Browse by reading level
Stories graded from absolute beginner to native fluency, using CEFR and, where a language has its own scale, JLPT and TOPIK.
What the levels sound like
The same kind of story, written at every level. The opening paragraph of each. All of these were written for adult readers, because how hard the language is and who the story is for are two different things.
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A1 424 words for adult readers
Mira goes to the big old room. She looks at the shelf with books. She wants to find one book today. But the book is not there now.
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A2 592 words for adult readers
The team walks inside the dark castle carefully. Max carries a small light and shows the way. Lia looks around with a quiet face but with her eyes wide open. Zed holds a tool in his hand ready for any problems.
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B1 1129 words for adult readers
Mira's heavy boots echoed softly against the cold stone floor as she prowled down the shadowed hall, her eyes sharp beneath a furrowed brow. Finn followed closely, his youthful steps hesitant, yet curious about the sudden urgency in Mira's pace. Torchlight flickered along the ancient walls, throwing long, twitching shadows that seemed to breathe with a life of their own. Suddenly, Mira stopped and pointed with a trembling hand at an object lying near a cracked pillar.
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B2 1372 words for adult readers
The early morning mist clung heavily to the ancient stones of the castle, imparting an eerie stillness that pressed down on Borin's broad shoulders as he paced near the gatehouse. His keen eyes caught a faint, pulsing glow on the weathered archway-an unusual mark that shimmered with an otherworldly light. Borin crouched, tracing the contours of the strange symbol, his gruff voice barely above a whisper as he muttered, "What manner of magic is this?" The air around the mark crackled softly, sending a chill through the guardian's wary frame.
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C1 1756 words for adult readers
The ancient stones of Eldenkeep exhaled a damp, chilly breath as the morning mist coiled through the vast hall like a living thing, shrouding everything in a ghostly pallor. Eldon, the senior wizard, stood at the centre of the hall, his robes billowing slightly though no breeze stirred within the closed chambers. There was a tremor in his usually steady hands as he clutched an ornate staff carved with twisting runes, pale and cold to the touch, as if drained of their usual power. His eyes, sharp and penetrating moments before, now flickered with a shadow of agony and suspicion, darting toward an unseen threat lurking in the veiled recesses of the castle's vaulted ceilings.
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native 1596 words for family readers
The sun had barely risen above the whispering treetops when Bran the wise owl spread his broad wings and glided silently through the early morning mist of the enchanted forest. Below, Pip the curious squirrel darted among the branches, his bushy tail flicking with excitement, while Fenna the cautious badger padded carefully along the forest floor, sniffing for signs of danger. Tamm the jovial fox trotted alongside, his keen eyes twinkling with mirth as he teased Pip about his boundless energy.