A superb adaptation of Dorothy's adventures for newly independent readers. Frank L. Baum's classic has been specially adapted for this wonderful, fully illustrated edition at the highest level of the Reading Programme. Enjoy Dorothy's journey in Oz, as she travels along the yellow brick road with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion, before coming safely home again.
Mary Sebag-Montefiore Book order (chronological)






Complete Jane Austen
- 400 pages
- 14 hours of reading
This beautifully illustrated collection contains all of Jane Austen's novels retold for young readers, including Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, with notes on the characters and quotations from the original text. With links to websites to find out more about Jane Austen's life and times.
Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.
Fairy Tale Library 1-5
- 48 pages
- 2 hours of reading
Five well-known fairy tales retold for young children and presented in a boxed 'Little Red Riding Hood', 'The Elves and the Shoemaker', 'Puss in Boots', 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'Cinderella'. Each book is designed and illustrated in a traditional style, bound as a cloth-covered hardback and finished with a ribbon page marker.
War and Peace
- 64 pages
- 3 hours of reading
Leo Tolstoy's epic Russian classic, retold in just 64 pages. First published in 1869, this novel is one of the most famous books in the world, and this simple but atmospheric retelling now makes it accessible for young readers. Set in Russia following the French invasion of Russia in 1812, as the Tsarist regime is succeeded by the Napoleonic era. A concise introduction to what is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of literature ever written. The Usborne Reading Programme is a collection of over 300 reading books, graded in seven levels. Developed with reading experts. Series Three books are for fully confident readers who still need to gain the stamina needed for standard length books. They use advanced sentence structure and vocabulary and have more complex plots with subplots than the level below.
The Magic Wishbone
- 48 pages
- 2 hours of reading
A king and queen have fallen on hard times - but then their eldest daughter is given a magic wishbone. Can this improve their fortunes? A magical retelling of a Charles Dickens' fairytale, specially written for children who have just started reading alone and developed in conjunction with a reading expert from Roehampton University.
Jane Eyre
- 473 pages
- 17 hours of reading
In early nineteenth-century England, an orphaned young woman accepts employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall, a country estate owned by the mysteriously remote Mr. Rochester
Don Quixote
- 64 pages
- 3 hours of reading
A new title in Young Reading Series Three, which is aimed at children whose reading ability and confidence allows them to tackle longer and more complex stories. The classic story of misadventure by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra retold for children ready to tackle longer and more complex stories. Don Quixote thinks he's a knight, just like in the days of old - he even has a squire. Of course, these days, there are no dragons to fight, but a thing like that doesn't stop him, as he drags his squire on one madcap adventure after another… Part of the Usborne Reading Programme developed with reading experts at the University of Roehampton.
The Story of Heidi
- 24 pages
- 1 hour of reading
When Heidi's Aunt Dete gets a new job in Frankfurt she takes Heidi up the mountains and leaves her with her grandfather who is not at all thrilled about having Heidi live with him. Just as Heidi and her Grandfather have become happy living together, Aunt Dete returns, wanting to take Heidi back to Frankfurt to be company for a rich little girl who is sick.
Black Beauty
- 90 pages
- 4 hours of reading
The books are graded at six vocabulary levels, ranging from 400 words (Beginning) to 2,500 words (Advanced.)
The Railway Children
- 304 pages
- 11 hours of reading
When Father is taken away unexpectedly, Roberta, Peter, Phyllis and their mother have to leave their comfortable life in London to go and live in a small cottage in the country. The children seek solace in the nearby railway station, and make friends with Perks the Porter and the Station Master himself. Each day, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis run down the field to the railway track and wave at the passing London train, sending their love to Father. Little do they know that the kindly old gentleman passenger who waves back holds the key to their father's disappearance..
The book is abridged with col. illus. The classic tale of an orphaned boy who has known nothing but misery.





