Adventure Stories
Aladdin
Length:
1,800 words (2 parts)
Elementary (Flesch Reading
Ease 91.6 Flesch -Kinkaid Level 2.1)
The Prisoner of
Zenda
Pre-Intermediate
(Flesch
Reading Ease 83.5, Flesch -Kinkaid Level
4)
Ghost Stories
The Signalman 
by Charles
Dickens
A man standing by the red light near the tunnel.
‘‘Look out!" the man was calling. "Hello! You
down there! Look out!'’
Is there really a 'ghost' on that lonely railway line? What
is trying to tell the signalman? And why does his hand
cover his face?
The Signalman is a classic ghost
story. This simplified version is in a print friendly,
PDF format, with a glossary. There are also exercises
ESL Reading guide - some unfamiliar vocab but
within narrow range. Lower intermediate+
Length: 2,535 words (2 parts)
(Flesch Reading Ease 93.1, Flesch -Kinkaid Level 2.3)
The Marble Finger by Kieran
McGovern
(based on 'Man made in Marble' by Edith Nesbit)
A young couple move to the country. Every night they visit
a beautiful local church. Inside there are two marble
statues. Why is Mrs Dorman so frightened of these statues?
And what is the secret of the broken marble finger?
Length: 2,271 words (2 parts & printable version)
ESL Reading guide: lower intermediate+
(Flesch Reading Ease 92.9, Flesch -Kinkaid Level 2.2)
The Body Snatcher by Robert
Louis Stevenson
A strange tale of grave robbing and
murder in 1820's Edinburgh. A young medical student is
discovers that that the bodies used in his anatomy
class have been stolen from graves. But what happens
when there are not enough dead bodies to steal?
ESL Reading guide - long but story easy to
follow. Intermediate
Length: 3,374 words - Flesch Reading Ease 83.7, Flesch
-Kinkaid Level 3.9
The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
In 1871 a deserted ship is found
drifting in the sea. The captain and the crew have
disappeared and nobody knows what has happened.
Length: 926 words
(Flesch Reading Ease 79.7 Flesch -Kinkaid Level 2.9)
ESL Reading guide - story will be familiar to most
readers. Lower intermediate+
