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+