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Folk Tales from Around the
World
Folk tales are old stories. They started as part of family life. No one
knows who first made them up. Usually older people told them to younger
people. The five stories in this book come from different parts of the
world.
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Heroes and Heroines
Heroes and heroines are people who do something brave or good. They do
not run away from danger. They help people. In this book, we meet two
heroes and three heroines.
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The Monkey King
A magic stone cracks open like an egg. Monkey jumps out! In this book,
you will read about Monkey's adventures.
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice is sitting by the river when suddenly a white rabbit runs past
her. Then the rabbit takes a watch out of its coat pocket, and says it
is late! She runs after the rabbit, and follows it into a large rabbit
hole. This is how Alice's adventures in Wonderland begin.
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The Call of the Wild and Other Stories
In the North it is so cold in winter that everything is covered with
ice and snow. If you want to travel, you must use a sledge pulled by dogs.
If you walk around in the cold, you must take great care to keep warm
and dry. Why do people want to go to the North? They want to find gold
there and become rich. These short stories are about some of the people
and animals who lived and worked in the North, and how they fought to
stay alive. |
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Tales from the Arabian Nights
A cruel king marries beautiful young women, but always has their heads
cut off in the morning. However, his new wife, Sheherezade, is clever.
Every night, she starts to tell him a wonderful story. She tells him about
a robbers' cave, full of treasure; she tells him the story of Sinbad the
sailor, of a genie in a bottle, of Aladdin and his magic lamp, and many
more.
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Treasure Island
Jim Hawkins lives at an inn with his mother and father. One day an old
sailor is killed there. In his bag, Jim finds a map of an island, with
red crosses on it. Jim's friends, Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey, say
it is a treasure map. It shows where pirates have hidden their gold. Jim
goes with his friends to find the gold, but they meet pirates on their
journey.
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The Wizard of Oz
Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, are carried by a cyclone from her aunt
and uncle's house in Kansas. When they come down, they find themselves
in the land of Oz. There Dorothy begins an exciting journey with her new
friends. They want to go and see the wonderful Wizard of Oz in the Emerald
City. Only he can give them what they want.
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The Flying Heads and Other Strange Stories
A young man stays in a strange village for the night, and wakes to hear
screams from the valley below. He looks out of the window, and sees terrible
things flying through the air ... A baker wants to know what his beautiful
wife does when she goes out at night. But when he stays up to watch her,
he wishes he had never found out her dreadful secret ... Enjoy these strange
and frightening stories from all over the world. |
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Gulliver's Travels —
A Voyage to Lilliput
Gulliver's ship is lost in a storm, and he has to swim to save his life.
After many hours, he reaches land. He lies down and falls asleep. When
he wakes up, he can't get up. He is tied to the ground. His hair is tied
down too, so he can't move his head. He feels something walking along
his body. There, standing on his chest, is a man. He is no more than six
inches tall!
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Lord Jim
Jim works as a waterclerk in the East. Everyone likes
him, but he never stays long in the same job. He always
leaves suddenly, and never tells anyone why he is going.
He is a man with a secret. Wherever he travels, it seems
he cannot hide from his secret. What is Jim's secret?
What will happen to Jim? Read on and find out. |
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Oliver Twist
Poor Oliver! He has no family, and no friends. Nobody cares for him.
The only people he knows are thieves, and they want him to be a thief,
too. Now the police have caught him for stealing. Oliver has done nothing
wrong, but the judge does not believe him. He wants to send Oliver to
prison. One kind old man thinks Oliver might be a good boy, and tries
to help him. Find out how Oliver gets away from the thieves, and how,
at last, he discovers the truth about his past. |
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The Prince and the Pauper
One day two young boys meet. They look exactly the same, but there is
one big difference: Tom is a poor beggar and Edward is a prince, the son
of the King of England. The boys swap clothes, and Edward, now dressed
in beggar's rags, is mistaken for Tom and thrown from the palace by his
own guards. Suddenly Prince Edward has to live as a pauper in the streets
of London, while Tom rules the country, enjoying being a prince. What
will happen when the king dies, and the real prince must take his place? |
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The Stone Junk and Other Stories
Most of the stories in this collection are about people,
magic and gold. They also tell us what happens when
people are too proud, too cruel, or too greedy. |
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Stories from Greek Tragedies
The greed, courage, love and jealousy of the characters
make these stories as sad and moving today as they were
to the ancient Greeks. Read on to discover the strengths
and weaknesses of humankind. |
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Tales of King Arthur
Young Arthur needs a sword. He runs into a church and finds one stuck
in a stone, so he takes it. Then he finds out that only one person in
the land can take the sword from the stone, and that person is the true
king of Britain. Arthur becomes King, marries a beautiful princess and
receives the Round Table as a gift. The table has room for 150 good, brave
knights. These tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table
have been popular for over 700 years. |
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The Talking Tree and Other Stories
Two boys, walking through a forest, suddenly hear a voice coming from
a tree. The Talking Tree tells them to bring it food and drink. Scared,
the boys do as they are told. Then they notice some marks on the ground,
close to the tree. Is the tree really magic, or is someone trying to trick
them? There are plenty of surprises in this unusual collection of short
stories. |
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Through the Looking Glass
A little girl called Alice suddenly finds herself in
the dreamlike Looking-Glass world, where she seems to
be a pawn in a chess game. If, as the Red Queen tells
her, she can get as far as the eighth square, then she
too can become a Queen.
Find out how Alice gets into this strange world, and
what happens when she arrives at the eighth square. |
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Huck is only fourteen when he escapes from his bad-tempered
and no-good father. Soon he reaches Jackson's
Island, and finds himself sharing the island with Jim,
a runaway slave. Together they put all their things
on a raft and set off on what becomes a great adventure
down the Mississippi River.
Will Huck be caught by his father? Will Jim ever be
a slave again? Read on to enjoy the exciting and amusing
story of Huck Finn and his friends.
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Running away from home; hiding in a dark graveyard at midnight; camping
out as pirates on an island in the Mississippi; going to their own funeral;
looking for treasure; and getting lost in a deep, dark cave, are all part
of the exciting and amusing story of Tom Sawyer and his friends.
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Around the World in Eighty Days
Phileas Fogg is a gentleman who always does exactly the same thing every
day. His life changes one day, when he bets twenty thousand pounds that
he can make a tour of the world in eighty days! This bet takes him and
his servant, Passepartout, to many countries, and leads to many exciting
adventures. However, someone is following them, and trying to stop them
from winning the bet.
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Gulliver's Travels ˇX Further Voyages
Gulliver is abandoned in a land of giants. His life
is not always easy. Once he is mistaken for a baby monkey
and a monkey tries to feed him! His next voyage is even
stranger: he visits an island that floats in the sky.
Read about Gulliver's last voyages and all the
amazing adventures he has.
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The Missing Scientist
Professor Nicol, one of the most important atomic scientists
in Britain, has just been kidnapped. Detective Superintendent
Roberts is called in to lead the search for the Professor.
With atomic secrets, a collection of valuable diamonds
and a man's life at stake, the pressure is on for Roberts
to find the missing scientist — but will he succeed?
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The Red Badge of Courage
When Henry Fleming heard there was a war, he did not
really believe it. He did not think there could be a
war in his own country. However, he wanted to be part
of it.
Later Henry finds out that war is not what he imagined.
Would he run away, when the fighting got too fierce?
Or would he stand up bravely and lead his companions
in acts of great heroism? |
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Robinson Crusoe
When Robinson Crusoe's ship is wrecked, he swims to a desert island.
At first he is afraid that he might be eaten by wild animals. He knows
that some people in that part of the world are cannibals, and they might
eat him too! Soon, he realizes that he is all alone. He brings as much
as he can from the wrecked ship, and over his long years on the island,
he learns how to make himself safe and comfortable.
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Stories from Shakespeare's Histories
Henry the Fourth, King of England, has a son called
Harry, who prefers to drink than win honour on the batterfield.
Can the king persuade Harry to help him defend the crown
against a rebellion?
Later, Henry the Fourth is dead and Harry is crowned
Henry the Fifth. Does Henry the Fifth continue a life
of playing and drinking, or does he become a king that
England can be proud of?
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A Tale of Two Cities
Lucie thinks that her father, Dr Manette, is dead. Then she finds out
that he is alive - he has just been released from prison in Paris. Lucie
finds her father there, and goes back to England with him. When Dr Manette
and Lucie return to Paris some years later, everything has changed. The
French Revolution has begun, and the poor people are killing the noblemen.
Lucie's husband, the kind Charles Darnay, is the heir of some of the cruellest
noblemen, and he is in great danger. Only love and courage can save him
... |
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Tales of Crime and Detection
A rich young man is gambling in Paris. He wins a lot of money, but then
becomes ill. He is put into a large, old-fashioned bed with a heavy cloth
cover, like a roof. As he is lying there, the cover seems to come down
towards him. Is he dreaming, or is he in serious danger? Find out if the
police and private detectives solve this, and other mysteries, in this
exciting collection of short stories. |
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Two Boxes of Gold and Other Stories
A young man who works for a bank is taking two boxes of gold from London
to Italy. On the way, everything begins to go wrong. His travelling companions
seem friendly, but are they all trying to help him? Or is one of them
trying to steal the gold? Read this and six other stories by Charles Dickens.
Some are amusing, some strange and frightening - all are full of surprises. |
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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Stories
Everyone who sees the face of Mr Hyde hates him. He is as evil as the Devil himself. So why is he the friend of the respectable Dr Jekyll? Does Hyde know something about Dr Jekyll's past? What is Dr Jekyll's terrifying secret? |
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Far From the Madding Crowd
Not all men are blind to the faults of the beautiful Bathsheba Everdene. 'She's vain,' thinks a sheep farmer, Gabriel Oak, soon after meeting her. Although he loves her, and asks her to marry him, his direct, honest manner often causes trouble between them. |
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From Russia, With Love
James Bond must get a code-breaking machine from Tatiana, a beautiful Russian spy. She says she is in love with him. However, Tatiana is hiding something: she is working for SMERSH, the most feared organization in Russia. Even she does not know the danger Bond faces as he is followed across Europe by Russia's most cold-hearted killer |
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The Good Earth
When Wang Lung goes to collect his new wife, a slave from the great House of Hwang, the gatekeeper laughs at him. However, it will not be long before even the gatekeeper treats Wang Lung with respect. One day, Wang Lung himself will be master of the House of Hwang. |
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Journey to the Centre of the Earth
When Professor Lidenbrock and his nephew, Axel, find a secret paper telling them the way to the centre of the earth, the adventure of a lifetime begins. With a guide called Hans, they discover the mysteries and wonders of the world below the earth's surface. |
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King Solomon's Mines
Quatermain is returning home from a bad hunting trip, and he does not want any more adventures. But then he meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good, and soon the three of them are on a dangerous journey into the heart of Africa, in search of King Solomon's Mines. |
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The Moonstone
Long ago, in India, three priests were commanded to look after a yellow diamond called the Moonstone. Terrible misfortune would come to anyone else who touched it, and to their family.Hundreds of years later, the young and beautiful Rachel Verinder is given the Moonstone as a birthday present. That night the Moonstone is stolen, and the thief is someone in the house ... |
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Seven Stories
Clayton meets a ghost, and Fotheringay has lots of fun when he discovers that he can work miracles. There are also exciting stories in this collection about a boy who seems to have found heaven; a liquid which makes people move much faster than normal; and an apple which will give anyone who eats it endless knowledge. |
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The Thirty-nine Steps
Back in Britain, Richard Hannay is bored to death after spending years in Africa. He begins to think otherwise when a corpse is found in his London flat and he becomes a murder suspect. Soon he is running for his life across the hills of Scotland. |
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea
A strange monster has attacked several ships at sea. Professor Arronax, the famous French scientist, his servant Conseil, and Ned Land, who catches whales, join an expedition to search for the monster. What they find, however, is not a living creature at all, but an enormous submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo. |
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The War of the Worlds
The world has suddenly changed. The small towns and villages of southern England are lying burned and ruined. The grass on the commons, and the trees in the woods have been blackened by fire. There are no people to be seen.
This is the story of the strange and terrible things that happened to ordinary people when the Martians went to war against the Earth. |
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The Woman in White
Walter Hartright meets a mysterious woman dressed completely in white, who curiously knows the family he is going to work for as a drawing teacher. Walter soon discovers that the mysterious woman looks very like the woman he has fallen in love with, the beautiful Laura Fairlie. Why is the woman in white so concerned about Laura Fairlie, and why do they look so similar? Can Walter help her before it is too late? |
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You Only Live Twice
James Bond is sent to Japan on an impossible mission. In return for a new code-breaking machine, Bond must go into the Castle of Death and kill the mad genius within. But what is this strange place? Who is its owner?
In this exciting adventure, Bond, helped by the beautiful Kissy Suzuki, enters the most dangerous garden on earth, and comes face to face with two of his deadliest enemies. |
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The Diamond As Big As The Ritz & Other Stories
John Unger's friend, Percy, says his family is the richest family in the world. When John is invited to Percy's home, he discovers that his friend is telling the truth. However, he soon discovers that there is a dark side to this life of great wealth.
In other tales, a man tries to escape his past and get his daughter back, but his plans are spoiled by friends from his drinking days. A girl who teaches her cousin to be 'popular' with boys discovers that her pupil has stolen her young man, and so she takes her revenge. |
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Dracula
Jonathan Harker, a young solicitor, goes to see Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania. He discovers that the Count is a vampireˇXa terrible Un-Dead creature who lives on human blood. And now the Count is going to London ... |
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Dragon Seed
How could Ling Tan, a simple Chinese farmer who paid little attention to the world outside his own valley, be prepared for what was about to happen? He thinks only of his land and his large family, and with them, he is content. His life changes suddenly and cruelly when the armed forces of the East Ocean enemy attack. |
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Frankenstein
On the way to the North Pole, Robert Walton meets Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who seems exhausted and near death. 'Let me tell you my tale,' says Frankenstein.
There follows the extraordinary story of how Frankenstein discovered how to make a giant man from parts of dead bodies. However, the man turned against him, and became a monster ... |
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Kidnapped
David is a prisoner on a ship going to America. Then the famous Jacobite, Alan Breck Stewart, comes on board, and the ship's crew plan to murder him. Together, Alan and David escape to the west coast of Scotland. Here, David begins his long and dangerous journey home. |
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Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone, a beautiful girl with soft white skin, grows up amongst a group of outlaws in the wild marshes of Exmoor in England. Her only friends are her faithful maid and her grandfather, Sir Ensor Doone. Sir Ensor is the leader of the outlaws and Lorna loves and fears him equally. John Ridd, a brave and honest young man, is determined to avenge the death of his father. His father was murdered by the outlaws. |
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The Old Wives' Tale
Constance and Sophia are the two beautiful daughters of a draper. When she grows up, Constance marries the manager of her father's shop and works in the family business. Sophia, on the other hand, elopes to Paris with the dangerous Gerald Scales. |
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Three Men in a Boat
Three young menˇXGeorge, Harris and JˇXand Montmorency (the dog) set off on a boating holiday up the River Thames. Their plan is to row, or tow, their boat from London to Oxford and back. All kinds of funny things happen as they travel from place to place. |
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Vanity Fair
Rebecca Sharp, although charming and witty, is not born into the nobility of England. But she is determined that she will become part of it before she dies.Her best friend, Amelia Sedley, has a sweet and gentle nature. Her only ambition is to be married to a handsome army officer called George Osborne. However, Rebecca flirts with George even when he is married to Amelia. |
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