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Oliver Twist
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-00-5
Lexile® Rating: 850L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.0 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
With a hungry, timid request of ‘Please, sir. I want some more’, orphan Oliver Twist takes his first step on a terrifying journey.
In the dark, dangerous streets of Victorian London Oliver enters the world of people so poor and desperate that they will take any risk and know no mercy.
Relentlessly pursued by the menacing criminal world, who should Oliver trust? Are his true friends strong enough to resist the determined plotting of desperate villains?
In this gripping tale of kidnapping, shooting and murder, Charles Dickens shows the threats to a vulnerable boy’s existence and asks the eternal question: which is more powerful, good or evil?
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A Christmas Carol
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-02-9
Lexile® Rating: 770L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 4.8 what is this?
F&P Level: T what is this?
£6.99
‘Bah, humbug! Fools wishing me a Merry Christmas should be forced to sit on cushions stuffed with holly leaves or boiled with their own Christmas puddings.’
Miserable old miser Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas. Can somebody so selfish, so harsh and so horribly lonely ever change his ways?
In one terrifying night, poor Scrooge is haunted by four ghosts. Why do they show him visions of his past? Why do they show him other people enjoying Christmas? Why do they show him the deaths of a young boy and of a miserable old miser?
Weep and laugh as you read this much-loved Christmas story. Will Scrooge always think that Christmas is ‘Humbug’, or will he learn to shout ‘Merry Christmas, one and all’?
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Hard Times
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-05-0
Lexile® Rating: 790L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.0 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
Louisa is the practical daughter of a powerful industrialist. Sissy is the imaginative daughter of a clown. What will happen when two such different lives collide?
A disappearing father, an unhappy marriage, a handsome suitor and a bank robbery all bring challenges to Louisa’s life. Will she be able to control her powerful emotions, or will they lead her to ruin?
Set amongst the noisy, dangerous factories of a northern industrial town, where the workers struggle to survive, Hard Times explores the power that people can have over others, and the suffering that is caused when human emotions are ignored.
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A Tale of Two Cities
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-64-7
Lexile® Rating: 800L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.4 what is this?
F&P Level: Y what is this?
£6.99
‘It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done.’
Sydney Carton is a lawyer who has wasted his abilities and his life. Now he has to make a difficult choice about what is really important to him, which could be a matter of life or death.
The French Revolution is running its violent course; lives are ruined as a new France is created. How did the gentle Doctor Manette and his daughter Lucie become caught up in France’s struggles? What is the real identity of the handsome Charles Darnay, who wins Lucie’s hand in marriage? And why does the shadow of La Bastille Prison hang over them all?
The best of times and the worst of times. London and Paris. Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. A story of contrasts and chaos. Can peace ever be restored in France? Can it ever be restored in the hearts of the people involved?
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David Copperfield
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-03-6
Lexile® Rating: 840L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.0 what is this?
F&P Level: W what is this?
£6.99
When David’s mother marries the malevolent Mr Murdstone, David’s childhood happiness is destroyed for ever.
Can one lonely little boy show the strength and determination to survive the dangers that lie ahead? Travelling along the rocky road from boyhood to manhood, how can David learn who to trust and who to love? Will David’s friends bring him happiness or heartache?
In this inspiring tale of trust, betrayal, courage and love, Charles Dickens presents a world of colourful characters to amuse us, astonish us, disgust us and move us to tears. Once encountered, David Copperfield’s friends and enemies will never be forgotten.
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Bleak House
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-04-3
Lexile® Rating: 870L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.3 what is this?
F&P Level: Y what is this?
£6.99
‘It would have been far better if you had never been born.’
Esther, at fourteen, has never known love. Determined to live well, earn some love and overcome the shadow of her birth, she takes her first steps into an unknown world.
A family curse, a manipulating lawyer, poverty and secrets threaten to destroy Esther’s world. Are the walls of Bleak House strong enough to protect her and her new friends from such powerful forces?
The reader will be caught up in an unfolding mystery, full of surprises. Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is: Who is Nemo?
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The Old Curiosity Shop
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-63-0
Lexile® Rating: 820L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.2 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
‘Why bless you, Little Nell! What if I had lost you?’
Little Nell Trent’s childhood is over. Her grandfather’s mind is failing, his dark secret makes him sad and distracted, and he has nobody to care for him but Nell.
The grotesque Daniel Quilp is out to cause trouble. What plans does he hatch with the dreadful Sampson and Sally Brass? What use can he hope to make of the foolish Dick Swiveller? Is Nell’s one true friend, Kit, a match for Quilp’s villainous mind?
Nell and her grandfather must disappear or be separated forever, and so they begin their lives as beggars. When a mysterious gentleman arrives in London, determined to track them down, it becomes a race against time and against the evil of Quilp.
Can Little Nell keep her grandfather safe? Who will protect Nell? Will the mysterious gentleman find them before it is too late?
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The Brothers Karamazov
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ISBN: 978-1-911091-05-9
£6.99
As Dimitry struck him Grigory screamed and fell back, the blood streaming horribly from his head. Dimitry bent over him, trying to stop the flow with his handkerchief which turned soaking red in an instant.
Alexey, Ivan and Dimitry Karamazov were sent away by their father Fyodor when they were very young, and never knew a father’s love. Now what will Dimitry’s bitter quarrel with Fyodor lead to?
Dimitry and his father both want to marry the beautiful Grushenka. Fyodor is old and ugly, but offers her wealth and security. Will she accept either of them, and if so, which?
The sickly, timid servant Smerdyakov confesses to a terrible crime. Is he telling the truth?
Can the deadly rivalry between father and son be settled peacefully, or must it end in tragedy?
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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 Lost World
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-14-2
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.4 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
‘Dinosaurs are most certainly not extinct. I have seen them.’
An incredible claim by the eccentric Professor Challenger leads to an expedition deep into the Amazon, where an unlikely group of men find themselves on a journey into unknown dangers. Will they have the skills, strength, intelligence and good fortune to survive?
Do dinosaurs really exist on the inaccessible plateau? How did a human skeleton become impaled on a bamboo spike? Can humans survive in a land of such primitive powers?
If journalist Edward Malone ever returns home to write his newspaper report, will it be to declare Challenger a madman or a genius?
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The Hound of the Baskervilles
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-49-4
Lexile® Rating: 920L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.6 what is this?
F&P Level: W what is this?
£6.99
Upon the ground around the body were the footprints of a gigantic hound!
When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead, his face distorted with shock and horror, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are faced with a sinister and difficult puzzle.
A fearsome creature stalks the wild and barren hills of Dartmoor. Is it a demon from the spirit world? Will it defeat their skill and courage?
Who is the tall, mysterious figure seen lurking on the moor at night?
Can Holmes save Sir Henry, the new owner of Baskerville Hall, from the ancient family curse? Or will the terrifying hound claim yet another victim?
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A Study in Scarlet
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-57-9
Lexile® Rating: 830L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.2 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
‘On his rigid face was an expression of horror and hatred such as I had never seen before upon human features.’
When Dr Watson agrees to share lodgings with Sherlock Holmes, he soon finds himself involved in a shocking and mysterious murder case.
What will Holmes discover when he examines the body? There are no marks on the dead man, so why is there so much blood at the scene of the crime?
Inspector Lestrade and Inspector Gregson have asked Holmes to help them. But will they listen to his advice?
Can the famous detective and his new friend discover the truth before the murderer strikes again?
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Silas Marner
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-60-9
Lexile® Rating: 890L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.5 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
‘It’s a woman. She’s dead, I think – dead in the snow at the Stone-pits – not far from my door.’
Since his arrival in the small village of Raveloe, Silas Marner has been an outsider. Nobody knows where he came from, nobody understands him, nobody dares to invite him in.
All of this changes when a little girl wanders through his door one snowy night. What feelings will she stir in Silas’s lonely heart? How will she draw Silas closer to the heart of Raveloe?
If Raveloe has a heart, it also has a head in the form of the wealthy Cass family. When Dunstan Cass enters Silas’s life, he takes something valuable. Years later, will Godfrey Cass do the same and take away what Silas has grown to love most dearly?
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The Mill on the Floss
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-59-3
Lexile® Rating: 840L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.3 what is this?
F&P Level: X what is this?
£6.99
Why was this feeling of regret so familiar to her? Why must she always wish she had done something different?
Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom grow up in the Mill on the River Floss. Although Maggie adores Tom, she often finds him cruel and cold. All she wants is for life to be full and warm.
The Tulliver family’s traditional way of living is threatened by changes beyond their control. Will the educated world of lawyers and lawsuits destroy what generations have enjoyed?
As Maggie grows into adulthood, how can she control her passionate nature? With a destiny like an unmapped river – full, deep and rapid – where will love and desire lead her? Where will it all end?
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The Great Gatsby
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-74-6
Lexile® Rating: 900L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 5.7 what is this?
F&P Level: Z what is this?
£6.99
Nick Carraway’s mysterious neighbour Gatsby gazes across the dark bay at a distant green light.
As the summer unfolds, Nick is drawn into Gatsby’s world of luxury cars, speedboats and extravagant parties. But the more he hears about Gatsby – even from what Gatsby himself tells him – the less he is sure of the truth. Did Gatsby really go to Oxford University? Was he a hero in the war? Did he once kill a man?
Nick recalls how he came to know Gatsby. He recounts how he enters the world of his cousin Daisy and her wealthy husband Tom. But does their money make them any happier? How do everybody’s stories connect?
Will you come to know the real Gatsby after reading Nick’s account of that fateful summer?
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My Brilliant Career
This was my life, my career, my brilliant career!
Sybylla Melvyn yearns for a life in the arts. She loves music and is determined to write a book. But as the daughter of a poor dairy farmer, she despairs of ever realising her ambitions.
Then comes the opportunity for Sybylla to go and live with wealthy relatives. In her new home she tastes a life of culture and refinement. She also meets handsome, rich Harold Beecham, who offers her a future most young women would dream of. But Sybylla is torn between a comfortable married life and the career she craves.
Will Harold win her over? How will Sybylla live with the choice she makes?
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My Experiments with Truth
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-88-3
£6.99
‘Get out!’ the official said, ‘or I will get a constable to push you out!’ ‘Do that,’ I said. ‘I will not get off the train!’
Mahatma Gandhi is best known as the father of the Indian nation and a charismatic leader in the fight for justice for all. But who was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and what made him the phenomenon he became? Born into a middle class family, Gandhi’s thirst for truth was evident from an early age, and his insistence on speaking and living his truth often got him into trouble.
Why did it matter so much to him not to cheat at school, to stand up to officials who told him what he could and could not do, to fight relentlessly for the rights of the poor and those with little power over their own lives?
What was it about Gandhi’s life and experiences that brought him to the clear understanding that love and non-violence are the best weapons in any struggle?
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Far from the Madding Crowd
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ISBN: 978-1-906230-38-8
Lexile® Rating: 760L what is this?
ATOS®/AR Level: 4.6 what is this?
F&P Level: Y what is this?
£6.99
‘I cannot allow any man to – to criticise my private conduct!’
Young, attractive and impetuous, Bathsheba has inherited a farm and is determined to be as independent as possible. Her natural beauty is a magnet for men; how will she choose between them?
Gabriel Oak is a young farmer, just set up in business with his own flock of sheep. He meets Bathsheba and falls in love with her, but she turns him down. He has to stand by and watch while the woman he loves is courted by others, first by William Boldwood, much older than Bathsheba; then by Sergeant Troy, young, handsome, and reckless. Who will she choose?
Throughout Bathsheba’s series of mistakes, Gabriel remains her loyal friend. But will he ever be more than just a friend?
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Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Following a series of misfortunes, Tess Durbeyfield leaves her impoverished family to seek work with her rich relations.
Her new employer, Alec d’Urberville, seems charming and kind. Tess has a mind of her own, but she is vulnerable and alone among strangers. Can she trust Alec?
A year later Tess meets Angel Clare, and they fall in love. If Angel discovers the truth about Tess’s past, will he still love her?
In this gripping story of courage, love and betrayal, Thomas Hardy asks many difficult questions. Are the expectations of women and men the same? Can we ever escape the consequences of our past actions? How much pain can one person live with?
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The Mayor of Casterbridge
Michael Henchard knew he deserved the pain he felt.
Henchard is a handsome farm labourer. When he gets drunk at a country fair, he sells his wife and child to a sailor. The next day, ashamed by what he has done, he lets people believe that his wife has died. Thus begins a chain of events which leads Henchard deep into dishonesty and betrayal.
Repentant and determined to change his ways, Henchard works hard to improve his fortunes. He becomes rich, and is elected mayor of Casterbridge – though his temper and his pride make him difficult to like.
When Henchard’s wife and daughter come back to find him, will he accept them? And what might they want from him? Will a reunion mean a happy ending?
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