Books for English Learners.

Good time of the day, dear bookworms! New selection for English Learners is here for you!

We are observing classic adapted to A2-B2 level books, which are “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll, “Mysterious island” by Jules Verne, “The Invisible Man” by Herbert Wales, “Vanity Fair” by William Thackeray, “the Prince and the Pauper” by Mark Twain, Short Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, “Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)” by Jeroine Jerom, Stories by O. Henry and English Folk Tales.

As you can see there is a big amount of material to go through, so I am going to give quiet short overviews, but they will not disappoint you!

Also, there are not going to be markings as well as there weren`t in Spanish selection. I have read most of them a good couple of years ago, therefore, I tried to recall old impressions to make this list.

“Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll (A2)

This book tells about a girl named Alice who finds herself in an amazing country, so different from the world people are used to. Here, food and drink can make you shrink or grow larger, cats smile and disappear right in front of your eyes, tea parties last forever, and all the inhabitants are slightly crazy. A country in which everything becomes “more and more wonderful every minute.”

Undoubtedly, this story in this edition is highly useful. The description of all Wonderful objects were engaging to read. The atmosphere is dreamlike, so it reminds the readers about the tails they used to hear and imagine in their heads when they were little.

English Folk Tales. (A2)

The collection includes eleven English folk tales. The tales are very diverse. Here you’ll find magical stories featuring fictional characters as well as beloved animal tales. The plots of the tales are simplified, but the rich imagery and stylistic features of the English folk language have been preserved as much as possible.

This collection of fairy tales is exceptionally interesting to read because of their short and clear interpretation. There are stories about Goldilocks, Three Little Pigs and etc., that have a cute mini illustration in the beginning of each one. In a combination with the edition`s font, pictures transform the regular white pages into something cozy and homey.

Short Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. (B1)

The collection includes 9 adapted stories by the famous English writer Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of detective stories.

This storybook is a relatively huge one. Including the dictionary and exercises, there are 215 pages. At the end, readers have space for their notes, which is a rare occurrence.

All in all, stories were fascinating to read, even though they might seem too simple and usual to Sherlock Holmes lovers. (there are some illustrations)

“the Prince and the Pauper” by Mark Twain. (B1)

Mark Twain’s book tells about the times of good old England. The heir of the formidable Henry VIII, Edward, Prince of Wales, meets the beggar boy Tom. They decide to switch places for a while. This will lead to many adventures, described with the inimitable humor of Mark Twain.

On this one I have a saved comment dated November 2021: “I learned a little more about England`s culture of the 16th century and convinced how cruel the law was at that time. At first, I thought that everything would be very predictable, but it turned out differently”.

(there are some illustrations)

“Mysterious island” by Jules Verne. (B2)

«Five brave Northerners and a dog escape from besieged Richmond in a hot air balloon and find themselves on an uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Will they be able to survive at the foot of a dormant volcano? Will they manage to protect their hard-won home from wild animals and the island from bloodthirsty pirates? Will they uncover the mystery of the identity of the Master of the island?»

The adventurous flow of this book made it a fascinating experience to read about the survival of the three men that were unprepared to live in a complete wild life and fight local animals. I am glad they had each other and a dog. Also, I am sure there are many ways to turn out on an abandoned island, however, this one was a discovery.

“The Invisible Man” by Herbert Wales. (B2)

The novel tells the story of the tragic fate of physicist Griffin, who invented a means that makes the human body invisible. Invisibility should have allowed the brilliant scientist to change the whole world, but instead his invention changed him, turning him into a dangerous madman, and leading to the most tragic consequences.

Firstly, I somehow had a great image of the Invisible Man. He was that well described that I still remember the way he immediately popped up in my head.

Although the challenges that he faced were so odd to read about, after finishing the book I wondered whether there is an actual possibility that a human being could become invisible.

(there are some illustrations)

“Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)” by Jeroine Jerom. (B2)

An absolutely incredible story of the journey of three carefree English gentlemen who set sail on the Thames with their favorite fox terrier Montmorency. Funny misunderstandings, funny collisions and situations full of comedy, from which the heroes emerge, maintaining a truly British sense of self-esteem, and today they amaze with their originality and unfading humor.

This book had an unusual perspective on dogs that closely accompany their owners. Montmorency was treated as a human being.

I deeply resonate with the motivation of the main leads to take a break from society and city life. It is a widespread desire among the city people, indeed.

Stories by O. Henry. (B2)

This collection consists of adapted stories by the American Writer O. Henry. The text of the stories has been slightly shortened, and difficult words and expressions have been replaced with commonly used ones.

Due to the fact that O. Henry usually writes in short story genre, I can`t characterize the book in another way. Well, it can be understood through the name. The general atmosphere of this collection is: everyday occasions that are familiar to all people. There was definitely a slight touch of romance and comedy.

(there are some illustrations)

“Vanity Fair” by William Thackeray.

The novel is set during the period of the Napoleonic Wars with England. It is rich in events, filled with subtle observations of the everyday life of its time, and vividly portrays a gallery of people from different layers of English society, infused with irony and sarcasm. At the center of the book is the fate of two diametrically opposed women—Emilia Crawley and Rebecca Sharp. The latter, an unscrupulous adventuress, is the main character of the novel and the most memorable character created by Thackeray.

It is a very short variation of “Vanity Fair”, which is originally a long novel, so I cannot say that a reader can actually get into the story.

Obviously, if you don`t mind the surfaced touch of it, go ahead.

Personally, it was a challenge to memorize all the quickly appearing characters due to its shortage. It was a pleasant thing to read after all.
(there are some illustrations)

In this edition, all books` texts are accompanied by comments and reading comprehension exercises with answers. At the end of the books there is a dictionary.

We are done for today! Thanks for reading until this point.

See you very-very soon, good bye!