Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. Ghost Stories, a Level 3 Reader, is A2 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to three clauses, introducing first conditional, past continuous and present perfect simple for general experience. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages. A strange whistle, a dangerous curse, a buried crown and a hotel without a room 13. Don't read these four frightening ghost stories by M.R. James late at night! Visit the Penguin Readers website Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.

War looms on the horizon

As the Spook's apprentice, Tom Ward must protect the County from the creatures of the dark. But now his mother has returned from her homeland to seek his help. A dangerous ancient witch, Ordeen, is about to rise, bringing with her suffering and devastation. Tom's mother has mustered a powerful army--including Tom's friend Alice and the assassin Grimalkin--to confront Ordeen. If Tom joins them, the Spook will abandon Tom as his apprentice. What sacrifices will be made in the battle against the dark?

Life is better than ever, Elena and her friends can't wait to attend Dalcrest College. But when students start to disappear from campus, suddenly every new acquaintance is a potential enemy. Then Elena uncovers a long-hidden secret, one that shocks her to the core, she realises that darkness has followed her from Fell's Church. But will it be Stefan or Damon who catches her when she falls?

After a pandemic wiped out most of the human race, The Key took power. The Key dictates the rules. They govern in order to keep people safe. But as Elodie and Aidan begin to discover there is another side to The Key and not everything is as it seems.

For fans of Vox , The Power and The Handmaid's Tale comes a dystopian novel set in a world where touching is forbidden, books are banned and The Key governs. Elodie obeys The Key. Elodie obeys the rules. Elodie trusts in the system. At least, Elodie used to... Aidan is a rebel. Aidan doesn't do what he's told. Aidan just wants to be free. Aidan is on his last chance... After a pandemic wiped out most of the human race, The Key took power. The Key dictate the rules. They govern in order to keep people safe. But as Elodie and Aidan begin to discover there is another side to The Key, they realise not everything is as it seems. Rather than playing protector, The Key are playing God.

Written by Julia Donaldson, the author of The Gruffalo, and illustrated by prize-winning Karen George, Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou! is a gentle and playful bedtime read - full of fun sounds to join in with time and time again. One night, a little ghost glides into Lydia Lou's room to scare her. But no matter how hard he tries, he just can't wake her up. He thinks perhaps some of his noisy animal friends could help but they have no luck either. Not even a noisy baby will do the trick! From ghosts booing to cats mewing, will anything wake up Lydia Lou?

The number one bestselling author of Alex Rider gives horror a whole new look in this mischievous collection of ten twisted tales.

This chilling collection of ten nightmarish and fiendishly funny short stories is a perfect read for fearless children. From a train journey straight to hell, out of control robots with a murderous streak and even a television show where death is the penalty - these terrifying tales display the dazzling wit and wicked humour of master storyteller Anthony Horowitz, and are guaranteed to make your blood curdle and your spine tingle.

A brand-new, monster-filled, action-packed, early chapter book series from the bestselling author-illustrator of The Notebook of Doom! Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!Alexander Bopp is the leader of the Super Secret Monster Patrol, a club whose members are sworn to protect the town from monsters. But there haven't been monsters to fight for months... Alexander misses his best friends -- and fellow club members -- Rip and Nikki. Then he starts finding weird old-timey objects, cake crumbs, and creepy monster cards all over town! Could the monsters be back? The Super Secret Monster Patrol will have to get back together to find out! Fans of The Notebook of Doom are going to devour this exciting new series from bestselling author-illustrator Troy Cummings!

There's no escape from this room. Full of menace and suspense, it's an unputdownable thriller--and a paperback original!

Alissa, Sky, Miles and Mint are ready for a night of fun at the Escape Room.

It's simple.
Choose their game.
Get locked in a room.
Find the clues.
Solve the puzzles.
And escape the room in 60 minutes.

But what happens if the Game Master has no intention of letting them go?

The eleventh part of the Saga of Darren Shan - one boy's terrifying journey from human to half-vampire to Vampire Prince. Darren's going home. Back to where everything started. The town's changed a lot in the years that he's been away - but then, so has Darren. Plagued by nightmares of what the future seems to hold, Darren feels uneasy revisiting the place where he was re-born as a child of the night, as though the universe (as though destiny) is plotting to throw something very nasty at him on the streets of his old home. It is.

Stolen cakes, major explosions and an unforgettable cast of characters – dive into The Orphans of St Halibut's, a hilarious caper from debut author Sophie Wills and million-copy bestselling illustrator, David Tazzyman.

Life has been perfect ever since the orphans of St Halibut's buried their matron – don't look like that, it was an accident! Tig, Stef, Herc, and Pamela the goat just have to make sure nobody finds out they're on their own.

Discovering that an Inspector is on his way, they'll need to convince him that everything is peachy or they'll be sent to the Mending House – where badly behaved orphans go, never to return. But the Inspector is not quite what he seems and things very quickly go from bad to spectacularly out of hand . . .

Can these crafty kids outsmart the adults and save their home?

In their final horrific adventure, can Will Henry endure a monstrumological terror without his mentor? "Beyond a simple finale, this is a brave statement about the duplexity of good and evil, and the deadly trap in which all of us are snared" ("Booklist," starred review).
Will Henry has been through more than seems possible for a boy of fourteen. He's been on the brink of death on more than one occasion, he has gazed into hell--and hell has stared back at him, and known his face. But through it all, Dr. Warthrop has been at his side.
When Dr. Warthrop fears that Will's loyalties may be shifting, he turns on Will with a fury, determined to reclaim his young apprentice's devotion. And so Will must face one of the most horrific creatures of his monstrumology career--and he must face it alone.
Over the course of one day, Will's life--and Pellinor Warthrop's destiny--will hang in the balance. In the terrifying depths of the Monstrumarium, they will face a monster more terrible than any they could have imagined--and their fates will be decided.

Eerie Elementary just gets creepier and creepier in this eighth book from New York Times bestselling author, Jack Chabert! Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!In this eighth book, Sam and his friends keep getting into trouble. First, Sam is late to school, then Lucy slams a door, and Antonio trips his teacher. But none of this is their fault... It is all Orson Eerie's doing! The mad scientist is planning to strike once again -- at the annual Kickball Showdown! And he wants the hall monitors out of his way FOR GOOD. Will the principal fire them?! They need to come up with a plan FAST -- before the big game! This will be the friends' biggest, baddest, dustiest battle yet!

A genre-bending epic horror-fantasy, inspired by the legend of Faust, that spans generations as an ancient evil is uncovered--perfect for fans of Kendare Blake and Ransom Riggs.

Before the birth of time, a monk uncovers the Devil's Tongue and dares to speak it. The repercussions will be felt for generations...

Sixteen-year-old photography enthusiast Zoey has been fascinated by the haunted, burnt-out ruins of Medwyn Mill House for as long as she can remember--so she and her best friend, Poulton, run away from home to explore them. But are they really alone in the house? And who will know if something goes wrong?

In 1851, seventeen-year-old Roan arrives at the Mill House as a ward--one of three, all with something to hide from their new guardian. When Roan learns that she is connected to an ancient secret, she must escape the house before she is trapped forever.

1583. Hermione, a new young bride, accompanies her husband to the wilds of North Wales where he plans to build the largest water mill and mansion in the area. But rumors of unholy rituals lead to a tragic occurrence and she will need all her strength to defeat it.

Three women, centuries apart, drawn together by one Unholy Pact. A pact made by a man who, more than a thousand years later, may still be watching...

This haunting and captivating mystery redefines the horror and fantasy space.

From horror master K. R. Alexander, the tale of a sleepover where a vengeful ghost is the uninvited guest who won't leave . . . or let anyone else leave. Maria has never gotten over her sister Isabella's death . . . and the guilt she feels about what happened. It hangs over everything she does, even an innocent slumber party with her two best friends.When one friend suggests they play a game that summons the spirits of the dead, Maria thinks it's all make-believe. But then she starts to hear from a spirit -- a spirit claiming to be her sister. Maria doesn't want to think it's possible. . . but the sinister spirit has a way of making her listen. Has her sister actually returned?

Half-witch, half-mortal 16-year-old Sabrina Spellman has made her choice: She's embraced her witchy roots, and her power is growing daily. But will it come at too high a price? It's not easy being half-mortal, half-witch. At least, not for Sabrina Spellman. She just discovered that her dad is Satan... and that it's her destiny to rule Hell. As usual, Sabrina's got other plans for her future. She's figured out a way to trap her father... but he's caged in the body of her boyfriend, Nick Scratch. Now the love of her life is stuck in Hell... with Satan stuck inside him.Sabrina knows there's a way to get Nick back while also keeping dear old dad out of commission. She just has to figure out what it is. Unfortunately, her loyal cousin Ambrose is unavailable because he's off hunting Father Blackwood, the evil former head of the Church of Night.Fortunately, Sabrina's still got her mortal friends, Roz, Harvey, and Theo. So when her aunt Zelda, now the church's high priestess, mentions an ancient quest that might help open the gates of Hell, Sabrina and her friends are all in. But Zelda failed to mention that the quest has some perils of its own...

Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron's new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power. Briseis has a gift: with a single touch she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms. When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents hope that surrounded by plants and flowers, she will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they never expected--it comes with a mysterious set of instructions, a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world, and generations of secrets. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it. From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes an enchanting story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.

On the brink of an all-consuming war and caught at the crossroads where choice and destiny meet, Grace struggles to save her school, her friends, and her very soul when she finds herself in a dangerous and unique prison. The shocking, twist-filled third book in Tracy Wolff's epic Crave fantasy series is a masterpiece of romance, betrayal, and the strength we all have inside.

'I have no idea how long I have been incarcerated in these ancient walls . . . Let me explain how I find myself in this predicament . . .'

Set in the hot houses of a stately home in eighteenth century England, a gardener falls from grace when the Duke sets him the impossible task of growing prize pineapples fit to show off in high society.

The gardener's star falls further when he is replaced by Mr Amicus, a pineapple 'specialist', whom he believes to be a charlatan and a trickster - but nevertheless miraculously produces fruit to delight the Duke.

Determined to uncover Mr Amicus's tricks, the gardener sneaks into the pineapple house to uncover the mysterious shrouded birdcage Mr Amicus carries with him. And what he finds changes his life for ever . . .

A cautionary tale with echoes of myth and fairy tale, this bewitching fable will make you careful what you wish for.