Category: L1 – Beginner
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Eyes, Teeth and Toenails
Ken finally has his holiday. But his eyes hurt! Maybe watching TV will help. Lisa loves brushing her teeth – she does it EVERYWHERE. But what will happen when she goes to the dentist? Vladimir has beautiful, long toenails… but does his boss agree?
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The Pancake Man
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Genre: DramaSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: At first, Connect (person), Flip, Frying pan, Giant, Grave, Lift weights, Pancake, Run (business), Sick of something, SpaceWord Count: 1194Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyFrancis’s mother dies, and his father gets very sad. One day, Francis’s father starts making pancakes. Francis loves the pancakes, so his dad makes bigger and bigger pancakes. But maybe they’re too big…
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The Perfect Pet
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Genre: HorrorSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Allergy, Bite, Blood, Butcher, Covered in, Guinea pig, Lock, Mean (unkind), Named after, Pee, Scratch, SocialWord Count: 1424Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyRory has always wanted a pet, but his parents don’t like animals. When Rory finishes university, he decides to get a pet. First, he gets a dog, but then things start going wrong…
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Goldilocks and the Three Bears
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Genre: Children’sSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Fur coat, Judge, Lonely, Normal-sized, Owe, Porridge, Shout, Smell, Sunrise, Swan, Try (Food)Word Count: 2115Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyGoldilocks goes into the forest and gets lost. She finds a house with porridge by the window, and it smells so good… The old man who lives there would want her to go and eat it, wouldn’t he?
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Whose Child Is It?
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Genre: PhilosophicalSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Adviser, Breastfeed, Complain, Give birth, Lie, Midwife, Miserable, Real (true), Smother, Split in two, WhoseWord Count: 857Original Author: Fairy TalesTwo women come to the king with a baby. Both say that the baby is theirs. Who is the real mother? The king must decide.
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The Boy Who Knew No Fear (Beginner)
One day, a young man called Anders hears his brother say, ‘Oh, those scary stories make me shudder!’ ‘I wonder what it means to shudder?’ Anders thinks, and he goes out on a journey to find out.
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Hector the Snail
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Genre: Children’sSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: All over, Cave, False eyelashes, Free (verb), Human, Kick, Ostrich, Ride, Snail, Snail trail, Solve a problem, Swap, WizardWord Count: 1033Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyHector is a snail, so of course he’s very slow. But he dreams of becoming fast. He decides to find a wizard and ask the wizard to swap his body with an ostrich’s. What could go wrong? Well, a lot, actually…
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The Turnip Princess
A young man called Arran hates eating his vegetables. One day, his mother locks him out. Arran finds a house with a strange old woman inside, and a dog that talks. Will he find his way home, and will he discover the secret of the house?
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The Very Hungry Dragon (Beginner)
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Genre: Children’sSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Cart, Dragon, Freezer, From now on, Hug, Ignore, In one go, Jewel, Reputation, Smell, Spit out, Taste of somethingWord Count: 1290Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyShe flew down and took the roof off the cart. The people with the cart saw her and ran away. Grella laughed, and picked up the cart in her hand. She emptied it into her mouth, eating all of the jewels in one go. Grella understood now. Her mother had been right. Jewels were amazing.…
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The Tattoo
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Genre: Science FictionSetting: ModernNew Vocabulary: Anxious, Barber, Bum, Go bald, Hidden, Lie, Months in advance, Original, Remove, Shape, Shave your hair off, Tattoo, Treat someone likeWord Count: 2244Original Author: Ariel Goodbody‘I know you think you don’t want it,’ said Gary’s girlfriend, Claire, ‘but just think. When you turn 18, most of your friends will have their tattoos already. People will want to see yours. Look, you can tell them that you’re getting it later, that you couldn’t book an appointment, but how long can you…