If you are a newcomer to Canada and are learning to read English, the thought of reading an entire book in English might not be on your top 10 list of things to do.
Even though reading a classic like Persuasion by Jane Austen or books by Canadian authors such as Gail Anderson-Dargatz or Richard Wagamese may seem unlikely, there is a growing collection of easy to read, graded readers, specifically written for adult learners, that are available to borrow from the Tri-Cities’ public libraries.
These readers are written in beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, and are typically 70 to 120 pages long. Some novels, including Persuasion, are adapted to easier reading levels while others are written directly for a graded level reading audience.
Most of these books are produced as speciality publications, including Good Reads by Grass Roots Press, Rapid Reads by Orca Books and Oxford Bookworms, Penguin Readers and others.
In some cases, these books are also available with audio CDs so the reader can enjoy listening to the story while reading it.
There’s a wide variety of easy reads to choose from, including mysteries, romances, current fiction, classics, family stories, animal stories, biographies and stories of life’s challenges, intrigue and suspense.
Some of my recommended reads (including reading levels) are:
• Persuasion adapted by Clare West (reading level: high intermediate): A wonderful story of social behaviours and manners in earlier 1800s England. At 19 years of age, Anne Elliott is persuaded by Lady Russell to refuse an offer of marriage from sailor Frederick Wentworth as he has no money and his future is uncertain. Eight years later, Anne is still in love with Wentworth and when he returns a successful captain, Anne realizes his love for her is gone and she must hide her feelings.
• The Builders by Maeve Binchy (low intermediate) is the tale of Nan Ryan, who lives beside a deserted house and meets builder Derek Doyle, who looks to Nan to unravel the mystery of why tenants of the unoccupied house vanished. A friendship flourishes but with crooked property developers and family complications, nothing is quite what it seems.
• Coyote’s Song by Gail Anderson-Dargatz (high beginner) is the story of Sara, who chooses to leave her singing career to marry and have a family. She is content with her life until she goes to an outdoor music festival and sees Jim from her old band. He invites her on stage to sing with him and she feels drawn back to him and her old life. Sara also sees a coyote and wonders if the trickster spirit is responsible for turning her life upside down.
• The Picture of Nobody by Rabindranath Maharaj (high intermediate): 17-year-old Tommy lives with his family in a small town close to Toronto and he feels like an outsider. His parents are Ismali Muslims who came to Canada before he was born. When members of a terrorist cell are arrested in Toronto, Tommy experiences racism where he works as a cleaner at a coffee shop. A group of young men who hang out at the coffee shop begin bullying him and Tommy responds later by sending a viral revenge email about the group’s leader.
• The Next Sure Thing by Richard Wagamese (intermediate): Cree Thunderbolt does two things well: He’s a stellar blues guitar player and he can pick winning horses at the race track. Cree wants to be a great blues musician and when he meets Win Hardy, he thinks he can use his skill with the horses to give him a shot at fame and fortune with his music — that is, if he picks the next sure thing.
• The Contingency Plan by Lou Allin (intermediate): When recently widowed Sandra Sinclair meets wealthy lawyer Joe Gillette, she is quickly swept off her feet by his charms and agrees to marry. With her 12-year-old daughter Jane, they move to a beautiful house but soon things begin to change. Joe has a temper and his controlling behaviour becomes abusive, and Sandra decides she and Jane have to leave. She tells Joe this but he says, “That’s one thing you won’t do, Sandra. Nobody leaves me.” With growing suspense and at her wit’s end, Sandra flees with her daughter, trying to keep one step ahead of this dangerous man.
• The Middle Ground by Zoe Whittall (intermediate): Missy Turner lives in the small town she grew up in, and thinks she is the most ordinary person in the world. She is thankful for having a loving husband, a great kid and a job she enjoys at the local hardware store. Then one day, her world rapidly turns upside down. Missy is forced to make quick decisions, take risky chances and finds herself questioning the certainty she’s lived with throughout her life.
• Forrest Gump, adapted by John Escott (intermediate): This is a story of a good-hearted young man, Forrest Gump, who is slow at some things while excelling at others. His incredible adventures happen during the 1960s through the 1980s, and depict a social history of American life during that time. Intermediate.
Check out these and other easy reads at your local Tri-Cities library.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Janice Williams works at Coquitlam Public Library.
