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12 Books for Reading in English: Graded Readers from A1 to B2
12
items A level-by-level collection of Penguin Readers for English learners, progressing from beginner A1 to upper-intermediate B2. These adapted books use controlled vocabulary and grammar to build reading fluency, comprehension, and confidence while introd...
Sections
3
Beginner Graded Readers - A1 to A2
Intermediate Graded Readers - A2+ to B1
Upper-Intermediate Graded Readers - B1+ to B2
Beginner Graded Readers - A1 to A2
Start with controlled vocabulary, shorter sentences, strong visual support, and engaging stories designed to make sustained reading in English manageable. These books move gradually from A1 foundations to more developed A2 grammar and narrative struc...
An A1 adaptation designed for learners beginning to read complete stories in English. Short sentences, familiar past-tense structures, and extensive visual support make it an especially approachable first graded reader.
Little Women, Penguin Readers Level 1
An A1+ step up with slightly richer grammar while retaining short sentences and strong illustration support. A useful choice for practising future forms, comparisons, and longer continuous reading without a large jump in difficulty.
The Little Prince, Penguin Readers L2 - Antoine
An A2 science-fantasy adventure that introduces longer sentence structures and grammar such as the past continuous, present perfect, and first conditional. The mystery-driven story makes it a strong bridge from elementary readers toward fuller narrat...
A Wrinkle in Time, Penguin Readers L3
A contemporary A2 mystery for learners who prefer modern characters and settings to traditional classics. It provides the same controlled Level 3 progression while adding accessible vocabulary around friendship, relationships, money, and everyday soc...
Liar's Beach, Penguin Readers Level 3
Intermediate Graded Readers - A2+ to B1
Move into longer narratives, richer vocabulary, phrasal verbs, more complex verb forms, and increasingly natural sentence patterns. Fiction and nonfiction choices provide practice across both everyday and subject-specific English.
An A2+ contemporary adaptation that introduces more complex present-perfect forms, passives, phrasal verbs, and relative clauses through an emotionally engaging story. Best suited to older learners who want accessible modern fiction with more natural...
Me Before You - Penguin Readers Level 4
A reflective A2+ contemporary reader built around work, books, relationships, and changes in everyday life. Its episodic structure makes it particularly approachable for learners progressing toward longer and more natural English narratives.
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library, Penguin Readers Level 4
A B1 literary adaptation for learners ready for substantially more developed storytelling. It introduces structures such as reported speech, the past perfect, present perfect continuous, and second conditional while remaining more manageable than an ...
Brooklyn, Penguin Readers Level 5 - Colm Tóibín
A B1 nonfiction option that develops reading skills through science, space, and astronomy rather than narrative fiction. It is especially useful for expanding academic and subject-specific vocabulary while practising the same Level 5 grammar progress...
Unlocking the Universe, Penguin Readers L5
Upper-Intermediate Graded Readers - B1+ to B2
These longer, linguistically richer readers move much closer to ordinary English books. More complex plots, conceptual nonfiction, advanced grammar, and reduced illustration support help prepare confident learners for unabridged reading.
A B1+ psychological crime reader with a longer text and more demanding narrative structure. It suits mature learners ready to practise reported questions, third conditional forms, ellipsis, and sophisticated storytelling with less visual support.
The Talented Mr Ripley - Penguin Readers L6
A B1+ espionage novel for readers who want a denser plot and political vocabulary. The longer text and reduced illustration support make it an effective transition from intermediate graded fiction toward conventional novels.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - Level 6
A B2 adaptation of Orwell's dystopian classic using advanced structures such as mixed conditionals, complex passives, and perfect tenses. It is one of the strongest choices here for learners preparing to move from graded readers into classic English-...
Nineteen Eighty-Four, Penguin Readers L7
A B2 nonfiction reader focused on ideas, creativity, decision-making, and challenging conventional thinking. It adds valuable practice with argumentative and conceptual English for learners whose reading goals extend beyond fiction.
Originals, Penguin Readers Level 7 - Adam Grant