English for Speakers of Other Languages - Academic: Level 2 ESOL Readers

The saga of David Balfour, a young heir whose greedy uncle connives to do him out of his inherited fortune and plots to have him seized and sold into slavery. But honor, loyalty, and courage are rewarded; the orphan and castaway survives kidnapping and shipwreck, is rescued by a daredevil of a rogue, and makes a thrilling escape to freedom across the wild highlands of Scotland.

Ronnie Campbell has escaped from prison and Morag Mackenzie has been found murdered. Seven years ago Morag gave evidence in an Edinburgh court that sent Ronnie to prison for murder. Inspector Logan is not sure this case is as straightforward as it seems. She returns to the original crime scene in order to find out the truth.

It's Stephany and Max's first holiday together in Italy and they are staying at the flat of Stephany's friend, Carlos. Max is a little jealous of Carlos and Carlos's wife is certainly not happy to see Stephany. It becomes clear that there is more between Stephany and Carlos than just friendship and the tension rises between the two couples. As Max discovers more about Stephany's past, he begins to wonder if he really knows her at all.

In Edinburgh a detective listens to a confession; in Orkney an old man lives with the ghosts of his past. In the Outer Hebrides some travelers learn a lesson; in Glasgow a young woman steals a meeting with a famous actor; and in a small town somewhere a pigeon dies. These stories are as richly varied as the land of Scotland itself.

In a small Welsh village Megan and Huw fall in love. But then a tragic accident changes Huw's life and he must move abroad. Fifty years later, Huw and Megan finally meet again. Both their lives have changed and Megan is about to get married. Can Huw convince her that their love is still strong?

A hurricane is tearing across the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa towards America. As the hurricane passes through the Caribbean, it destroys everything in its path. In Florida, a man is out in a fishing boat, unaware of the approaching disaster. His daughter, Ikemi, and her boyfriend must confront the hurricane in a desperate attempt to reach her father before it's too late.

For David Hawke, directing Dead Before Midnight on Broadway is the chance of a lifetime. But strange things begin to happen to David and his colleagues, and people are saying that the play itself may be cursed. As opening night approaches, it's not clear if it will be the biggest night of David's life, or the last...

Everyone's talking about the mysterious young man who turns up in the quite seaside town of Kilverberg. Anna Cross, for one, is intrigued: Who is he? And why would he come here? Yet the closer she gets to Callum the more he tries to hide his past. Eventually, her determination to uncover his secrets leads her to an ugly truth.

For David Hawke, directing Dead Before Midnight on Broadway is the chance of a lifetime. But strange things begin to happen to David and his colleagues, and people are saying that the play itself may be cursed. As opening night approaches, it's not clear if it will be the biggest night of David's life, or the last...

"The United States in the 1950s and 60s was a troubled place. Black people were angry, because they did not have the same rights as whites. It was a time of bombs and killings. But above the angry noise came the voice of one man - a man of peace. 'I have a dream, ' said Martin Luther King, and it was a dream of blacks and whites living together in peace and freedom. This is the story of an extraordinary man, who changes American history in his short life."--Page 4 of cover.

Southampton, England, 1912. Hannah Frost's father is in America and her mother and brother are leaving Southampton to join him. However, Hannah is recovering from a serious illness and must rest. She expects to travel with the housekeeper, Marnie, in a few weeks' time, on a new ship called the Titanic. Then, on the day of her trip, Hannah wakes up alone ...

Six stories about a world we cannot explain. A film star discovers the dangers of dancing with a stranger. A man comes face-to-face with his father's history. An Irish-American family cannot escape someone from the past. A woman doesn't listen to warnings about an old tree. An English writer slowly becomes more and more Japanese. And a killer watches himself die in hospital.

Journalist Kate Jensen is shocked when her friend Max is found murdered in Amsterdam. She goes there to search for her friend's killer and starts asking questions at the football club he owned. It soon becomes clear that someone doesn't want her to get any answers and Kate discovers that football can be a very dangerous game indeed.

These four short stories take place in England and New Zealand. They are funny, sad, and often cruel.

Count Dracula is a vampire. He drinks people's blood. He lives in a lonely castle in the mountains of a distant country. But then he comes to England... Professor van Helsing knows about vampires, but can he stop Dracula?

In Japan, a young woman named Umechika dreams of becoming a geisha and has left home to follow her dream. This mysterious Japanese profession requires years of difficult training. What happens during the training of a geisha? Why does Umechika want to be one?

People from around the world travel to Coober Pedy, Australia, with hopes of getting rich. This town is full of valuable stones called 'opals'. Some opals are worth millions, but they are extremely hard to find. What influences the value of an opal? What does it take to find them?

This version has been abridged and/or simplified. It may include changes/omissions from the author's original work.

This version has been abridged and/or simplified. It may include changes/omissions from the author's original work.

Mr Bastable has lost all his money, so his children decide to look for treasure. They have many adventures and meet a lot of exciting people, but will they find the treasure they need to make their family rich again? And who is the man from India and can he help them?

Huckleberry Finn, an abused outcast, rafts with Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi River, where they have a variety of experiences.

Careful, Connie, please. Your little sister's eyes are looking angry. Look at the sudden lines around her mouth, Connie, a sister is a good thing. Even a younger sister. 'Mercy, who are you going out with?'Connie gets an answer to her question, but it is not the answer she wants to hear. And what is the price of peace between sisters?

He smiled, showing teeth yellow from cigarette smoke. He looked at his desk diary, then at her papers again. 'Mmm... a hundred pesos a month, Why, that's one thousand two hundred pesos a year. Surely, you can afford to buy me a forty-peso dinner!'

Three different parts of the world, but all of them dangerous, lonely places. Three different women, but all of them determined to go - and to come back alive!

It is the start of a new school year for teenager Hu at an international school in the exciting city of Bangkok. She has a problem with one of the teachers and does not know what to do. Through an adventure in a national park, acting in a musical and the help of friends, Hu finds the courage to tell the truth.

Tells the life story of Nelson Mandela, who fought for human rights, endured years in prison, and became the President of South Africa.

Carl begins to worry when his wife Linda does not arrive for the weekend at their seaside house in the east of England. When he asks local people whether they have seen her, they appear helpful, but he soon begins to wonder whether they are hiding information from him about his missing wife.

Who will speak for the poor? Who will listen to slaves, and those who have no rights? Who will work for a future where everyone is equal? Who will give up his house, job and money to fight for people who are shut out by everyone else? "I will," said Mohandas Gandhi. And he began to fight in a way the world had not seen before - not with weapons, and wild crowds, and words of hate, but with the power of non-violence. This is the story of a man who became the Father of the Nation in his own country of India, and a great leader for the whole world.

One day in the fall a woman calls at the New York office of Nat Marley, licensed private investigator, to ask him to find Patrick, her missing husband. Marley's enquiries take him to the financial district of Wall Street and an investment company whose returns are too good to be true. Then the police find a body in the trunk of a car - Patrick's car. Whose is the body and where is Patrick?

One icy winter's evening in Budapest, John Taylor is on his way home from the office when a man runs into him and knocks him over. The man turns to say sorry and John is amazed at what he sees: the man is John's double. The double rushes away but leaves no footprints in the snow. Over the next year it becomes clear to John that the meeting was no accident and that his double has a very important message to give him.

A politician survives an attempted assassination in Stockholm, and secret agent Monika Lundgren is instructed to find the people responsible. As she races across the world, through Finland, England, South Africa and Mozambique, she encounters a strange football team, a rock musician and a madman with dreams of world power.

The only survivor of a shipwreck is left on a remote island. he gradually builds a lonely but comfortable life for himself, then realizes that he is not alone.

Lucho and Eva are paired together for a History project. The first stage is to draw a 'Mind Map' of all their ideas. But Lucho's mind map has a mind of its own and starts to grow. The map leads Lucho and Eva on an adventure involving the ancient theft of gold in a lost city in the Colombian jungle. This paperback is in American English. Audio recordings of the text are available on our website at: www.cambridge.org/elt/discoveryreaders/ame Cambridge Experience Readers, previously called Cambridge Discovery Readers, get your students hooked on reading.

Despite their very different backgrounds, two fifteen-year-olds are drawn together and discover that they share more than they had ever imagined. This is a rollercoaster of an adventure that takes us from Sark, a remote British island, to the busy modern city of Birmingham, England. This paperback is in American English. Audio recordings of the text are available on our website at: www.cambridge.org/elt/discoveryreaders/ame Cambridge Experience Readers, previously called Cambridge Discovery Readers, get your students hooked on reading.

Running from Paris to Istanbul, the Orient Express is a first-class hotel on wheels. Once a year, travelers can ride the luxury train across Europe just to enjoy the journey, but it's hard work to make the grand train run smoothly. Who is responsible for the train's success? What unique difficulties do they face?

Tornadoes are large storms that can cause huge amounts of damage and destruction. Most people run from tornadoes, but some researchers chase them. They want to study the storms to develop better methods for predicting them. How do they find these tornadoes? How do they collect their information?

Dr Mark Latto travels to California USA to learn about an alternative medical treatment from Deborah Spencer. But on arrival he finds that Deborah has died and the book she was writing about the treatment has vanished. The police don't suspect murder but Mark does.

A terrifying collection of short stories for horror fans: the heart of a dead man won't stop beating; a girl's strange employer holds a dark secret; a tree hides something terrible; body-snatchers encounter a surprise; a woman is obsessed by a man that only she can see; a rich man shows his poor cousin his dangerous Brazilian cat and many more!

The job was too good. There had to be a problem - and there was.
John Duncan, a biologist, takes a job at a company manufacturing a new type of paint, but soon learns that the chemicals being used are dangerous.

Billy Marr, a local misfit, claims he has murdered someone in an Edinburgh park. Inspector Logan and Sergeant Grant don't believe him - Billy has lied many times in the past about crimes he hasn't committed. But then a young woman is found dead in the park. Soon there is another body. Perhaps Billy is not so innocent after all. Paperback-only version. Also available with Audio CDs including complete text recordings from the book.

A biography of Benjamin Franklin. Most people know that he experimented with electricity. He did much more. He was a printer, writer, scientist, politician and citizen of the world. He was also a person who enjoyed play with words, with ideas and with people.

In France, some people earn money by selling a special food called a 'truffel'. Truffles can be found in the woods, however they are very rare and expensive. That's why they are sometimes called 'black diamonds'. What is this unusual food, and why is it so expensive?

Every year, over 500 cowboys and cowgirls gather in western Canada. They want to test their rodeo skills at the famous Calgary Stampede. This year, two cowboys intend to win one of the most exciting-and dangerous-events: chuckwagon racing! Which cowboy will win? Will he do it safely?

The weather on Earth is always changing. One day it's cloudy, the next day it's sunny, and the day after that - who knows? Meteorologists are scientists that can predict the weather. But how do they do it? What causes these changes in weather?

Visits from three ghosts, Christmas Past, Present, and Future teach Scrooge, a heartless miser, the true meaning of Christmas.
This version has been abridged and/or simplified. It may include changes/omissions from the author's original work.

This version has been abridged and/or simplified. It may include changes/omissions from the author's original work.

A young man appears at the door and seems to be the answer to Marina's wishes. She and her husband Tom have moved from London to a quiet village, and Marina is bored with her life, as it seems she does nothing but housework. One day she wishes for somebody to help with the ironing, and the 'ironing man' appears. Not only does he help Marina with the housework, but he also helps Tom realise just how important Marina is to him.

As captain of the college taekwondo team, Dwayne always wants to be the best. But when he loses to Minho Kim, the new boy from Korea, Dwayne has to learn what it really means to be a fighter.

In 1998 John Wood worked for Microsoft in Australia. He was a busy, successful man. Then he went on vacation to Nepal and visited a school in a Himalayan village, this changed his life. He helped the school and decided to change the World He started the charity 'Room to Read'...

England in 1647: King Charles is in prison, and Cromwell's men are fighting the King's men. These are dangerous times for everybody.
The four Beverley children have no parents; their mother is dead and their father died while fighting for the King. Now Cromwell's soldiers have come to burn the house - with the children in it.
The four of them escape into the New Forest - but how will they live? What will they eat? And will Cromwell;s soldiers find them?

In a special take on a favourite subject, kids are encouraged to think about just who was telling the truth as they read about the world's most famous disaster at sea. Eyewitness accounts include amazing stories of courage and survival against the odds. Cross-section illustrations show life inside the ship as never before.

A painting by Vincent van Gogh worth millions is about to be sold at auction. The entire world is watching. But so is The Ghost, a hugely successful art thief feared by everyone.

Five classic English ghost stories in simplified text. Includes activities.

What do you find in these two countries at the end of the world? One is an enormous island, where only twenty million people live and the other is two long, narrow islands, with ten sheep for every person. Start your journey - to two countries where something strange, beautiful, or surprising waits around every corner.

Paul Morris's happy life in Italy changes when his wife dies suddenly. He develops a relationship with Sandra, a friend at work, but everything is not as it seems. How can Sandra afford such an expensive car? And why does she keep making mysterious phone calls? Soon Paul is involved in international crime and a thrilling car chase across Europe.

It's an exciting life - full of fast cars, money, and travel. The names of Formula One champions are known all over the world. And everywhere young drivers dream of success one day in Monaco, Melbourne, Monza ... But it is a difficult life too. Drivers need strong bodies - and minds. They needto think quickly, drive hard, and sometimes look death in the face. This is the dangerous, exciting world of Formula One - where the world's best drivers have only seconds to win or lose a race.

On holiday in the Lake District with her new jet-skiing boyfriend, Nick, Laura meets the local vet, Robert. Robert dislikes both Laura and Nick on sight. However, Laura soon discovers why Robert hates people from the city. Slowly Laura and Robert get to know each other better, and she soon has to make a choice: Nick or Robert?

This series collects stories written in English from around the world. The stories in this volume are by Australian writers Mena Abdullah & Ray Mathew, Judith Wright, Archie Weller, Dal Stivens, David Malouf, Marion Halligan.

Luke and Alex are neighbors and, on Luke's part, reluctant friends. They spend their free time on a large heath, looking for anything to keep themselves amused. Meanwhile an illegally-kept panther escapes its owner and takes refuge on the same heath. The paths of the boys and the cat are destined to meet.

Art teacher Alison is an unlikely candidate for climbing Africa's highest mountain. While she tries to put on a brave face, she realizes nothing can really prepare her for the dangers she'd have to face...and the life-changing decisions she'd be forced to make.

The Robinson family do not die at sea; they find their way to a small island. But what can they do now? Where will they live? What will they eat? Luckily, the father and their mother have useful skills and they can teach their four young sons. But how long will they be there, on the island?--P. 4] of cover.

It is hay-making time on the Wookey farm. Two brothers are building the haystack, but thinking about other things - about young women, and love. There are angry words, and then a fight between the brothers. But the work goes on, visitors come and go, and the long hot summer day slowly turns to evening. Then the sun goes down, covering the world with a carpet of darkness. From the hedges around the hayfield comes the rich, sweet smell of wild flowers, and the hay will make a fine, soft bed.

Ikuko goes to England to study English, promising her boyfriend Hiroshi she will return to Japan to marry him. However, in Birmingham Ikuko discovers a whole new world and falls in love with another overseas student. Ikuko's journey across the world not only teaches her about different ways of life but also becomes a voyage of self-discovery.

Through different voices, this book explores the 'Two Worlds' of immigrants to Britain: the home they left and the home they are now in. The characters outline their reasons for leaving their home country and their impressions of the United Kingdom.

Allie Fox hates America and he hates the twentieth century. He takes his wife and children to the jungle in Honduras to make a new, simple life. But Allie starts to go mad and pulls his family into a life which is much worse and more frightening than anything they knew in America.

As the years pass, Dorian Gray always looks young and handsome, but in his attic, a picture of Dorian changes day-by-day. What is happening to the picture and why has no-one ever seen it?

A snake park in the Sultanate of Oman has a serious problem: all but one of their snakes have died. The owner of the park has hired a 'snake detective' to uncover the mystery of the dying snakes. Why did the snakes die? Will the snake detective be able to save the new snakes?

Most crocodiles live above ground but an unusual group of crocodiles in Africa lives underground, in caves. A team of scientists will go to Madagascar to learn more about these crocodiles. Will they find any crocodiles? What will happen if they do find a real giant cave croc?

Beagles are dogs with an extremely powerful sense of smell. They often work at airports to find illegal or unsafe items. Before they can do the job,, they must go through training. What does it take to be on the Beagle Patrol? What happens to dogs that don't make it?

This version has been abridged and/or simplified. It may include changes/omissions from the author's original work.

Five years ago the mine in the village closed and lots of men lost their jobs. Many young people left the village in order to find work. Mr Beech bought the mine and the hills next to it and promised jobs for all, but the jobs never came and now the hills themselves are in danger.

Alice is an Agony Aunt on her school website. Students write to her with their problems and she answers them. But how can Alice give advice when she has so many problems of her own?

Features topics such as environmental issues, historical facts, and culture. Full-color photographs, introductions, glossaries, and exercises enhance student reading and learning.