Books with author Pauline Francis

Arthur Conan Doyle's classic work of science fiction follows Professor Challenger's team as they seek proof that dinosaurs do still walk the earth, retold for younger readersThe Lost World was written in 1912 and was his first work of science fiction. It tells the story of the notorious Professor Challenger, who leads a scientific expedition to the Amazonian rainforest after the press and the scientific community ridicule him. Accompanied by a big game hunter and an eager young reporter, the professor and his team stumble upon a lost world and get trapped there. As they struggle to escape and deliver the impossible truth, they encounter great danger from wild animals, ape-men, and even dinosaurs! This retelling has been shortened and illustrated for younger readers.

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, was published in 1847. It tells the story of the orphan Jane Eyre, her terrible schooling and her time as a governess at brooding Thornfield Hall. Here she falls in love with its owner, Mr Rochester - and discovers his terrible secret. Essential Classics is a wonderful new series that offers a quick way into a range of exciting stories. Fast-moving and accessible, each story is a shortened, dramatically illustrated version of the classic novel, which loses none of the strength and flavour of the original.

The classic story of a brave and noble working horse in Victorian England, retold for younger readersAnna Sewell's classic novel follows the story of Black Beauty, a horse that overcomes danger and cruelty to eventually find a loving home. He has a series of masters who are often cruel and thoughtless. He survives flood, fire, and fever until he feels ready to die, but then he is taken to yet another master. This retelling has been shortened and illustrated for younger readers.

Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes tale investigates a fearsome animal and a family curse, retold for younger readersWritten by in 1902, The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of his most frightening books. It tells the story of the curse of the Baskerville family—a family haunted by a terrifying hound on Dartmoor. The beast is thought to be responsible for killing many members of the Baskerville family. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson arrive to investigate. This retelling has been shortened and illustrated for younger readers.

The Fast Track Classics series enables students to experience the pleasure of reading well-known classic novels. These shortened classic novels cater for every taste whether it is the delightful story of Little Women, the gripping adventure of Kidnapped, the compelling and poignant Phantom of the Opera, or the dark and mysterious drama of Jane Eyre. Each book is a manageable size, with short chapters and helpful illustrations. The introduction gives a synopsis of the plot and a short biography of the author. Carefully designed with lexical structures and vocabulary to match the ability of the student, Fast Track Classics still convey the essence of these powerful stories and lose none of their characterisation.

Retold for younger readers, Daniel Defoe's classic adventure novel is based on the true story of a Scotsman who was left on a desert island after a quarrel with the captain of his shipShipwrecked and all alone, Robinson Crusoe survives on the island for nearly 30 years—often visited by cannibals—before he is finally offered a chance to escape. This retelling has been shortened and illustrated for younger readers.

Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story of adventure and danger on the high seas, retold for younger readersTreasure Island is an exciting adventure story in which a young boy, Jim Hawkins, recounts his hunt for buried treasure and his fight with pirates led by the one-legged Long John Silver and his famous parrot, Captain Flint. This retelling has been shortened and illustrated for younger readers.

Charles Dickens' classic Christmas tale, first published in 1843, has become one of his best-known stories, and is here retold for younger readers. Ebenezer Scrooge is an old miser who lives alone in his cold house by night and torments his assistant at work by day. One evening, just before Christmas, he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner, Marley—a ghost with a very important warning. Is it enough to persuade Scrooge to change his ways?