Extensive reading is one of the most effective ways to build vocabulary and improve fluency. Our English graded readers apply the comprehensible input principle: you read stories written just above your current CEFR level, picking up new words naturally from context. Every page features a glossary beside the text so you never break your reading flow to look up a word. After each chapter, comprehension and vocabulary exercises reinforce what you've read, and QR codes link directly to online flashcards and matching games for spaced repetition practice. From A1 beginner to C2 proficiency, every English book is available as an ebook or paperback — choose the format that fits your learning style.
About English
Where English is spoken
English is spoken as a first language by hundreds of millions of people and is an official language in countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It also serves as an official or widely used second language across the European Union, India, parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, and in global business, science, and aviation.
How many people speak it
Roughly 1.1–1.5 billion people use English at a meaningful level worldwide, including about 370 million native speakers; totals depend on how second-language use and dialects are counted.
Grammar and structure
Modern English grammar is relatively analytic: meaning often comes from word order (typically subject–verb–object) rather than inflection. Nouns have only a productive plural (-s) and a possessive form; there is no grammatical gender on nouns as in many European languages. Verbs express tense mainly through auxiliaries (e.g. will, have) and a modest set of endings (-ed, -ing). Articles (a, the) and phrasal verbs are distinctive areas for learners.
Best-rated English graded readers
Ranked by average customer rating and number of reviews on our site. Every title below is a Pentecost graded reader: a simplified story at CEFR level with learning supports built in.
Scommetti la tua fortuna contro il tempo e un detective implacabile. Riuscirai a circumnavigare il globo in soli 80 giorni? Perditi in questa avventura mozzafiato e assorbi centinaia di parole inglesi reali, costruendo un vocabolario che resta, senza sforzo.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Co się stanie, gdy marzenie o wolności zamieni się w koszmar tyranii? Zanurz się w tę wstrząsającą opowieść i bez wysiłku przyswajaj angielski, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na zawsze. Słowniczek na marginesie sprawi, że nigdy nie przerwiesz lektury.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Wyobraź sobie świat, gdzie zwierzęta zrzucają jarzmo ludzi i budują własną utopię. Czy jednak wolność jest dla wszystkich? Zanurz się w tę ponadczasową opowieść i bez wysiłku wchłaniaj angielski, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na długo. Słowniczek na marginesie pozwoli Ci śledzić akcję bez przerywania lektury.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Co byś zrobił, gdybyś na środku Sahary spotkał chłopca, który spadł z gwiazd? Pochłaniaj angielski naturalnie, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na zawsze, zanurzony w ponadczasowej opowieści o przyjaźni. Słowniczek na marginesie sprawi, że nigdy nie stracisz płynności czytania.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Czy potrafisz odnaleźć się w świecie czterech sióstr March, które w burzliwych czasach wojny walczą o marzenia i miłość? Poznaj ich losy i naturalnie wchłoń angielski, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na zawsze. Słowniczek na marginesie sprawi, że nigdy nie przerwiesz lektury.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Uwięziony na bezludnej wyspie, musisz zbudować cywilizację od zera, podczas gdy tajemnicze siły i piraci czyhają w cieniu. Pochłaniaj angielski naturalnie, budując słownictwo, które zostaje w pamięci, bez wysiłku. Słowniczek na marginesie sprawi, że nigdy nie przerwiesz czytania.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Samotny pilot na pustyni spotyka chłopca z gwiazd, który uczy go widzieć sercem. Zanurz się w tej ponadczasowej opowieści i bez wysiłku wchłaniaj angielski, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na zawsze.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Na bezkresnej Saharze, gdzie piasek szepcze tajemnice, rozbitek spotyka chłopca z gwiazd. Zanurz się w tej ponadczasowej opowieści i bez wysiłku wchłaniaj angielski, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na zawsze. Słowniczek na marginesie sprawi, że nigdy nie stracisz wątku, ciesząc się płynną lekturą.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Jej duma zderza się z jego arogancją, a iskry lecą! Czy miłość ma szansę, gdy pierwsze wrażenie jest katastrofą? Pochłaniaj angielski naturalnie, śledząc losy Elizabeth i Darcy'ego, i buduj słownictwo, które naprawdę zapamiętasz. Słowniczek na marginesie sprawi, że nigdy nie przerwiesz lektury.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Wyobraź sobie, że trafiasz do nowego domu, gdzie nikt Cię nie oczekiwał, a Twoja bujna wyobraźnia co chwilę pakuje Cię w kłopoty. Zanurz się w świat Ani z Zielonego Wzgórza i bez wysiłku wchłaniaj angielski, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na zawsze.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Morderstwa, szantaże, niewyjaśnione zniknięcia – wiktoriański Londyn czeka na Twoje śledztwo. Zanurz się w intrygach Holmesa i Watsona, a angielski B2 wchłoniesz bez wysiłku, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na zawsze.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Zaginione klejnoty, tajemnicze morderstwa, intrygi w sercu Londynu – czy odważysz się podążyć śladem Sherlocka Holmesa? Zanurz się w klasyce kryminału i bez wysiłku wchłaniaj angielski, budując słownictwo, które zostanie z Tobą na zawsze.
Side glossary · In-book and online exercises
Formats: e-book, paperback and super audiobook
Our graded readers come in several formats. The text, the CEFR level and the glossary are the same in each — only the way you read changes. Pick whatever suits your day: the e-book on your phone on the way to work, paper and pencil at your desk, or the super audiobook when you want to read and listen at the same time.
E-book (EPUB and PDF). You can download both files right after purchase and read on an e-reader, phone, tablet or computer. Difficult words have their translation in a pop-up note: one tap and you are back in the story, no dictionary needed. Each chapter ends with vocabulary exercises, and a link takes you to free online practice with the same words.
Paperback. A classic softcover book, printed to order and sent by post. The glossary sits in the margin, right next to the word it explains, so you never have to flip pages. Chapters end with crosswords and vocabulary exercises, and QR codes take you to online practice on your phone. A good choice if you like writing in your books or want a break from screens.
Formats on this list (52 books): E-Book: 52 · Paperback: 51 · Super audiobook: 7.
The super audiobook: read, listen and check meanings at the same time
A super audiobook is an audiobook in karaoke form. A narrator reads the book aloud while the same text is in front of you, with a marker moving along it word by word. You always know which word you are hearing, so you never lose your place — even when the narrator speaks faster than you read. Your ears tell your eyes how a written word sounds, your eyes tell your ears how to spell what you hear, and both routes reinforce the same words at once.
The real difference shows when you meet a word you don't know. In an ordinary audiobook it is gone in a second; in a super audiobook it stays within reach: glossary words are marked in colour, and pressing and holding one shows its translation in your language. You check the meaning, keep listening and never lose the thread. A slider sets the narrator's speed from 0.5× to 1.5× — slow down at first to catch every syllable, then speed up towards natural speech. The words you meet while reading come back later in short exercises in the app, such as a mini crossword or building a word from its letters.
Reading while listening is well supported by research. In a Canadian programme described by Lightbown and colleagues (2002), children who for three years learned English only this way — reading books while listening to their recordings — understood the language as well as or better than peers taught in regular classes. Waring and Takaki (2003) showed that you need to meet a word at least eight times to have even a 50% chance of recognising it three months later. Listening to a chapter again gives you exactly those extra encounters with the same words — without needing a new text.
At A1 and A2 the super audiobook helps you connect spelling with pronunciation — especially valuable in languages that are not read the way they are written, or that use a different alphabet. At B1 and B2 it carries you along at the pace of real speech, so you get used to fluent listening and stop pausing at every sentence. Advanced readers often don't need a narrator at all — which is why you decide when to switch it on and when to read silently.
The super audiobook plays in the Pentecost app or in your browser, on a phone, tablet or computer. You can add it to an e-book: on the book page, tick “Add the audiobook” in the e-book box; if you already own the e-book, you can buy the recording on its own. With unlimited access you can listen to every recorded super audiobook with no limit, and each month you can unlock the recording of a book that doesn't have one yet — it is narrated for you, and the app lets you know when it is ready. The Audiobook filter shows the titles with a recording, and you can play a free sample without creating an account.
What Our Readers Say
Our readers love these books — and it shows! 180 people have rated our English graded readers an average of 4.81 out of 5. With built-in dictionaries, chapter exercises, and interactive online practice, each book is a complete language-learning toolkit that readers keep coming back to.
Our English graded readers collection includes titles such as Around the World in 80 Days, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, The Mysterious Island, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Animal Farm, Around the World in Eighty Day, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Le Petit Prince, Anne of Green Gables, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland. Every book comes with a dictionary beside the text (in the margin in print, a pop-up in EPUB), chapter exercises, and interactive online games.
Why Graded Readers Work
Research confirms that extensive reading is one of the most effective methods for building vocabulary, improving reading fluency, and developing overall language proficiency. Graded readers make this approach accessible by matching text difficulty to your CEFR level, so you stay in the optimal learning zone. Learn more about the science behind our approach on the Pentecost Method page.
English
Glossary: Polish
