John Escott crafts compelling narratives, often delving into the crime and mystery thriller genres. His works, whether original creations or adaptations, are designed to engage readers of all ages, particularly students. With a distinctive style, Escott focuses on building immersive plots that satisfy a reader's appetite for suspense and intrigue.
Original / British English Marcel is a mouse and a famous detective. He lives in Paris. One evening, two thieves steal a very expensive diamond ring -- the 'White Star'. Then they steal a car. Marcel follows them across Paris to a cafe. Can he get the 'White Star' and bring it back?
This romantic adventure story is set in 17th-century Southwest England. Young farmer John Ridd confronts the notorious Doones, known for their crimes. However, he falls in love with Lorna, who lives with the Doones.
Help your students build reading confidence and fluency with the Oxford Bookworms Library. With adapted American and European literature, teachers can make the Oxford Bookworms Library a part of their English language arts curriculum. English learners and struggling readers can enjoy the same novels that are found in the mainstream curriculum. Available in seven accessible levels, students can choose from more than 150 titles from starter level to advanced for extensive or independent reading.
The Macmillan Readers series are carefully graded from Starter to Upper Intermediate (A1-B2) to help students choose the right reading material for their ability. Our list of titles includes great stories from both contemporary and classic authors.
Britain's former prime minister is holed up in a remote, ocean-front house in America, struggling to finish his memoirs, when his long-term assistant drowns. A professional ghostwriter is sent out to rescue the project - a man more used to working with fading rock stars and minor celebrities than ex-world leaders.
Word count 1,260 Read at a comfortable level with word count and CEFR level on every cover Illustrations, photos, and diagrams support comprehension Activities build language skills and check understanding Glossaries teach difficult vocabulary Free editable tests for every book Selected Bookworms are available for your tablet or computer through the Oxford Learner's Bookshelf
Ben has a job in Mr. Tyson's store. Then Mr. Tyson finds money in Ben's bag. Get out of my store! Mr. Tyson says. But is Ben the thief? There is an earthquake in the city - and Mr. Tyson gets his answer.
Bond is off to Harlem, the kingdom of Mr Big, black master of crime and voodoo baron. The trail of terror, treachery and torture leads from New York's black underworld to the shark infested island in the sun that Mr Big calls his own.
'Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.' In Casino Royale, the first of Fleming's 007 adventures, a game of cards is James Bond's only chance to bring down the desperate SMERSH agent Le Chiffre. But Bond soon discovers that there is far more at stake than money.
CD: British English with some American English characters
"Zoe Baker works in a bookstore. She also likes acting, and she has a part in the play Romeo and Juliet. Mike Morrison writes about the play for the newspaper. What does he write about Zoe? Is Zoe a good actress ... or is she just 'a pretty face'? What does Zoe think when she reads the newspaper? What does she do?"--Page 4 of cover
Most people would have screamed. Mrs Hathall made no sound. She had seen death many times, but she had never witnessed death by violence. Heavily, she plodded across the room and descended the stairs to where her son waited. "There's been an accident," she said. "Your wife's dead." Chief Inspector Wexford could discover no motive, no reason, no suspect. All he had were his own intuitive suspicions. Probably he was reading meaning where there was none; probably Angela Hathall really had picked up a stranger, and that stranger had killed her. But why such doubt? Is Wexford becoming cynical and untrusting? Or is this simply one of the most ingenious crimes he has ever tackled?
"Listen, Bond," said Tiffany Case. "It'd take more than Crabmeat Ravigotte to get me into bed with a man. In any event, since it's your check, I'm going to have caviar, and what the English call "cutlets", and some pink champagne. I don't often date a good-looking Englishman and the dinner's going to live up to the occasion." Meet Tiffany Case, a cold, gorgeous, devil-may-care blonde; the kind of girl you could get into a lot of trouble with-if you wanted. She stands between James Bond and the leaders of a diamond-smuggling ring that stretches from Africa via London to the States. Bond uses her to infiltrate this gang, but once in America the hunter becomes the hunted. Bond is in real danger until help comes from an unlikely quarter, the ice-maiden herself ...
Bernardo likes hats. One day he buys a new hat at a street market and people laugh at it. "Why do you want another hat, Bernardo?" his wife says to him. "You have twenty." But what can she do?
Word count 10,650 Suitable for younger learners
Gone with the Wind is a story of love and war and one of the best selling books of all time. Part I follows the popular but selfish Scarlett O'Hara, the gentlemanly Ashley Wilkes, and dangerous but charming Rhett Butler as their world is destroyed in the terrible American Civil war.
This reader is accompanied with a CD that contains the full audio of the text in MP3 format. Pete and Carla are students. One day they look at some very old coins and stamps in a shop. Pete wants to buy some stamps, but they are very expensive. Later that day some coins are missing from the shop - and the shopkeeper wants to find Pete.
Original / British EnglishA mysterious stranger has come to the island where Costas lives. Why is the man there, and why is he looking at Eagle’s Rock? Costas wants to be the first person to climb the dangerous rock. But will the stranger climb it first?
Original / British English Pete and Carla are students. One day they look at some very old coins and stamps in a shop. Pete wants to buy some stamps, but they are very expensive. Later that day some coins are missing from the shop -- and the shopkeeper wants to find Pete.
A level 2 Oxford Bookworms Library graded reader. Retold for Learners of English by John Escott.Everybody has bad dreams. Horrible things move towards you in the dark, things you can hear but not see. Then you wake up, in your own warm bed, and turn over to go back to sleep. But imagine that you wake up on a hard floor, in a darkness blacker than the blackest night. You listen to the silence, and smell a wet dead smell. Death is all around you, waiting . . . In these stories by Edgar Allan Poe, death whispers at you from every dark corner, and fear can send you mad . . .
One cold winter morning, a famous movie star and her teenage daughter are driving along a country road A blue van is waiting for them. Tom is in the van, but he's not a kidnapper - he's an artist. He usually draws pictures for adventure stories. Now he's in a real life adventure
This award-winning collection of adapted classic literature and original stories develops reading skills for low-beginning through advanced students. Accessible language and carefully controlled vocabulary build students' reading confidence. Introductions at the beginning of each story, illustrations throughout, and glossaries help build comprehension. Before, during, and after reading activities included in the back of each book strengthen student comprehension. Audio versions of selected titles provide great models of intonation and pronunciation of difficult words.
Original / American English Ricardo and Gisela are going home to Rio. Gisela likes reading and quiet people. Ricardo likes noise ... and he likes Gisela. In Rio, a thief takes Gisela's bag. What can Ricardo do?
Original / American English Tom breaks his leg in a football game -- it's not his lucky day! A week later, Tom sees his favorite movie star. But Tom falls again--and suddenly the movie star is falling too! Reporters are taking pictures of Tom. Is this his lucky break?
Original / British English This is Nicky's first visit to New York. He is going to stay with his aunt, but she is not at the airport. Then some older boys on motorbikes play a dangerous game with him. Not long after he arrives, the police are looking for Nicky. Can he find his aunt before the police find him? This Pack contains a Book and MP3
Enjoy reading about this little boy and discover if he stays true to himself even with all the changes in his life. In the mid-1880s, young Cedric Errol lives with his mother in New York. They are quite poor after the death of Cedric’s father, but live a simple happy life together. Then, one day, an English lawyer comes to visit them. He has a message from the Earl of Dorincourt, Cedric’s rich English grandfather that will change Cedric’s life forever. Will he be happy? Will he win the heart of his old angry grandfather? Prečítajte si o malom chlapcovi a zistite, či zostane verný sám sebe, aj napriek veľkým zmenám v živote. V 80. rokoch 19. storočia žije mladý Cedric Errol spolu s matkou v New Yorku. Sú chudobní, pretože jeho otec zomrel, no žijú spolu jednoduchým šťastným životom. Jedného dňa ich navštívi anglický právnik. Dostane správu od starého otca Earla z Dorincourtu a Cedricov život sa navždy zmení. Bude s ním šťastný? Získa si srdce starého otca?
It is the horrible texture of a fabric that should be woven of ships' cables and hawsers. A Polar wind blows through it, and birds of prey hover over it."So Melville wrote of his masterpiece, one of the greatest works of imagination in literary history. In part, Moby-Dick is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopaedia of whaling lore and legend, the book can be seen as part of its author's lifelong meditation on America. Written with wonderfully redemptive humour, Moby-Dick is also a profound inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.
Suitable for younger learners Word count 10,800
Use these fully illustrated classic and contemporary plays for reading practice or performance. Each script offers performance notes, character lists, exercises, and glossaries.
The story of a friendship that develops between a lonely crippled painter and a village girl, when together they minister to an injured snow goose during World War II.
This award-winning collection of adapted classic literature and original stories develops reading skills for low-beginning through advanced students. Accessible language and carefully controlled vocabulary build students' reading confidence. Introductions at the beginning of each story, illustrations throughout, and glossaries help build comprehension. Before, during, and after reading activities included in the back of each book strengthen student comprehension. Audio versions of selected titles provide great models of intonation and pronunciation of difficult words.
'Where are you taking me?' asked Dantes. 'Turn round and look,' said the officer. Dantes turned. The boat had passed the entrance of the port. On the right, he saw the dark shadow of the island of Ratonneau. An on the left he saw the black shape of the island off it.
Bathsheba Everdene is young, proud, and beautiful. She is an independent woman and can marry any man she chooses - if she chooses. In fact, she likes her independence, and she likes fighting her own battles in a man's world. But it is never wise to ignore the power of love.
Published in June 1848, less than a year before her death, Anne Bronte's second (and last) novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, is the somber account of the breakdown of a marriage in the face of alcoholism and infidelity. The novel enjoyed a modest success that led its publisher, theunscrupulous T.C. Newby, to issue a "Second Edition" less than two months later. The present edition, which completes the Clarendon Edition of the Novels of the Brontes, offers a text based on the collation of the first edition with the second. The introduction details the work's composition andearly printing history, including its first publication in America; and the text is fully annotated. Appendices record the substantive variants in the first English and American editions, and discuss the author's belief in the doctrine of universal salvation.
In 1137 the ambitious head of Shrewsbury Abbey has decided to acquire the remains of Saint Winifred for his Benedictine order. Brother Cadfael is part of the expedition sent to her final resting place in Wales and they find the villagers passionately divided by the Benedictines' offer for the saint's relics. Canny, wise and all too worldly, Cadfael isn't surprised when this taste for bones leads to a bloody murder. The leading opponent to moving the grave has been shot dead with a mysterious arrow, and some say Winifred herself dealt the blow. Brother Cadfael knows that a carnal hand did the killing, but he doesn't know that his plan to unearth a murderer may dig up a case of love and justice, where the wages of sin may be a scandal- or his own ruin.
"My name is Kinsey Millhone and I'm a private detective. I'm thirty-two years old, and I live and work in Santa Terersa, in Southern California. A few days ago, I got shot - but I must tell the story from the beginning. On a fine morning early in June, I was in my office on State Street. It was just before nine o'clock. There was a knock at the door and a woman came in. She was in her late thirties. She was small, with shiny black hair and bright blue eyes. She was well dressed. "I'm Beverley Danziger," the woman said. "I'm hoping that you can find my sister for me." -- Cover.
In this adventure thriller, a captivating storyline unfolds when a beautiful blonde girl hands Pete a cassette film. As he develops the pictures, the mystery intensifies, drawing him deeper into an intriguing plot. Designed for English learners, the Macmillan Readers series features controlled vocabulary and helpful illustrations to enhance understanding, making it an engaging choice for those looking to improve their language skills while enjoying a thrilling narrative.
Classic / British English Sherlock Holmes is a very clever man. When people have strange, difficult problems, they come to him. Where is Mr Hosmer Angel? Which student saw the exam paper before the exam? Why is somebody following Miss Smith? Can you find the answers before Sherlock Holmes does?
Some sisters are good friends, some are not. Somtimes there is more hate in a family than there is love. Karin is beautiful and has lots of men friends, but she can be very unkind to her sister Marcia. Perhaps when they were small, there was love between them, but that was a long time ago. They say that everybody has one crime in them. Perhaps they only take an umbrella that does not belong to them. Perhaps they steal from a shop, perhaps they get angry and hit someone, perhaps they kill...
"1661 - France. Louis XIV is the King of France. He is young, clever and powerful. His Chief Minister of Finance, Nicolas Fouquet, has built a beautiful house near Vaux. Fouget has invited the king and six thousand guests to the house for a great feast. Aramis, the Bishop of Vannes, will be a quest at the feast. The bishop's old friends, Porthos and D'Artagnan, are also going to Vaux. The Musketeers will be together again. But first, Aramis vists the terrible Bastille prison. Why? This is the story of the last adventure of the Musketeers"--Back cover note
Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable. When Tess meets Angel Clare, she is offered true love and happiness, buther past catches up with her and she faces an agonizing moral choice.Hardy's indictment of society's double standards, and his depiction of Tess as "a pure woman," caused controversy in his day and has held the imagination of readers ever since. Hardy thought it his finest novel, and Tess the most deeply felt character he ever created. This unique critical textis taken from the authoritative Clarendon edition, which is based on the manuscript collated with all Hardy's subsequent revisions.
PI Kinsey Millhone of California goes looking for the loot of a $500,000 robbery, an assignment filled with danger as one of the robbers is a psychopath. By the author of "K" Is for Killer
Book by John Escott, Adam Willis
Every year millions of people visit England from all over the world. Find out why and read about the history of the country and some of the things you can see and do there today - the cities, national parks, sports, the cinema and theatre, pubs and music. All the things that make England a beautiful and exciting place to visit!
How much do you know about the Wild West? What do you know about cowboys and Indians, about wagon trails and gunfights? Inside this book you will find the true story of the Wild West, and of some of the famous people who lived and worked there. People like Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Billy the Kid - and Annie Oakley, the best shot in the West.
Rowan Atkinson stras in this funny film as an incompetent British diplomat who is mistaken for a famous and danerous spy.
Flies are a nuisance. They are annoying when they buzz around you, but you can brush them away with your hand. After all, a fly is only about half the size of your fingernail. But suppose it wasn't. Catch a fly and look at it closely - look at its head, its eyes, its legs. Now imagine that this thing was the size of a human being... These eight stories offer horror in many shapes and forms, in worlds full of monsters and evil spirits, where terror lies waiting in the shadows, and where the living and the dead dance hand in hand.--Quatrième de couverture
The men and the woman in this book - William Tell, Tom Blood, Lord Bao, King Matthias, Johnny Appleseed, and Lady Godiva - are all real people from history. But every time someone tells an old story, they change things in it, to make them bigger, better, and more exciting. So what is true in this book and what is not? Read all six of the stories, and see what you think.--P. [4] of cover
Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland strays from the path while she and her recently divorced mother and brother take a hike along a branch of the Appalachian Trail. Lost for days, wandering farther and farther astray, Trisha has only her portable radio for comfort. A huge fan of Tom Gordon, a Boston Red Sox relief pitcher, she listens to baseball games and fantasizes that her hero will save her. Nature isn't her only adversary, though - something dangerous may be tracking Trisha through the dark woods.
This series provides reading and learning at four language levels through a range of integrated activities designed to develop reading skills, consolidate vocabulary, and offer personalized project work.
Hester Prynne must wear the letter A to mark her adulterous behaviour, but she lives her life her own way.
1757 - the Hudson River, North America. The armies of France and England are fighting. And Indian tribes are fighting for each army. Hurons are with the French. Mohawks and Mohicans are with the English. The daughters of the English general, Munro, start a journey through the forest. But soon they are in danger. This is the story of the scout, Hawk-eye, and his two Indian friends - the last of the Mohicans.
Discover the capital of the United States of America, past and present.
Do ghosts exist? When Rick and Mia explore a mysterious old house perhaps they will find out.
"You're a brave man, but I am afraid for you,' says Lady Marian to Robin of Locksley. She is afraid because Robin does not like Prince John's new taxes and wants to do something for the poor people of Nottingham. When Prince John hears this, Robin is suddenly in great danger"--Cover
A famous painting is going to the Grierson Gallery in LA and they want a top man to come to America. He can talk about the artist. The National Gallery in London sent Mr Bean. But something is very wrong with Mr Bean! He's very, very strange. And dangerous! After he arrives accidents start to happen.
Mit Originaltexten und Bearbeitungen klassischer sowie moderner Literatur lädt die 'Oxford Bookworms Library' zum Lesen ein. - Illustrationen erleichtern die Einführung neuer Vokabeln. - Ein reichhaltiger Aufgabenapparat liefert Übungen und Aktivitäten. - Ein 'glossary' erklärt alle Wörter, die über die angegebenen Grundwörter hinausgehen.
Nicky has just got off the plane at New York to stay with his Aunt Carrie. But at once things start to go wrong. Soon Nicky is being taken on a terrifying tour of New York by some young people he doesn’t even know. And the police think he is a thief! Nicky is lost, alone and very scared. A gripping adventure for younger readers.
These stories by John Updike, Graham Greene, William Boyd, Susan Hill, D.H. Lawrence, Saki, Penelope Lively, Bernard McLaverty, Frank Tuohy, Morley Callaghan explore life from a child's perspective, and show that the world can be a strange, baffling, and sometimes very frightening place.
Mr Ross lives on an island where no visitors come. He stops people from taking photographs of him. He is young and rich, but he looks sad. And there is one room in his house which is always locked. Carol Sanders and her mother come to the island to work for Mr Ross. Carol soon decides that there is something very strange about Mr Ross. Where did he get his money from? How can a young man buy an island? So she watches, and she listens - and one night she learns what is behind the lockeddoor.
Designed for reading practice or performing. Each play offers the opportunity to learn and practice language in an imaginative and dynamic way.
A magazine-style reader with stories and articles exploring both the fun and the difficult aspects of Christmas. There are interesting articles about Christmas and its traditions, plus recipes and quizzes. There is a look at the serious meaning of Christmas, too. An entertaining guide to one of the most important festivals in the world.
'My name is Kinsey Millhone. I'm a private investigator, licensed by the State of California. I'm thirty-two years old, twice divorced, no kids. The day before yesterday I killed someone and the fact weighs heavily on my mind...' Kinsey had been out for most of the morning and the client was waiting in the corridor. Nikki Fife. The eight years since Kinsey had seen her had left no visible scars. But now she was looking for the help that only a detective could provide. For whoever had killed her husband, it wasn't Nikki Fife. And if his wife wasn't the murderer, that meant someone else was...
Word count 14,950 Suitable for younger learners
Who is the stranger and why has he come to the island? Why does he look at Eagle's Rock and Vitalis' house? Costas wants to know the answers to these questions. And he wants to be the first to climb the dangerous Eagle's Rock. But will the stranger do it first? A dramatic adventure follows.
While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to a pirate's fortune.
After being kidnapped by his villainous uncle, sixteen-year-old David Balfour escapes and becomes involved in the struggle of the Scottish highlanders against English rule.
MYSTERY & HORROR Through the narratives of Mr Enfield, Mr Utterson, Dr Lanyon and Poole, Jekyll’s butler, the mystery of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is revealed: Dr Jekyll, an eminent scientist, has discovered a drug which changes him into the embodiment of his evil impulses. Which side of Jekyll, the good or the evil, will triumph? Dossiers: London and Crime The ‘Double’ in 19th-century Fiction
It is festival time in the City of Themon, and Hercules and Iolaus are to choose the festival queen. But will she die, like all festival queens before her? And is Hera the lover of Zeus behind it all? Before these and others questions can be answered, Hercules must figt the terrible Sea Serpent of Themom.
Nick Lortz is sitting outside a café in Whistler, a village in the Canadian mountains, when a stranger comes and sits next to him. She's young, pretty, and has a beautiful smile. Nick is happy to sit and talk with her. But why does she call Nick 'Mr. Hollywood'? Why does she give him a big kiss when she leaves? And who is the man at the next table - the man with the short white hair? Nick learns the answers to these questions three long days later - in a police station on Vancouver Island.
In the spring of 1963, after the last conventional attempt to assassinate President de Gaulle had failed, Colonel Marc Rodin, Operations Chief of the OAS, launched the plan of the Jackal. The Jackal was an anonymous Englishman who came literally within an inch of destroying de Gaulle and possibly changing the course of world history. Frederick Forsyth's brilliantly researched novel reveals how the assassin was recruited; how much he was paid; the intricate planning that went into the attempt; the international security net that was set up (but failed) to trap him; the fantastic chase across the Continent in which he kept only a step ahead of his pursuers; and the unprecedented security measures the French were compelled to adopt to save the President from the most ruthless assassin known to modern times.
The legendary 1951 scroll draft of "On the Road" is now published as Kerouac originally composed it: rougher, wilder, and more provocative than the official work that was released, heavily edited, in 1957.
Matilda applies her untapped mental powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her nice teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security. Suggested level: primary.
This Level 2, elementary Penguin Reader contains 500 words and tells the story of the Men in Black, who must save the world from the Bug. If they don't, there will be a war
Most of us love reading about crime in the newspapers, and reading stories about Sherlock Holmes and the other great detectives. This book looks at some of the great crimes of history - crimes like the Lindbergh kidnapping and the Mona Lisa robbery. It also looks at some great criminals, like the poisoner Dr Crippen. Most of these crimes were solved, but some, like the assassination of President Kennedy, still hold their mysteries.
What does the name " Agatha Christie " mean? To many people, it means a book about a murder mystery - a " whodunnit ". " I'm reading an Agatha Christie, " people say. " I'm not sure who the murderer is - I think it's . . . " But they are usually wrong, because it is not easy to guess the murderer's name before the end of the book. But who was Agatha Christie? What was she like? Was her life quiet and unexciting, or was it full of interest and adventure? Was there a mystery in her life, too? Cover images courtesy of The Mander and Mitchenson Theatre Collection/Angus McBean, Topham Picturepoint, Topham Picturepoint/Press Association, National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library, and Stephen Oliver.
Andrew Douglas, working as a partner in the firm of Liberty Market Ltd, is used to kidnappers. But he is placed in danger when he becomes involved in the seizing of a victim which embroils the racing world from Italy to England to the United States.
The murder plan seems so neat, so clever. How can it possibly fail? And when Sonia's stupid, boring little husband is dead, she will be free to marry her handsome lover. But perhaps the boring little husband is not so stupid after all.
In a house haunted by memories, the past is everywhere ... As darkness falls, a man caught in a snowstorm is forced to shelter at the strange, grim house Wuthering Heights. It is a place he will never forget. There he will come to learn the story of Cathy: how she was forced to choose between her well-meaning husband and the dangerous man she had loved since she was young. How her choice led to betrayal and terrible revenge - and continues to torment those in the present. How love can transgress authority, convention, even death. And how desire can kill.
