Showing results by publisher "Real Reads" in All Categories

A Christmas Carol is one of a series of retellings of classic literature by publisher Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and themes, Real Reads also imitate the the original author's style. An intelligent, lively and enjoyable introduction to this classic and much-loved Christmas tale.Miserable old Ebeneezer Scrooge hates Christmas. Can somebody so selfish, so harsh and so horribly lonely ever change his ways? In one terrifying night, poor Scrooge is haunted by four ghosts.

Shakespeare's celebrated tragedy made accessible as drama for younger listeners whilst remaining true to the Bard's verse and vocabulary. What could be worse than falling in love with your enemy? Romeo Montague thinks he's in love until he meets Juliet Capulet. With her, he discovers what true love really feels like. But their two families are bitter rivals, and no one must know about their secret passion. When Romeo kills Juliet's cousin in a brawl, their hopes of happiness seem doomed.

When Miss Mary Morstan is invited to meet a secretive stranger, she asks Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson to help her.

Captain Morstan has disappeared from his hotel without a trace. Should Miss Morstan dare to hope that her father is still alive?

What horrible scene awaits the famous detective and his friend when they break down the door to Bartholomew Sholto’s attic room? Who is the man with the wooden leg, and why is he so full of bitterness and hatred?

One of a series of retellings of classic world literature from publisher Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and theme, Real Reads also reflect the original author's style. A brilliant introduction to this early work of science fiction.When Dr Jekyll dares to explore the delicate balance between good and evil, he little suspects the destructive powers he will unleash.

This drama is a retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, made accessible to younger listeners but still true to the Bard's original style and vocabulary. On a dark heath, Macbeth stumbles across three witches who can see into the future. What he hears will change everything. Encouraged by his wife, he decides to kill in order to gain the Scottish crown. How many people will die in his pursuit of power? With armies, ghosts and magic against him, will Macbeth survive in this tale of greed and betrayal?

A violent storm shipwrecks the King of Naples and his noblemen on what appears to be an uninhabited island. They don't know that they have been brought here by powerful magic. Prospero, the mysterious ruler of the island, has a plan, but will he use his magic for revenge or for reconciliation? His daughter, Miranda, has never seen another man except her father. What will she think of the stranger who stumbles into her life? Will Propsero's monstrous servant, Caliban, succeed in overthrowing his master?

Why is this feeling of regret so familiar to her? Why must she always wish she had done something different? Maggie Tulliver and her brother, Tom, grow up in the mill on the River Floss. Although Maggie adores Tom, she often finds him cruel and cold. All she wants is for life to be full and warm.The Tulliver family’s traditional way of living is threatened by changes beyond their control. Will the educated world of lawyers and lawsuits destroy what generations have enjoyed?

Running away to sea brings adventure and wealth, but then come shipwreck and a desperate struggle for survival. Defying his parents, Robinson Crusoe goes to sea. He is captured by pirates but escapes to Brazil. He makes a fortune using slave labour to grow tobacco and sugar. He sails to Africa to bring back more slaves but is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. Everyone else is drowned. For more than twenty years, he lives alone. He learns to hunt and fish and make shelter.

One of a series of retellings of classic world literature from publisher Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and theme, this Real Read also reflects the original author's style and syntax.

This is one of a series of six retellings of Jane Austen's great novels, published by Real Reads. It is true to the original in plot and character, as well as is style and syntax. Real Reads are great introductions to the world's great literature, and enjoyable listens in their own right.... The time has come for an unlikely heroine to have a real adventure.

Can one lonely little boy show the strength and determination to survive the dangers that lie ahead? Travelling along the rocky road from boyhood to manhood, how can David learn who to trust and who to love? Will David's friends bring him happiness or heartache? In this inspiring tale of trust, betrayal and courage, Dickens presents a world of colourful characters to amuse us, astonish us, disgust us and move us to tears.

One of a series of retellings of classic world literature from publisher Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and theme, Real Reads also reflect the original author's style. A brilliant introduction to Bronte's compelling story.Jane Eyre is poor, parentless and plain. her future looks bleak.Jane's aunt and cousin detest her. Life at Lowood School is cruel and dangerous. What inner strength can young Jane find?

"It seems pretty clear to me that sooner or later we’ll be at war with Germany, whether we like it or not."

Carruthers is looking forward to a relaxing holiday when he sets off for the Baltic Sea. Instead he finds himself at the centre of a complicated and deadly plot. Will Carruthers and his friend, Arthur Davies, discover why the sinister and mysterious Herr Dollman is so interested in their little yacht, the Dulcibella? What does Clara Dollman know about her father’s plans?

"Today is Wednesday 2nd October. If I am back in this very room in the Reform Club on Saturday 21st December by eight forty-five in the evening, I win." Phileas Fogg bets £20,000 that he can go round the world in eighty days--a huge sum of money in 1872, worth more than a million pounds today. When he sets off on his amazing journey with his clever servant, Passepartout, they cannot afford the slightest delay.

"She? That’s Little Dorrit. She’s nothing. She’s just a whim.’ Poor Little Dorrit. Her future looks as bleak as her past and her present. Born and brought up in a debtors’ prison, she relies on her sewing skills to help support her father. Little does she know that her sewing will soon present an opportunity for change. When change arrives in the form of Arthur Clennam, it is accompanied by secrets and dangers. Who is he? What are his motives for wanting to help Little Dorrit?

Mansfield Park is one of a series ofretellings of classic literature by publisher Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and themes, Real Reads also imitate the original author's style. An intelligent, lively and enjoyable introduction to this classic tale."Your little cousin cannot help being dull and stupid."At the tender age of ten, Fanny Price moves from her poor family home to live with her wealthy cousins at mansfield park. Settling into this proud family is only the first of many challenges she will have to face.

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here." Dante, our young, naive hero, has woken from a deep sleep to find himself in a cold, dark wood. Before he can begin to work out where he is, his path is blocked by a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf. Things get worse from there, and our pilgrim finds himself on a journey through the very depths of hell. Why is he there, and will he ever make it out alive?

"It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done." Sydney Carton is a lawyer who has wasted his abilities and his life. Now he has to make a difficult choice about what is really important to him, which could be a matter of life or death. The French Revolution is running its violent course; lives are ruined as a new France is created. How did the gentle Doctor Manette and his daughter, Lucie, become caught up in France’s struggles?

A guard had stepped back into the path of a train and been crushed beneath the wheels. He had been killed instantly. When Anna Karenina arrives at the scene of the horrible accident, it is the beginning of a new and troubling time in her life. Will she ever find happiness with the man she loves? Anna's sister-in-law, Darya Oblonsky, is threatening to leave her selfish husband. Is Anna able to save their marriage?

At five o'clock on the evening of November 21st, after the ice had drawn back like pall bearers at a funeral, Endurance slipped lower in the water, her stern pointing skywards. We stood in silence while she said her last farewell. A cacophony of cracking timber and rushing water signalled her end and then she was silent, slipping into the watery grave. The bravest ship, she had struggled to the bitter end and now she was gone. Endurance - well named.