his childhood dreams of valiant combat. Will he pass the test and return home to tell others of his triumphs on the battlefield? Or will he flee at the first sign of real danger?
And what of his fellow soldiers, whose lives are caught up with his once the fighting begins? Will they examine the young man for any sign of real courage – or will he slink away in shame?
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The Riddle of the Sands
‘It seems pretty clear to me that sooner or later we’ll be at war with Germany, whether we like it or not’
Carruthers is looking forward to a relaxing holiday when he sets off for the Baltic Sea. Instead he finds himself at the centre of a complicated and deadly plot.
Will Carruthers and his friend Arthur Davies discover why the sinister and mysterious Herr Dollman is so interested in their little yacht, the Dulcibella? What does Clara Dollman know about her father’s plans?
Some secret scheme has brought Commander von Brüning of the Imperial German Navy to the East Frisian Islands. Can Carruthers and Davies solve the riddle of the sands?
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The Scarlet Letter
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-76-0
ATOS®/AR Level: 6.1 what is this?
F&P Level: Z what is this?
£6.99
Hester Prynne stands defiantly on a scaffold before hostile Puritans in seventeenth-century Boston, Massachusetts.
The baby in her arms and the bright scarlet letter ‘A’ on her gown are evidence and punishment for the shame she has brought on her religious neighbours.
Will Hester continue to conceal the name of the husband who sent her away from Europe years before as well as that of the father of her baby? Will the husband get his revenge on the man who has shamed him? Will that man admit his past, and join Hester and her daughter Pearl?
Or is the matter out of their hands, waiting to be decided between the forces of the Lord and of Satan?
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The Sign of the Four
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-58-6
Lexile® Rating: 830L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.1 what is this?
F&P Level: V what is this?
£6.99
‘I find myself in a very strange and mysterious situation.’
When Miss Mary Morstan is invited to meet a secretive stranger, she asks Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson to help her.
Captain Morstan has disappeared from his hotel without a trace. Should Miss Morstan dare to hope that her father is still alive?
What horrible scene awaits the famous detective and his friend when they break down the door to Bartholomew Sholto’s attic room?
Who is the man with the wooden leg, and why is he so full of bitterness and hatred? Will Toby, the cleverest tracker dog in London, help Holmes and Watson solve one of their most difficult cases?
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The Tempest
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-46-3
Lexile® Rating: 680L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 4.7 what is this?
F&P Level: Z what is this?
£6.99
A storm, a shipwreck, an enchanted island ...
A violent storm shipwrecks the King of Naples and his noblemen on what appears to be an uninhabited island. What the king doesn’t know is that they have been brought here by powerful magic.
Prospero, the mysterious ruler of the island, has a plan, but will he use his magic for good or bad against the castaways? His daughter, Miranda, has never seen another man except her father. What will she think of the stranger who stumbles into her life? Prospero’s monstrous servant, Caliban, sees a chance to overthrow his master. Will he succeed?
Enchantment and treachery are everywhere on the island – which will prove the stronger?
Click here for the Shakespeare original language comparison
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The Thirty-Nine Steps
‘It wouldn’t be pleasant sharing my flat with a dead body, but there was nothing else I could do.’
Richard Hannay is bored with life in London. Then he discovers a horrible crime, and finds himself in the middle of a clever and frightening plot. Can he find the proof he needs to save his country from disaster?
When Hannay hides out on the wild Scottish moors, will he escape from the dangerous gang who want to silence him forever? Who can he trust on his journey? Time is running out for Hannay and his friends. Will he be able to discover the secret of the thirty-nine steps before it is too late?
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The Three Kingdoms
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-35-7
Lexile® Rating: 1090L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 7.1 what is this?
F&P Level: Y what is this?
£6.99
The great empire of China is in turmoil.
As the government becomes increasingly incompetent, warlords and nobles battle for power. In the north is the Kingdom of Wei, headed by cunning and manipulative Cao Cao. In the southeast is the Kingdom of Wu, ruled by masterful and charismatic Sun Quan. In the west is the Kingdom of Shu, commanded by kind-hearted and humble Liu Bei.
Cao has committed murder and betrayal on his way to glory, only to see his family’s throne overthrown by other scheming crooks. Sun and his advisor Zhou Yu have established a military stronghold, but are no match against Liu’s military strategist Zhuge Liang, who wisely advocates tolerance and mutual respect.
Full of thrilling action, sophisticated stratagems, passionate brotherhood and loyalty, The Three Kingdoms sums up all the most important lessons of history.
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The Time Machine
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-13-5
Lexile® Rating: 850L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.6 what is this?
F&P Level: W what is this?
£6.99
‘On this machine, I intend to explore time ...’
The time traveller has invented a time machine. Its capabilities are beyond even his fertile imagination.
Hundreds of thousand of years in the future, the beautiful Eloi people live in a Garden of Eden. But why are the Eloi so fearful of the dark? What horrors lurk beneath the surface of their world?
What will the time traveller learn about the future? Will he survive the evil he encounters? Even if he can find his stolen machine, will it return him safely home?
What does his future hold? What is the future of the human race?
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The War of the Worlds
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-12-8
Lexile® Rating: 900L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.9 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
No one would have believed that planet Earth was being watched by creatures more intelligent than humankind.
But planet Earth was not only being watched – soon it would be invaded by monstrous creatures from Mars who strode about the land in great mechanical tripods, bringing death and destruction with them.
What can possibly stop an invading army equipped with heat-rays and poisonous black gas, intent on wiping out the human race?
This is one man’s story of that incredible invasion, from the time the first Martians land near his home town, to the destruction of London.
Is this the end of human life on Earth?
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The Water Margin
Although Song Jiang is only a lowly local government official, he is loyal to the emperor and kind to all the citizens in his care. But Song is in trouble. A series of unfortunate incidents have led to him being arrested, and his political enemies are keen to see him sentenced to death.
There is still hope, however. One hundred and eight brave bandits from Mount Liang have heard of Song’s good name – they are willing to rescue him as long as Song will lead them in rebelling against the corrupt government.
Will Song agree to become an outlaw? Will he be able to tread the narrow path between right and wrong? Will justice eventually prevail over corruption and the misuse of power?
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The Woman in White
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-50-0
Lexile® Rating: 930L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.3 what is this?
F&P Level: U what is this?
£6.99
A strange figure stood in front of him, dressed from head to foot in white clothing. The moonlight showed her pale, youthful face.
When Walter Hartright meets the woman in white, it is the start of an exciting and dangerous adventure. Who is she, and what does she want?
At first Walter is happy at Limmeridge House, teaching painting and drawing to Laura Fairlie and Marian Halcombe, but a wicked plot soon threatens to destroy the woman he loves.
Will their courage and determination be enough to defeat the powerful forces ranged against them? Is the mysterious woman in white their friend, or their enemy?
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Tom Sawyer
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-18-0
Lexile® Rating: 600L what is this?
F&P Level: W what is this?
£6.99
Tom Sawyer is a respectable boy in a little Mississippi River town. Huck Finn is a freedom-loving, neglected outcast. What better playmate could Tom want?
One night, innocent games of pirates and Robin Hood turn serious when the boys witness a murder in the graveyard. The murderer will kill them if they tell the truth. What should they do?
The boys decide to search for the murderer’s treasure. What risks will they take? Who else will they endanger? Will they have the courage and quick thinking to escape from dark caverns, cross the mighty Mississippi, and outwit the criminals? Will they find what they are looking for?
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Treasure Island
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ISBN: 978-1-911091-09-7
Lexile® Rating: 970L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.8 what is this?
£6.99
Dr Livesey opened up the folded paper. As he spread it out on the table in front of him, I gasped. Even a brief glimpse was enough to tell me it was a map of a small island – and a red cross had been drawn upon it, together with the words ‘The treasure lies here’.
After the discovery of the map young Jim Hawkins joins an expedition to the island with Dr Livesey and the squire. But who else knows the secret of the buried treasure?
Soon Jim and his companions find that they are in a desperate fight for survival with Captain Flint’s old shipmates, who are determined to kill everyone who stands between them and the hidden gold. Who is the peculiar man who lives on the island? Whose side is he on?
When Jim is separated from his friends, can he think of a way to outwit the pirates before they capture him?
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Twelfth Night
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-56-2
Lexile® Rating: 570L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 4.2 what is this?
F&P Level: Z what is this?
£6.99
Viola survives a shipwreck, but she thinks her twin brother Sebastian has died.
Alone in a strange country where it isn’t safe to be a single girl, Viola disguises herself as a boy called Cesario and finds work as a servant.
But dressing in boy’s clothes doesn’t stop Viola falling in love with a man – who is in love with someone else. Will she ever manage to win his love for herself?
And who is this other young man that appears, looking so like Cesario? What confusion will result from his arrival? Perhaps Viola’s brother didn’t drown after all …
Click here for the Shakespeare original language comparison
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Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea
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ISBN: 978-1-911091-06-6
£6.99
Clouds of multi–coloured fish rose from our feet like surprised birds from long grass. Every so often I caught a glimpse of the gleaming eyes of enormous crabs, their gigantic claws threatening to bar my path.
When Professor Aronnax and his two companions find themselves aboard the Nautilus they are amazed by the huge and powerful submarine and its mysterious owner, Captain Nemo. The three friends travel vast distances beneath the oceans, exploring an undersea realm full of excitement, discoveries and danger.
Captain Nemo seems to have some secret purpose. Why has he shut himself off from the world, and what are his plans for the Nautilus? The captain has told them that he can never leave his vessel. Will the Professor and his companions find a way to escape from their underwater prison?
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Waverley
Edward Waverley is an English officer in the army of King George, but will his love for Flora, the beautiful Scottish rebel, lead him to betray his King?
Life with his regiment in Scotland is dull until he visits his uncle’s friends in the Highlands, where he meets Fergus McIvor and his sister Flora. Attracted by the wild freedom and romance of the Scottish clans, Edward finds himself in a difficult and dangerous position. His new friends are Jacobites, planning to overthrow King George and restore the Stuart monarchy.
The Jacobites rise in rebellion. When Prince Charles leads an invasion of England, Edward’s loyalties are hopelessly divided. Whose side will he take? And what fate awaits them all?
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Wuthering Heights
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-20-3
Lexile® Rating: 760L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 4.9 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
I saw everything. They told me everything. I played a part in everything.
Nelly Dean has spent her life serving the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. She has quite a tale to tell. She wants to tell it to you.
Nelly’s story is as wild and stormy as the moors on which it is set. She talks of haunting, hatred, love, grief and the desire for revenge.
Her tale begins and ends with the mysterious Heathcliff. Where has this strange, silent boy come from? Will you fear him or pity him? What drives the adult Heathcliff to destroy others, even his own son, and to dig in dark graveyards? Is it love or vengeance, or both?
This famous story of Heathcliff and Catherine will thrill you and chill you to the bone.
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