Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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The first book in the exhilarating new fantasy sequence from Joseph Delaney, the multi-million-selling author of The Spook's Apprentice. 
 
Welcome to Arena 13. Here warriors fight. Death is never far away . . . 
 
Leif has one ambition: to become the best fighter in the notorious Arena 13. Here, punters place wagers on which fighter will draw first blood. And in grudge matches, they bet on which fighter will die. 
 
But the country is terrorized by the creature Hob, an evil being who delights in torturing its people, displaying his devasting power by challenging an Arena 13 combatant in a fight to the death whenever he chooses. And this is exactly what Leif wants . . . 
 
For he knows Hob's crimes well. and at the heart of his ambition burns the desire for vengeance. Leif is going to take on the monster who destroyed his family. Even if it kills him.

Arena 13

Joan Lingard

Kevin and Sadie just want to be together, but it's not that simple. Things are bad in Belfast. Soldiers walk the streets and the city is divided. No Catholic boy and Protestant girl can go out together - not without dangerous consequences . . . 
 
The second of Joan Lingard's ground-breaking Kevin and Sadie books

Across the Barricades

A Kevin and Sadie Story

Joan Aiken

After the sad demise of Sir Thomas, Edmund Bertram and his new wife Fanny must sail to the West Indies in order to oversee the family’s affairs. 
 
Back at Mansfield Park, Fanny’s younger sister Susan is left at the helm. The household faces disarray, and she must guide the estate through gossip and grievances. Yet the news of Henry and Mary Crawford’s return to Mansfield heralds the greatest storm yet. With the arrival of this dangerous pair, romance is once more in the air, and hearts are set to be broken . . . 
 
Featuring a cast of characters from Jane Austen's classic, including Susan Price, Thomas Bertram, Lady Bertram, Julia Yates and, of course, the infamous Crawford siblings.

Mansfield Revisited

S E Hinton

Greasers, Rockers, different place, different name - but wherever they are, they're outsiders; the rough, tough, long-haired boys from the other side of town, with little hope of flash cars, fine madras shirts and the good things of American life in the Sixties. Their story is told by Ponyboy, a Greaser with good reason to fear the Socs, the rich kids in Mustangs who come looking for trouble, and witness to the savage baiting that drives his best friend to manslaughter. More than a story of hatred and violence, this is also a story of loyalty and friendship as teenagers of the urban slums search for personal dignity and a place in the world.

The Outsiders

Sadie is Protestant, Kevin is Catholic - and on the tense streets of Belfast their lives collide. It starts with a dare - kids fooling around - but soon becomes something dangerous. Getting to know Sadie Jackson will change Kevin's life forever. But will the world around them change too? The first of Joan Lingard's influential Kevin and Sadie books.

The Twelfth Day of July

Steve Cole

BEFORE THE MAN BECAME THE LEGEND. 
BEFORE THE BOY BECAME THE MAN. 
 
James is back in Steve Cole's fourth and final blistering Young Bond adventure . . . 
 
James is on home soil when he receives a package with a message from beyond the grave. The package’s mysterious contents put James at the heart of a long-running plot that, if it runs its course, will paint London’s streets red with blood. Not only will James have to fight to stay alive and save the country he loves, but to clear the Bond family name, which he holds so dear. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and James doesn’t know who he can trust . . . 
 
Books in the series: 
1. SHOOT TO KILL 
2. HEADS YOU DIE 
3. STRIKE LIGHTNING 
4. RED NEMESIS

Young Bond: Red Nemesis

Joan Aiken picks up the pen of her forerunner, Jane Austen, in this charming sequel to Pride and Prejudice. 
 
Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy have finally found matrimonial bliss, and now our attention turns to Rosings Park, the estate of the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh. When an unfortunate carriage accident means that siblings Ralph and Priscilla Delaval must reside with Lady Catherine, the stage is set for a scandal. Life in the sleepy Kent village is turned upside down by a series of unexpected events, and dark family secrets are finally brought to light . . . 
 
Featuring a cast of characters from Austen’s classic, including Anne de Bourgh, Elizabeth's friend Charlotte Collins (née Lucas), Colonel Fitzwilliam and, of course, the redoubtable Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Lady Catherine's Necklace

Lauren Kate

Eureka lost her mother years ago in a tragic accident, and since then she has been overwhelmed by grief. She wishes she could escape, but then she meets Ander, a mysterious blond boy who tells her that she is in danger. Her sorrow creates a dark world around her, and her tears flood the Earth, raising Atlantis and bringing all kinds of darkness with it. She can save the world, but everything comes at a price... 
The series charts a young girl's struggles as she comes to terms with the loss of her mother and new found power whilst tentatively learning to love.

Seventeen-year-old Eureka’s life is taking on dark undercurrents that don’t make sense . . . 
 
Her mother killed in a freak accident. 
 
Her best friend, Brooks, behaving like a stranger. 
 
And Ander. The boy with eyes like the ocean who is everywhere she goes. 
 
Uncovering her mother’s legacy – a stone, a locket and an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak – Eureka begins to question everything she thought she knew. 
 
Only one thing is certain: everything she loves can be washed away.

Teardrop

George Orwell

In this story, Winston Smith re-writes history for the Ministry of Truth in Oceania. Big Brother and the Thought Police watch everyone for signs of Thought Crime. But when Winston falls in love with Julia, he begins to have new ideas and hopes. Winston and Julia start to question the world that they live in - but Big Brother does not like independent thought. 
 
Our Penguin Readers books include: 
• Simple text (CEFR-levelled) 
• Pictures to help you understand the story 
• Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English 
 
With the print book, you can get even more help online: 
• Read the book online 
• Listen to the book being read out loud 
• Get lesson plans for teachers 
• Find answers to check your understanding 
 
Note: online resources not available with the eBook.

Penguin Readers Level 7: Nineteen Eighty-Four (ELT Graded Reader)

Abridged Edition

James Joyce

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Dubliners, a Level 6 Reader, is B1+ in the CEFR framework. The longer text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing future continuous, reported questions, third conditional, was going to and ellipsis. A small number of illustrations support the text. 
 
In these stories, Joyce describes the lives of ordinary Dubliners. Their lives are not always easy, and they have problems with their families. They were the people who Joyce grew up with and he knew them very well.

Penguin Readers Level 6: Dubliners (ELT Graded Reader)

On Ander's eighteenth birthday, he must give up all that he loves in order to complete the Passage and become a Seedbearer. But can he ever relinquish his love for Eureka? 
 
An exclusive ebook original short story from the dark, romantic world of TEARDROP.

Last Day of Love

A Teardrop Story

Jane Austen

With a foreword by Krystal Marquis, author of The Davenports and The Davenports: More Than This 
 
‘If your only choice is Henry Crawford and his red flags, spinsterhood may the way to go.’ – Krystal Marquis 
 
When Fanny Price is taken in by wealthy relatives, she finds herself abused, overlooked and thoroughly unloved. Her only solace is her friendship with their youngest son, Edmund. But they are just friends. At least for now. 
 
Soon, the arrival of Henry and Mary Crawford sets off a flurry of matchmaking and Fanny must decide who she loves and how they might all end up living happily-ever-after. 
 
Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Puffin’s boldly designed new YA Jane Austen collection. Like all the best romcoms, Austen’s novels are full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama; they are masterclasses in the lost arts of stolen glances and breath-taking gestures. 
 
With a stunning modern design and forewords from leading YA romance authors, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to escape the brutal nonchalance of modern dating and embrace your inner romantic.

Mansfield Park

Dodie Smith

A beautiful hardback edition of one of the funny, heartbreaking, iconic coming-of-age novel. 
 
'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. 
 
Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fading glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time. 
 
'I know of few novels that inspire as much fierce lifelong affection in their readers' Joanna Trollope 
 
'This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met' J. K. Rowling 
 
**One of the BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World** 
 
VINTAGE QUARTERBOUND CLASSICS: Bound to be beautiful

I Capture the Castle

A special edition of the coming-of-age classic

Philip Pullman

‘But the thing is,’ said Horley, ‘they didn’t know each other at all. Never heard of each other. It wasn’t about the makers. Only about the works.’ 
 
On a dark winter’s night in 1970, Horley and Grinstead huddle for warmth in the Senior Common Room of a college in Oxford. Conversation turns to the two impressive works of art that Horley has recently added to his collection. What the two men don’t know is that these pieces are connected in mysterious and improbable ways; and they are about to be caught in the cross-fire of a story which has travelled time and worlds. 
 
A His Dark Materials story.

The Collectors

His Dark Materials Story

Louisa May Alcott

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Little Women, a Level 1 Reader, is A1 in the CEFR framework. Short sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the past simple tense and some simple modals, adverbs and gerunds. Illustrations support the text throughout, and many titles at this level are graphic novels. 
 
Little Women is the story of a poor American family in the American Civil War. The four sisters, Beth, Jo, Meg and Amy are very different. But together they work hard and help their mother and father. Sometimes their lives are very happy, and sometimes they are very sad. But the family's love always helps them.

Penguin Readers Level 1: Little Women (ELT Graded Reader)

Esther Hautzig

Esther Rudomin was ten years old when, in 1941, she and her family were arrested by the Russians for being 'capitalists' and transported to the endless steppe of Siberia. This is the very moving true story of the next five years spent in exile, of how the Rudomins kept their courage high, though they went barefoot and hungry.

The Endless Steppe

John Christopher

Will Parker and his friends have escaped the mind-controlling alien Tripods, and found sanctuary in the White Mountains - but when an opportunity arises for them to infiltrate a Tripod city, they realise they have a chance to strike back against the invaders. What they learn there may hold the key to liberating humanity - if they can survive the beauty and terror of the City of Gold and Lead. 
 
The second book in John Christopher's classic dystopian series is available for the first time as an ebook.

Tripods: The City of Gold and Lead

Book 2

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Sense and Sensibility, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing present perfect continuous, past perfect, reported speech and second conditional. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
Elinor and Marianne Dashwood are sisters. After the death of their father and losing their home and money, they have to move to a small cottage across the country. There, both their lives completely change.

Penguin Readers Level 5: Sense and Sensibility (ELT Graded Reader)

Brought to you by Penguin. 
 
The fourth book in the Sally Lockhart Quartet, narrated by Adjoa Andoh. 
 
Jim Taylor, Sally's oldest friend, is engaged as bodyguard to a princess. But Crown Princess Adelaide of Razkavia is not what you'd expect. She's the slum-girl Jim has been searching for ever since she vanished 10 years ago. 
 
Now her life is in mortal danger, and together they must battle against unknown enemies in a country where no one can be trusted. 
 
 
© Philip Pullman 1994 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

The Tin Princess

BEFORE THE MAN BECAME THE LEGEND. 
BEFORE THE BOY BECAME THE MAN. 
 
The explosive action continues in Steve Cole's second Young Bond adventure . . . 
 
James's Cuban holiday has become a nightmare mission to save an old friend from a villain who has perfected 1,000 ways to kill. 
 
With corrupt cops and hired assassins hot on his heels, James must travel through Havana and brave Caribbean waters to stop a countdown to mass murder. 
 
Fates will be decided with the flip of a coin. Heads or tails. Live or die. 
 
Books in the series 
1: SHOOT TO KILL 
2: HEADS YOU DIE

Young Bond: Heads You Die

With a foreword by Hannah Grace, author of Icebreaker and Wildfire 
 
‘If [Elinor] were real, I’d bet that her favourite Taylor Swift song would be This is Me Trying.’ – Hannah Grace 
 
Left destitute after their father’s death, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood must navigate love, marriage and societal expectations to ensure their security and happiness. But romance isn’t easy, and soon Elinor finds her good sense tested by her charming brother-in-law, while Marianne’s romantic sensibility brings her nothing but heartbreak. 
 
To find happiness, both sisters must learn to balance sense and sensibility. 
 
Fall head over heels for First Impressions, Puffin’s boldly designed new YA Jane Austen collection. Like all the best romcoms, Austen’s novels are full of meet-cutes, missed connections and drama; they are masterclasses in the lost arts of stolen glances and breath-taking gestures. 
 
With a stunning modern design and forewords from leading YA romance authors, this eye-catching six-book series is an open invitation to escape the brutal nonchalance of modern dating and embrace your inner romantic.

Sense and Sensibility

Thomas Hardy

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Tess of the D'Urbervilles, a Level 6 Reader, is B1+ in the CEFR framework. The longer text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing future continuous, reported questions, third conditional, was going to and ellipsis. A small number of illustrations support the text. 
 
When Jack and Joan Durbeyfield learn that their ancestors were the d'Urbervilles - a rich and well-known family - they hope it will make their lives better. They send their eldest daughter, Tess, to introduce herself to some "relatives". There, Tess meets Alec d'Urberville, who immediately notices her beauty. The terrible event that follows changes her life forever.

Penguin Readers Level 6: Tess of the D'Urbervilles (ELT Graded Reader)

Caitlin Moran

Fifteen-year-old Morag Narmo really doesn't want to go to school any more. She and her siblings would rather feed their heads into the waste-disposal unit than "do the academical". So they are all stunned when their parents whisk them out of school and embark on a home-schooling experiment. But with five children, two unruly pets and some extremely eccentric attitudes, the educational experiment soon descends into chaos... 
 
Witty, razor-sharp and laugh-out-loud funny, The Chronicles of Narmo show us how before Caitlin Moran knew How to be a Woman, she had to find out How to be a Girl.

The Chronicles Of Narmo

Mark Twain

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. 
 
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) is the story of a boy in Missouri in the 1840s. Tom Sawyer's parents are dead and he lives with his aunt in a small village next to the long Mississippi river. One night, Tom and his friend, Huckleberry Finn see Injun Joe kill Dr Robinson. "We can't say anything about it. Or we will die," says Tom. But then the wrong man goes to prison...

Penguin Readers Level 2: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (ELT Graded Reader)

Ngadi Smart

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family live in a beautiful, ramshackle castle - but sadly that's not quite as exciting as it sounds when you're having to use the barn door as a kitchen table, and new clothes are literally made out of old curtains . . . 
 
Determined to forge her own path, Cassandra practices her writing skills by keeping a diary - observing the eccentric comings and goings of her beloved-but exasperating family, and pondering what life may have in store for her. But things are about to get delightfully more dramatic with the arrival of two glamorous Americans - and soon the Mortmain's lives will never be the same again.

BEFORE THE MAN BECAME THE LEGEND. 
BEFORE THE BOY BECAME THE MAN. 
 
James Bond is back again in Steve Cole's third thrilling Young Bond adventure. 
 
When James stumbles upon a horrific sight, he knows things are not what they seem. His school is determined to make him believe what happened was an accident, but James believes what he saw was murder. 
 
The significance of the events at school only come to light in the course of an adventure that takes James across Europe and puts him within range of a warmongering villain. Has James got what it takes to triumph over this man, the worst kind of enemy, who boasts a new kind of weapon? 
 
Books in the series: 
1. SHOOT TO KILL 
2. HEADS YOU DIE 
3. STRIKE LIGHTNING

Young Bond: Strike Lightning

Charles Dickens

In this story, Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas. He is angry that people are not working. Then, he meets the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley. Can Scrooge be a good person before it is too late? 
 
Our Penguin Readers books include: 
• Simple text (CEFR-levelled) 
• Pictures to help you understand the story 
• Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English 
 
With the print book, you can get even more help online: 
• Read the book online 
• Listen to the book being read out loud 
• Get lesson plans for teachers 
• Find answers to check your understanding 
 
Note: online resources not available with the eBook.

Penguin Readers Level 1: A Christmas Carol (ELT Graded Reader)

Graphic Novel

Helen Falconer

Aoife has returned. 
 
Back with her family after her adventures in the Land of the Young – where she rescued her younger sister Eva, narrowly escaping the evil fairy Dorocha – she is adjusting to life in the human world. But this is hard when you are trying to contain an otherworldly power . . . and even harder when you've been thought dead, mourned by those you love. 
 
Aoife’s world collapses completely when Shay, her fellow traveller and love of her life, abandons her. He is a lenanshee – and it is dangerous to love, and be loved, by such a fairy. 
 
But Shay is trapped in his own web of desire, as dark forces move against the pair. When he is taken in by a beautiful demon, this can only mean a return to the Fairy World. Aoife – with her best friend Carla – must battle old and new enemies, meet old and new friends, and use all her Fairy Powers to save Shay – her true Beloved. 
 
And when days in the Fairy World are months in the human world, time runs out very fast indeed . . .

The Dark Beloved

M. R. James

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
Ghost Stories, a Level 3 Reader, is A2 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing first conditional, past continuous and present perfect simple for general experience. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. 
 
A strange whistle, a dangerous curse, a buried crown and a hotel without a room 13. Don't read these four frightening ghost stories by M.R. James late at night!

Penguin Readers Level 3: Ghost Stories (ELT Graded Reader)

Seduced and abandoned by the faithless Willoughby, Colonel Brandon’s much-loved ward Eliza is sent to give birth in the countryside. But what becomes of her, and her daughter, the young Eliza? 
 
Joan Aiken's sequel to Sense and Sensibility takes up the stories of Elinor and Marianne, but introduces a dashing new heroine who despite being a 'by-blow' and outcast, uses her wits and talents to find her own way in the world. This is a darker side of Regency society where a young girl who cannot marry for money must find a career, and brave the realities of the Napoleonic wars in Portugal.

Eliza's Daughter

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