US  Reading Level

ESL Reading Level (CEFR)

Title

Author

Synopsis

 8–9

B2

A Study in Scarlet 

Arthur Conan Doyle

The book's title derives from a speech given by Holmes, a consulting detective, to his friend and chronicler Watson on the nature of his work, in which he describes the story's murder investigation as his "study in scarlet": "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."

 8–9

B2

Animal Farm

George Orwell

Animal Farm is a short novel by George Orwell. It was written during World War II and published in 1945. It is about a group of farm animals who rebel against their farmer. They hope to create a place where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. In the end, however, they are betrayed and the farm ends up as bad it was before.  It is one of the most famous allegories about political events. It is based on Joseph Stalin's betrayal of the Russian Revolution.

 8–9

B2

Humorous Ghost Stories

Dorothy Scarborough

A collection of short stories compiled and introduced in the early 20th century. The volume showcases a variety of ghost stories that emphasize the humor found in supernatural encounters.

 8–9

B2

Oliver Twist 

Charles Dickens

The story centres on orphan Oliver Twist, born in a workhouse and sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker. After escaping, Twist travels to London, where he meets "The Artful Dodger", a member of a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal, Fagin.

 8–9

B2

Paper Towns

John Green

The novel is about the coming-of-age of the protagonist, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and his search for Margo Roth Spiegelman, his neighbor and childhood sweetheart.

 8–9

B2

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle

The stories are told in a first-person narrative from the point of view of Dr. Watson, as is the case for all but four of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The stories tend to point out social injustices, such as "a king's betrayal of an opera singer, a stepfather's deception of his ward as a fictitious lover, an aristocratic crook's exploitation of a failing pawnbroker, a beggar's extensive estate in Kent.

 8–9

B2

The Diary of a Young Girl 

Anne Frank

Also known as The Diary of Anne Frank, is a book of the writings from the Dutch language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944, and Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. 

 8–9

B2

The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories

Algernon Blackwood

The stories delve into eerie encounters, often exploring themes of fear, the uncanny, and the unknown, as they bring to life the unsettling experiences of characters who confront malevolent forces and haunted spaces.

 8–9

B2

The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales

Bret Harte

Is a collection of short stories written in the mid-19th century that provide a glimpse into life during the California Gold Rush. 

 8–9

B2

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Agatha Christie

The story introduces us to Dr. James Sheppard, a country physician who becomes embroiled in the investigation of a murder that shakes the small village of King’s Abbot. 

 8–9

B2

The Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane

It explores the themes of fear, heroism, and the psychological struggles of a young soldier during the American Civil War.

 8–9

B2

The Time Machine 

H. G. Wells

An English scientist and gentleman inventor living in Victorian England and identified simply as the Time Traveler. The narrator recounts the Traveler’s lecture to his weekly dinner guests that time is simply a fourth dimension. He reveals that he has built a machine capable of carrying a person through time and returns at dinner the following week to recount a remarkable tale, becoming the new narrator.

 8–9

B2

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea

Jules Verne

A classic science fiction novel written during the late 19th century. The story revolves around the mysterious appearances of a massive sea creature, leading to public sensation and scientific debate about its existence.