Graded readers for teens
Reading books in English broadens one’s mind, enriches the vocabulary and, of course, improves memory. However, you cannot recommend your beginner students to read a book with sophisticated vocabulary since they will not enjoy it finding the book too difficult for them. Hence, you as a teacher should always have a list of graded books suitable for each level at your disposal. In our previous article we have already introduced graded readers for adults, and today we are going to share readers and resources that are popular among teens.
Resources for readers
There are plenty of websites which offer graded readers not only with a suitable level of English but also with different genres and length.
This website offers stories and articles for elementary, intermediate and upper-intermediate levels. You can find the same story in these three different levels with lots of comprehension exercises which will help your teens to practice new words and expressions in the text.
If your students are interested in audiobooks, or prefer listening rather than reading, this website will become their favorite one. Here there are audiobooks from beginner to intermediate levels. All of them are free and can be easily downloaded.
It offers an incredible range of famous authors and their books written both for teenage and adult learners. Here your students can even choose the books in American or in British English.
Famous books for teens
Elementary level:
The events in the book take place in summer. It tells the story of a young girl whose name is Alice. One day she accidentally falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world. Here, caterpillars can talk and rabbits have watches. And the Queen wants to cut off everybody’s head!
Pirates of the Carribean — The Curse of the Black Pearl
If your teens are fond of the TV series “Pirates of the Carribean”, they will definitely enjoy reading this book. It tells us about the adventures of Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, and Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl, which is a cursed pirate ship.
Pre-intermediate level:
The novel is written by Johann David Wyss and tells about the Swiss family shipwrecked in the East Indies. What can they do on the island? Luckily, the father and their mother have useful skills and they can teach their four young sons.
The book is about Raphael and his gold ring. One day he feels good, the next day he becomes mad. There is also crime, mystery and love. But only Raphael knows the true story and he is insane.
Intermediate level:
It is a Gothic and philosophical novel by Oscar Wilde. An artist paints a picture of a young and handsome man named Dorian Gray. The artist believes that Dorian’s beauty is responsible for the new mood in his art as a painter.
Maximus is a general in the Roman army. When his last battle finishes, he wants to come back to his family. Unfortunately, his family is soon murdered and he is sent to prison by Commodus. Finally, Maximus becomes a gladiator and has to fight for his life.
Upper — intermediate level:
It is a romantic novel written by Jane Austen. It is about the love affair between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. Are men what they seem? Will pride and prejudice always hinder in the search of true love?
Jay Gatsby , the main character of the book, organizes amazing parties every weekend at his place. Though he is a very rich man, he is not that happy. He has an American dream — a dream of love and happiness. But will it ever come true?
If you need some information on how to work with reading in the lesson, check out this article. If you aim at motivating reading at home, you can find some advice here.
What books do your teens read? Share in the comments below!
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