Cal has very few choices in life. He can continue working at the abattoir that sickens him, or join the ranks of the unemployed. He can brood on his past or try to plan a future with Marcella. This story is set against the fear and violence of Ulster, where tenderness and innocence must struggle to survive.
A collection in which each Western story is paired by genre with a story from another part of the globe to make stories from other cultures relevant and accessible. It includes three sections, catering for Years 7, 8 and 9, making it suitable for all ages and abilities.
These stories with a twist have been chosen to motivate all Key Stage 3 students - especially boys. Including stories by well-known and popular authors, this exciting collection covers topics such as horror, science-fiction, sport, the supernatural, mystery and computers.
George and Lennie are migrant American workers - the one alert and protective, the other strong, stupid and potentially dangerous. This is the powerful story of their relationship and their dreams of finding a more stable and less lonely way of life.
In this version of Macbeth, transposed to the football field, MacB, with the help of his friend Banksie, plans to supplant Duncan King as the star striker. A nasty accident puts Duncan out of the game and gives MacB his chance, but Banksie is suspicious.
Helps students to listen with a critical mind - focusing on key themes, relevant historical, social and biographical background - as well as developing study skills and strategies. Useful for schools and for independent study, this guide enables students to experience and explore the essentials of literature.
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, tells the story of Scrooge, an old miser, who lives alone in his cold house by night and torments his assistant at work by day. One evening just before Christmas, he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner - a ghost with a very important warning...
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, was published in 1847. It tells the story of the orphan Jane Eyre, her terrible schooling and her time as a governess at brooding Thornfield Hall. Here she falls in love with its owner, Mr Rochester, and discovers his terrible secret.
This novel provides a compelling insight into the realities of the Holocaust in a way that allows Key Stage 3 readers to access these difficult issues. The strong first-person narrative creates a contemporary and accessible voice with which pupils will be able to empathise.
Student Text Guides are written by experienced teachers and examiners for the specific needs of students of AS/A-level English Literature, whether attempting a coursework assignment or revising for an examination. They are the perfect accompaniment to the set text, providing invaluable background and exam advice.
The SuperScripts series is written by professional playwrights and performed in public to popular acclaim. The plays are ideal for the English classroom and the Drama Studio. The sophisticated themes and complex plots have been specifically designed to appeal to 11-16 year olds, and have a language level accessible to all pupils.
Presents a graphic text designed to support teaching of "To Kill A Mockingbird" for GCSE English Literature exam. This book provides an overview of the set text with plot and characters delineated. It focuses on plot, characterisation, theme, language and structure as specified in Assessment Objectives.
Oxford School Shakespeare is an acclaimed edition especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. This edition of Romeo and Juliet includes illustrations, preliminary notes, reading lists (including websites) and classroom notes. Romeo and Juliet is a set text for KS3 in England, and remains one of the most popular texts for study by secondary students the world over.
This retelling of "Great Expectations" by Hilary Burningham, is a simplified version of the novel, accompanied by key passages from the original. Illustrations emphasize both character and plot. It is suitable as an introduction and revision aid for GCSE students.
These stories are arranged to help students investigate and compare the features of different genres and how authors conform to or deviate from established conventions. The book includes activities which draw out key features at word, sentence and text level.
In dreaming of a better future, Leah must make some difficult choices. Her life takes drastic turns, change her from slave into mistress, and forcing her to take the lives of her family and best friend into her own hands. This work is about freedom and slavery, hope and betrayal.
A Tale of Two Cities is Dickens' tale of London and Paris leading up to, and during, the dramatic upheavals of the French Revolution. After being released from Bastille prison, Doctor Manette is reunited with his daughter, Lucie, in London. When Lucie falls in love with and marries a French emigre, terrors return to haunt the family -
Tells of the exciting adventures of d'Artagnan after he leaves home to become a musketeer - one of King Louis' expert swordsmen - in Paris. D'Artagnan becomes an inseparable friend of the three dashing musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and with them lives by their motto, 'All for one and one for all'.
The Odyssey, attributed to Homer, recounts the return of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, from the Trojan War. The story tells of the many trials and hardships which Odysseus endures before returning to his home country, and of the problems which he must overcome when he finally reaches home.
Twelve-year-old Francis, the son of a very poor widow living in a Trinidadian village, is given the chance to go to San Fernando to work as a servant companion. It seems a great opportunity, but Francis has never seen a town, or been away from his family, and he is very afraid.
This title is part of a series that presents retold, shortened versions of classic novels that are suitable for children working at Key Stages Two and Three. This retelling of "The Day of the Triffids" intends to lose none of the strength and character of the original.
Romeo and Juliet offers a skilfully edited version of Shakespeare's text with modern English translation. This dual text is presented in a highly illustrated, full colour cartoon style. Used by schools at Key Stages 1-5, (though primarily KS 2-4), this edition is also excellent for home study.
Recreates with telling insight and gentle humour a world in Botswana where the truths of the missionaries and the witchdoctors jostle with those of the generations of women. The author, Unity Dow, is Botswana's first and only female High Court judge.
The Lost World tells the story of Professor Challenger, who leads a scientific expedition to the Amazonian rainforest. The professor and his team stumble upon a lost world and get trapped there. As they struggle to escape they encounter great danger from wild animals, ape-men and even dinosaurs!
Little Women, by Louisa M Alcott, was published in 1868 and was the first children's book in America to become a classic. It tells the story of March girls y Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, describing the ups and downs of one eventful year in their family life.
Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe, was published in 1719. It is based on the true story of a Scotsman who was left on a desert island after a quarrel with the captain of his ship. Robinson Crusoe is shipwrecked, and survives for nearly thirty years on an island often visited by cannibals, before he is finally offered a chance to escape.
The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, tells the story of a young governess and two young children, Miles and Flora, who are under her care. When the governess senses an intense evil within the house, she becomes obsessed that "ghosts" are trying to harm the children.
Call of the Wild, by Jack London, became a huge bestseller when it was first published in 1903. It tells the story of Buck, a much-loved dog who is kidnapped and transported to the snowy wastes of northwest Canada to work for gold hunters. As the story unfolds, Buck becomes more and more a dog of the wild, until he faces a pack of wolves!
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, is an exciting adventure story in which a young boy, Jim Hawkins, recounts his hunt for buried treasure and his fight with pirates led by the one-legged Long John Silver and his famous parrot, Captain Flint.
Designed to support teaching of "Animal Farm" for GCSE English Literature exam, this book provides an overview of the text with plot and characters delineated. It focuses on plot, characterisation, theme, language and structure as specified in Assessment Objectives.
The Iliad, the ancient Greek classic poem composed by Homer, is one of the greatest works of literature ever written. The story tells of a few days - fighting in the ten year long war between the Trojans led by King Priam, and the Greeks led by King Agamemnon.
This retelling of "The Mayor of Casterbridge", by Hilary Burningham, is a simplified version of the novel, accompanied by key passages from the original. Illustrations emphasize both character and plot. It is suitable as an introduction and revision aid for GCSE students.
Bolo is a champion stickfighter, tall, good-looking, the bravest of all the young men in Bonasse. When, time and time again, he sees his people humiliated by change and American troops, his instincts as a leader come to the fore. The stand he makes, however, takes bizarre and tragic forms.
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, was published in 1911 and became her best known children's book. It tells the story of an orphan, Mary Lennox, who discovers the key to a hidden door which leads her into the magical world of the secret garden.
One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is a collection of stories of a Lancashire childhood, of football in the streets, fishing, fighting and school, of growing up and looking for work, and of characters such as Spit Nolan the champion trolley-rider, and Sam Dalt the goalkeeper.