Very good, but..., 03 Oct 2007
I am enjoying this book and finding it very helpful, but think it would be pretty scary for a complete beginner to start with. Often the reader is required to give opposites of words which are not in the text being studied, and often there are words which need to be understood in order to answer the questions, but there is no translation given. I think this is frustrating for the reader. Surely the point of a graded reader is that the student doesn't have to keep reaching for a dictionary, thus breaking the flow of the reading and learning? I am managing by ignoring the words I don't know in order to keep the flow going, as I imagine I'll pick them up at some other stage along the way. Good for very confident post-beginners or pre-intermediates onwards.

italiano comprehension, 31 Aug 2007
This book is brilliant! I have just completed entry level business italian and my italian is so basic it is almost non-existent. I actually understood most of the first three exercises immediately. I would recommend keeping a dictionary by your side.

Very good, but..., 03 Oct 2007
I am enjoying this book and finding it very helpful, but think it would be pretty scary for a complete beginner to start with. Often the reader is required to give opposites of words which are not in the text being studied, and often there are words which need to be understood in order to answer the questions, but there is no translation given. I think this is frustrating for the reader. Surely the point of a graded reader is that the student doesn't have to keep reaching for a dictionary, thus breaking the flow of the reading and learning? I am managing by ignoring the words I don't know in order to keep the flow going, as I imagine I'll pick them up at some other stage along the way. Good for very confident post-beginners or pre-intermediates onwards.

italiano comprehension, 31 Aug 2007
This book is brilliant! I have just completed entry level business italian and my italian is so basic it is almost non-existent. I actually understood most of the first three exercises immediately. I would recommend keeping a dictionary by your side.

Excellent read, 25 Apr 2005
I've been learning Spanish for a year now and wanted to read something enjoyable that would keep my interest. The language is not too difficult, all of the basic verb tenses are used and the vocabulary is straightforward, no need to keep diving for a dictionary. If you don't know a word it usually reappears a few times making it easier to work out from the context.

This is a great story. It starts slow and builds speed up to a moving ending - or perhaps it was just that I didn't want to put it down after a while.

Marianela, 30 Mar 2005
A really beautiful book. Some useful vocabulary in the back of the book with simple questions for each chapter to test one's comprehension. I'm so happy im just about to buy some more in this series.

The most spellbounding book I have ever read, 03 May 2000
The book kept me attached from the begining to end without stopping, it had the most unexpected ending with the inner filled with emotion.

Very good, but..., 03 Oct 2007
I am enjoying this book and finding it very helpful, but think it would be pretty scary for a complete beginner to start with. Often the reader is required to give opposites of words which are not in the text being studied, and often there are words which need to be understood in order to answer the questions, but there is no translation given. I think this is frustrating for the reader. Surely the point of a graded reader is that the student doesn't have to keep reaching for a dictionary, thus breaking the flow of the reading and learning? I am managing by ignoring the words I don't know in order to keep the flow going, as I imagine I'll pick them up at some other stage along the way. Good for very confident post-beginners or pre-intermediates onwards.

italiano comprehension, 31 Aug 2007
This book is brilliant! I have just completed entry level business italian and my italian is so basic it is almost non-existent. I actually understood most of the first three exercises immediately. I would recommend keeping a dictionary by your side.

Excellent read, 25 Apr 2005
I've been learning Spanish for a year now and wanted to read something enjoyable that would keep my interest. The language is not too difficult, all of the basic verb tenses are used and the vocabulary is straightforward, no need to keep diving for a dictionary. If you don't know a word it usually reappears a few times making it easier to work out from the context.

This is a great story. It starts slow and builds speed up to a moving ending - or perhaps it was just that I didn't want to put it down after a while.

Marianela, 30 Mar 2005
A really beautiful book. Some useful vocabulary in the back of the book with simple questions for each chapter to test one's comprehension. I'm so happy im just about to buy some more in this series.

The most spellbounding book I have ever read, 03 May 2000
The book kept me attached from the begining to end without stopping, it had the most unexpected ending with the inner filled with emotion.

Caspian Can Read, 18 Apr 2007
Can't say enough positive things about this book and this entire series. I bought True Stories by chance last year and ever since I've slowly been buying every level.

I sent for this level two months ago, a bit concerned because I really had no idea, of how the author had laid the story out. Needn't have worried. The one or two sentence captions under each of the picture frames are so clearly illustrated that virtually any student at any level can figure out what's going on. I have a nine-year-old student who is finally motivated to read and a mature adult student who normally has terrible difficulty understanding new vocabulary, who takes great pleasure in being able to figure out new words without having to ask for a translation.

The vocabulary is repeated and then the story is printed again, in paragraph form, with an actual photograph of the hero of the chapter. The exercises following the story are well-thought out and very useful. I'm ready to get the sequel to this level - All New Very Easy True Stories. Hopefully the author will make a third book - or by then my students will be so skilled that we can go on to the next level!!!

What an incredible resource this is!

Very good, but..., 03 Oct 2007
I am enjoying this book and finding it very helpful, but think it would be pretty scary for a complete beginner to start with. Often the reader is required to give opposites of words which are not in the text being studied, and often there are words which need to be understood in order to answer the questions, but there is no translation given. I think this is frustrating for the reader. Surely the point of a graded reader is that the student doesn't have to keep reaching for a dictionary, thus breaking the flow of the reading and learning? I am managing by ignoring the words I don't know in order to keep the flow going, as I imagine I'll pick them up at some other stage along the way. Good for very confident post-beginners or pre-intermediates onwards.

italiano comprehension, 31 Aug 2007
This book is brilliant! I have just completed entry level business italian and my italian is so basic it is almost non-existent. I actually understood most of the first three exercises immediately. I would recommend keeping a dictionary by your side.

Excellent read, 25 Apr 2005
I've been learning Spanish for a year now and wanted to read something enjoyable that would keep my interest. The language is not too difficult, all of the basic verb tenses are used and the vocabulary is straightforward, no need to keep diving for a dictionary. If you don't know a word it usually reappears a few times making it easier to work out from the context.

This is a great story. It starts slow and builds speed up to a moving ending - or perhaps it was just that I didn't want to put it down after a while.

Marianela, 30 Mar 2005
A really beautiful book. Some useful vocabulary in the back of the book with simple questions for each chapter to test one's comprehension. I'm so happy im just about to buy some more in this series.

The most spellbounding book I have ever read, 03 May 2000
The book kept me attached from the begining to end without stopping, it had the most unexpected ending with the inner filled with emotion.

Caspian Can Read, 18 Apr 2007
Can't say enough positive things about this book and this entire series. I bought True Stories by chance last year and ever since I've slowly been buying every level.

I sent for this level two months ago, a bit concerned because I really had no idea, of how the author had laid the story out. Needn't have worried. The one or two sentence captions under each of the picture frames are so clearly illustrated that virtually any student at any level can figure out what's going on. I have a nine-year-old student who is finally motivated to read and a mature adult student who normally has terrible difficulty understanding new vocabulary, who takes great pleasure in being able to figure out new words without having to ask for a translation.

The vocabulary is repeated and then the story is printed again, in paragraph form, with an actual photograph of the hero of the chapter. The exercises following the story are well-thought out and very useful. I'm ready to get the sequel to this level - All New Very Easy True Stories. Hopefully the author will make a third book - or by then my students will be so skilled that we can go on to the next level!!!

What an incredible resource this is!

Very good, but..., 03 Oct 2007
I am enjoying this book and finding it very helpful, but think it would be pretty scary for a complete beginner to start with. Often the reader is required to give opposites of words which are not in the text being studied, and often there are words which need to be understood in order to answer the questions, but there is no translation given. I think this is frustrating for the reader. Surely the point of a graded reader is that the student doesn't have to keep reaching for a dictionary, thus breaking the flow of the reading and learning? I am managing by ignoring the words I don't know in order to keep the flow going, as I imagine I'll pick them up at some other stage along the way. Good for very confident post-beginners or pre-intermediates onwards.

italiano comprehension, 31 Aug 2007
This book is brilliant! I have just completed entry level business italian and my italian is so basic it is almost non-existent. I actually understood most of the first three exercises immediately. I would recommend keeping a dictionary by your side.