Cambridge International Book Centre

Ask and answer "What is your name?" with Spot.

Jurors' Comments: The book is simple with recognizable characters. The repetition of structures help in reading and learning easy conversational language. The illustrations are beautiful and relatable which keeps it interesting. Funny characters of the story create a pleasant atmosphere. The font size and style are appropriate for this age group.

PB3 finds that helping isn't always as easy as it seems and it’s important to think before you act! PB3 and his robot, Robin, are with their Earth friends, Ben and Sue finding out about life at the beach. Suddenly the evil OOs arrive in their spaceship and try to catch them. In their hurry to escape the two ETs dive into the water and discover another world under the sea. In their attempt to help some grey fish they put them in great danger. Ben and Sue help them to understand but can they put the situation right again?

Jurors' Comments: This is a story about robots, aliens, animals and children which makes it interesting for a broad group of learners. It teaches the targeted group to think about the consequences of their actions beforehand. This book is written in a good style and supported with detailed illustrations. The presentation of the story is very creative. Activities are engaging especially the role-play. Teachers and students can think of so many ways to present the story in a fun and interesting approach.

Winter is coming. The animals find something special. But what is it?

Jurors' Comments: This book is very entertaining to read. I read this book in my class and the students were so engaged especially on how the characters think about the hat. Every time I flipped the pages, the kids got excited to know what was going to happen next. The story is easy and simple yet very creative. As they read the story, kids get to imagine the things that they can associate with the hat. The repetition of the language structures make it easy to learn. Post reading activities focus on various skills from simple matching type to reading and writing words. Also, there are activities which kids can do independently and creatively. Comprehension activities like arranging events into chronological order using pictures is very good for our kids to develop their thinking skills. Illustrations are useful in understanding the story. Font size and style are appropriate for this age group.

Juanita has a dream: she hopes her alpaca will have two little babies, one for her and one for her brother. But usually alpacas only have one baby at a time… Let’s find out more about this Peruvian girl, her country, family and friends. You’ll love getting to know her!

Jurors' Comments: This is a wonderful story which introduces Peru, the country and its culture in a very interesting way. Not only is the language easy to understand, but also the beautiful photographs wonderfully illustrate Juanita’s daily life in the mountains of Peru. The idea of combining the real information and an illustrated Peruvian legend about the vicuna is brilliant. Readers can enjoy the story and, at the same time, learn factual information. Since this reader also includes an audio CD, children can enjoy it on their own, even if they are not yet fluent readers. This reader would really hold the children’s interest and could easily be used for storytelling, a CLIL lesson, or as part of an extensive reading library.

A baby fox is all alone… until a kind mother bear helps him. Winter comes, and she falls asleep. He misses her. When will she wakeup?

Jurors' Comments: This interesting and hilarious story about animals and how they survive in winter is very heartwarming. The enjoyable illustrations tell an emotionally expressive story and help broaden a child’s worldview while teaching the values of affection and social bonds. It incorporates a lot of the vocabulary that young learners would already know: seasons, colors, animal names, and basic adjectives. The well-done workbook at the end (with stickers!) would be very useful for teachers who prefer to use graded readers instead of a textbook. The simple and easy-to-read text (and the option of downloadable audio) makes it an appropriate addition to a school library.

Anna is a princess. But she likes to run and play. She doesn’t like dresses. What will she wear?

Jurors' Comments: This uplifting book puts an inspiring twist on a story of a princess who insists on wearing what she wants and manages to bring the whole royal family on board. This is a simple story but has a powerful message behind it. The characters are expressively illustrated, which make the book interesting. Anna, the main character, is illustrated as happy and curious, which fits a child’s nature. It incorporates a lot of the vocabulary that young learners would already know: clothing and basic verbs and adjectives. The well-done workbook at the end (with stickers!) would be very useful for teachers who prefer to use graded readers instead of a textbook. The simple and easy-to-read text (and the option of downloadable audio) makes it an appropriate addition to a school library.

West High School boys' basketball team is the worst team in town - everyone knows that. They always lose. But that's OK - Ben and his friends love playing. Then they get a new player. Sam is good, very good. Suddenly everything changes for the West High team, and Ben is excited. But is winning games the most important thing?

Jurors' Comments: Readers at the beginning level will find this an engaging, accessible story, with level-appropriate language and illustrations which effectively support understanding. The conflict and resolution will be relevant to all readers, regardless of their interest in sport.

Jurors' Comments: Although some beginning readers may find the length of the book a bit daunting, this excellent retelling of a beloved classic features vocabulary and grammar appropriate to the level and beautiful illustrations and glossary to support understanding. Readers will find this a rewarding read that could support later re-reading of versions at higher levels.

Aisha is a refugee from Syria who is in a cold Canadian city. But when she meets Janie at school, she meets a friend with whom she can share her love for computers.

Jurors' Comments: Contemporary, proactive and awareness-raising story of friendship and diversity. A good story about refugees and IT technology. The story is written with simple grammar and syntax using only present and present continuous tenses and without complex sentences, and the length and the level of English are appropriate for elementary level learners.

16-year-old Ryan watches the pouring rain with his dog, Rosie. Ryan's father works at the rescue service in an Australian town, and Rosie is a trained rescue dog. Suddenly a call comes - people have to be evacuated, as a tidal wave comes to the city. The evacuation begins, but here comes the tidal wave. Two small children are missing. Now it all depends on Ryan and Rosie - will they find the two?

Jurors' Comments: The story is heart-warming and very well written. Awareness on prevention and rescue protocols will attract learners in the contemporary world with many natural disasters. Also the good illustrations will help learners to understand the story more clearly. Grammar and sentence structure are easy and manageable for elementary level learners.

Take a trip around the world with these six traditional stories! Get ready to laugh, cry and feel scared, intrigued and surprised by these stories from England, Scotland, Russia, Turkey, Guatemala, Ghana and the Caribbean.

Jurors' Comments: Well written, interesting folk tales from all over the world. Each story will be attractive to learners. Also illustrations are very well presented and help learners to visualize the imaginary stories. Grammar and sentence structure are not too difficult for them to cope with. Appropriate glossaries at the bottom of each page will help elementary level learners.

Byte is computer game designer, when he gets a call from millionaire Flint Castello, he can not resist the proposal. Soon he will be in a game of life and death.

Jurors' Comments: "The Hunt is on!" focuses on a huge game created by a teenager, Byte, passionate about video game design and computers. He’s employed by two wealthy siblings, Flint and Morgan Castello, to bring his game “The Hunt” to real life, but everything takes a horrible turn once the competition begins. Together with Paloma, one of the players, he tries to bring everything on the right path and escape the danger, Flint and Maximo. The story has plenty of details and it successfully placed me in the universe of “The Hunt”, along with its characters, and it kept me hooked until the very end. Besides the quality of the story itself, one thing I adore is the artwork and the design of the book.

From 1942 until 1944, Anne Frank and her family lived secretly in a few small rooms at the back of her father's office in Amsterdam, never leaving the building. Like many other Jewish families at that time, they were hiding from Hitler's Nazis. While she was in hiding, Anne wrote diaries which described her secret life, and the loves, hopes, fears and dreams of a teenage girl in extraordinary times. After the war, the diaries became famous around the world. This is the story of the diaries, of Anne Frank's early years, and of her life during and after the time in hiding.

Jurors' Comments: This is a story about the real events that happened around the life of Anne Frank, during the Nazi period. A friendly and cheerful girl that had to go through hell and never made it out alive. While she was hiding together with her family like many other Jewish families, Anne wrote diaries which described her life, and the hopes, fears and dreams of a teenage girl in absolutely horrible times. Overall it’s an inspiring book which brings back real and devastating events, stories which should be alive nowadays.

Japan is a modern country with a strong traditional culture. It has a long, interesting history, myths, legends… and some of the scariest ghost stories in the world. About 120 years ago, a man called Lafcadio Hearn wrote about some of these ghost stories, so that people around the world could enjoy them. Old Jack visits Japan and brings six of Hearn’s ghost stories to you. Who is the strange woman, dressed in white, who appears one cold snowy night? Why does the sad ghost of a dead woman continue to return to her house? Where are the children’s voices coming from? Who are they? Join Old Jack on his trip to Japan as he follows in the footsteps of Lafcadio Hearn, and brings the ghosts to life again.

Jurors' Comments: Readers who love ghost stories should read Old Jack’s Ghost Stories from Japan. The six ghost stories were told while Old Jack was travelling to the places where the stories had happened. This means the readers can imagine being the Old Jack and experiencing the same experience as him. Reading the book, the readers will not only get the scary sensation of the story, but also learn the Japanese culture.

Independent-minded Bathsheba Everdene is in charge of her own farm at a time when few women owned property. She must also make a difficult choice, between three very different men who love her. Set in the beautiful English countryside, Far from the Madding Crowd is one of Thomas Hardy’s most romantic and popular novels.

Jurors' Comments: 'Far from the Madding Crowd' is one of the well-known novels of Thomas Hardy, and this adapted version is a good one, too. The independence of the main female character, who manages her own business, and has multiple men interested in her, makes this famous novel still relevant and appealing. Overall, this graded reader is quite well-written and it could be quite a good read.

When the Guardians’ spaceship is attacked, a mysterious helper destroys their attackers. Who is Ego? What does he know about Peter Quill? And what are his terrible plans? Peter, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot—the Guardians of the Galaxy—have saved the galaxy once, but can they do it again?

Jurors' Comments: Undisputedly, the topic of 'the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2' is quite alluring for adolescents and adults since most of them like fiction and the Marvel series. This graded reader is quite readable and the quality is good. The quality of illustrations is very good; they are so vivid. The dialogue is realistic, the characters are quite interesting and the narrative moves at an appealing pace. The stories are retold well with twists of plot to maintain interest in spite of the fantastical nature of the context and characters. There is development of the main character(s) and the stark contrasts of good and evil characters is to be expected in this type of fantasy space fiction. It was a pleasure to read through the chapters without interruption of exercises and background explanations.

James Winchester, the British diplomat, is planning his retirement when he is given someone else’s secrets. When a friend is murdered, James has to run for his freedom and maybe his life across Europe and the British Isles. Who is chasing him? And what do they want from James? Can James escape and solve the mystery? There will be excitement, danger and tragedy before James can stop running and come out of hiding.

Jurors' Comments: This graded reader is a modern mystery book, which is likely to be interesting for many learners. More specifically, the characters are interestingly differentiated, the pace is fast and the descriptions are concisely effective in achieving visualization. The book is likely to be readable for learners of this level. Overall, this is a very good read; it is level appropriate and the general design is good as well. This reader is so believable and gripping (most of the time) that one might forget s/he is reading an extensive reader.