The Little Mermaid and Other Stories by Hans Christian Andersen

There are four stories. In each story, the character has a wish. The little mermaid wants to be a real girl and marry a handsome prince. A little girl wants some food and to be warm. Eliza, a princess, wants to help her brothers who have been turned into swans by a wicked witch. A poor young prince wants to marry the emperor's daughter.
What happens to all these characters? Do you think they get their wishes? Read these favourite fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen to find the answers.

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.

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.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Hilton Cubitt lives in the country with his American wife. The couple start receiving drawings of little dancing men. Cubitt goes to see Sherlock Holmes about these drawings, which seem to have frightened Cubitt's wife. Then there is a murder. Now Holmes must quickly work out what the pictures mean so that he can catch the killer. Watch the detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his assistant, Dr Watson, at work in this and three other exciting mysteries.

The Dagger with Wings and Other Father Brown Stories

In this collection of detective stories, Father Brown investigates the evil deeds of a clever madman, a gentleman-waiter, a man who thinks he is God, and many others.

The Golden Touch and Other Stories

Here you will read about a king who could make gold just by touching things; a young prince who killed a monster, but lost his father; a poor young woman who got into trouble by eating half an apple; a boy who loved flying so much that he flew too close to the sun; and much more. These are stories which can teach us about life.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories

The poor old Canterville Ghost is meant to frighten people, but the American people who live in Canterville Chase are not frightened by anything he does. Just when he doesn't know what to do, Virginia, the beautiful daughter of the family, comes to talk to him. In this and six other short stories, love and selfishness meet in different ways. The results are sometimes sad and sometimes funny, but always interesting.

David Copperfield

Young David Copperfield's life starts to go wrong when his mother marries the cruel Mr Murdstone. David is sent to school, where the headmaster hits him whenever he can. Poor David is only happy when he is visiting the strange boat-house home of his nurse, Peggotty. When he runs away from school to find his Aunt Betsy Trotwood, however, things begin to get better.

Fog and Other Stories

Polly is walking through the fog. She cannot see where she is going. She believes she can hear footsteps behind her, but when she stops there is silence. Is someone following her? Perhaps it is the tall man who was watching her earlier on the train ... Then she hears a deep cough, and a strange tapping sound. Is Polly in danger? In this, and other short stories, Bill Lowe presents us with some strange mysteries, and some surprising endings.

Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes, the great detective, solves many strange mysteries in this collection of stories. He discovers that crime in London is being planned by an evil organization, led by the greatest criminal of them all, Professor Moriarty. Holmes helps the police to bring this organization to an end. But at the last minute, Moriarty escapes. Holmes and his friend Watson are in danger. They go abroad, to Switzerland, and there the detective and the master criminal meet for the last time. Will this be the end of Sherlock Holmes?

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The great detective, Sherlock Holmes, has another case to solve. The body of Sir Charles Baskerville has been found lying in the garden of his house, on Dartmoor. There are no marks on the body, and it seems that the old man simply died of fright. Was he trying to escape from some dreadful thing — perhaps the ghostly animal called the Hound of the Baskervilles?

The Merchant of Venice and Other Stories from Shakespeare's Plays

Shylock, the moneylender, hates Antonio and wants to hurt him. He has an idea. He lends money to Antonio. If Antonio cannot pay back the money, he must give Shylock a pound of his flesh. From cold, dark Scotland to the blue sky of the Mediterranean, from the Danish court to the court of Britain long ago, these five well-known stories are filled with murder, madness and magic.

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?

The Pickwick Papers

Mr Pickwick and his three friends from the Pickwick Club — Tracy Tupman, Nathaniel Winkle and Augustus Snodgrass — set out on a scientific journey around Britain. To their surprise, their trip quickly turns into a series of romantic and amusing adventures.

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?

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?

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 ...

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

The Great Gatsby

On Long Island, New York, the rich and mysterious Jay Gatsby has built a grand mansion. All summer, he gives wonderful parties there. However, Gatsby's only hope is that one evening the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan, will wander into one of his parties. When he finds out that his new neighbour, Nick Carraway, is Daisy's cousin, Gatsby requests a meeting with his former love.

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 ...

A Night Of Terror & Other Strange Tales

A man is alone on the river all through a summer night. Suddenly, his boat starts moving about in a very strange way. An Englishman, living in Corsica, keeps a dried human hand on the wall of his living room. Another man comes home from the theatre to find that all his furniture is running away ... In these and other tales of terror, people are forced to face the very worst of their fears.

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.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination

A man lies in darkness, locked in a cell and sentenced to die. He reaches out to find ... nothing but emptiness, and the fear of what will happen to him. Another man goes to visit a childhood friend at the gloomy old House of Usher. His friend, Roderick, is very ill and slowly going mad. In these and six other classic tales, terrible things happen to people as they face their own fears and the evil deeds of others.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Tess Durbeyfield is a beautiful and innocent country girl, living in a village in the south of England. Her simple life is suddenly changed when the family horse is killed, and Tess's father discovers that the family is descended from the old and noble d'Urbervilles. Tess goes to live with her relations, but finds they are not what they seem.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Michael Henchard is a wealthy corn merchant, and Mayor of Casterbridge. One day a young woman named Elizabeth-Jane comes to his office with a letter from her mother, Susan.Susan was once his wife, but twenty years ago, when he was drunk, they quarrelled. He sold her and their little daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, to a sailor. Is this girl really Henchard's daughter? And how can he put right the wrong he did her mother, so many years before?

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.