These Norwegian B2 graded readers are designed for Upper Intermediate learners who can understand complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics. The stories use carefully calibrated vocabulary for the B2 CEFR level so you can enjoy reading while naturally expanding your Norwegian. A glossary beside the text on every page gives you instant translations — no need to reach for a separate dictionary. Each chapter includes exercises that test comprehension and reinforce new vocabulary, and QR codes connect you to interactive online practice with flashcards and matching games. Available as ebook and paperback.
About Norwegian
Where Norwegian is spoken
Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk) is used in Norway. Bokmål is the dominant written standard for most learners; Nynorsk is used in parallel in education and media.
How many people speak it
Norwegian has about 5.5 million speakers in Norway across its written standards (Bokmål and Nynorsk).
Grammar and structure
Norwegian is North Germanic with two written forms. Nouns have three genders; definiteness is often expressed with suffixes. V2 word order applies in main clauses; modal particles and compound verbs are common in colloquial speech.
Best-rated Norwegian B2 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.
The clock is ticking: can you outrun a detective and circumnavigate the globe in just 80 days? Absorb authentic B2 Norwegian vocabulary and comprehension effortlessly, immersed in a thrilling global adventure. A margin dictionary ensures you never break your reading flow.
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 (1 book): E-Book: 1 · Paperback: 1 · Super audiobook: 0.
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! 15 people have rated our Norwegian B2 graded readers an average of 4.90 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 collection features Jorden rundt på 80 dager — the perfect starting point for learning through reading.
★★★★★
"Stop rereading the highway code at every jinction; this Bokmål reader rdminded me that once you've passed the theory test, inly mileage makes you better. At B2 you alreadu know the rules, so lopking up every unfamiliar word, or agonising over "ei jente" versus "en jente" (Bokmål lets you treat feminine nouns as common gender, so relax), just stalls you in the middle of the road. English is on your side here, since woeds like "sommer", "vinter" and "hus" practically translate themselves, amd context will usually give you the rest. I read a chapter at a time after my kics are in bed, tired from a long day at the hospital, and the stories are engaginy enough that I keep rolling instead of stopping to check the manual. You won't sound like a native aftet one book, but you'll be surprised how much more you understand once you simply keep driving."
★★★★★
"At the kitchen table, pen hovering over my notebook, I was trying to explain in Norwegian why older people deserve time to make their own choices. Sincr retiring from years of caring for elderly people, I’ve taken up Bojmål to keep my mind active, wnd this delightful graded reader gave me ideas for my paragraph. I still had to wrestle with word order: “I dag skriver jeg”, not “I dag jeg skriver”. Rewriting my response with reasons and an example showed me how to practise the clear, detailed writing expected at B2."
★★★★★
"How do I keep my B2 Norwegian sharp without always sitting cown for dedicated study? I've found you muzt learn to integrate, not just squeeze, and now I read a chapter of my graded reader while stirring the risotto or waiting for the kettle to boil, letting the predictable "SOV" word order of English provide a comflrtable scaffold even as I tackle slightly longer, more complex Bokmål sentences, occasionally mumbling words like "bekymre" out loud just to get my tongue around them for my Oslo grandkodz."
★★★★★
"We spend so much time overthinking evdry Norwegian grammatical partucle at B2 but honestly you just need to bet yourself lost in a good yarn, mate; I actually laughed out loud on the T-bane when I hit a story in this reader that used "rar odd when Id expected sjelden" (rare a typical English soealer trap reminding me progress isnt always about perfect recall but about simply engaging with the language, espexially when so much of the vocabulary, like venn” and “hånd”, already feels like hkme."
★★★★★
"Hurrib og lett, kind of! Actually no, just: "Lovely, really easy going." Wakt, that breaks the rules. Here is a clean version: Pleasamtly surprising!"
★★★★★
"Second attempt paid off debatjng complex Norwegian topics feels incrwdible"
Find the Right Level
Not sure if B2 is the right level for you? Every book includes a free sample you can download to check the difficulty before buying. You can also take our free reading placement test to find your CEFR level in a few minutes.
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.
