Many of my English students ask me to recommend a good novel to help with their learning. However, it can be difficult to find the right kinds of stories for language learners! So what kind of books should you choose? 📚 𝗢𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗸 Steinbeck’s writing is simple, which makes it accessible for beginners while still offering powerful themes to explore such as friendship and hope. 📚 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗛𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗼𝗻 Christopher Boone is an autistic teenager investigating the mysterious death of his neighbour's dog. The language is straightforward, reflecting Christopher's interesting perspective on the world. 📚 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘅 𝗯𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝗵𝗹 One of the greatest children's authors, Dahl uses a simple language structure which can help readers expand their vocabulary and improve English-speaking skills. The novel tells the story of the a fox who attempts to steal food from a farmer to feed his family. 📚 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲’𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗯 𝗯𝘆 𝗘.𝗕. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 This is a children’s book, but it's not only a book for kids. This story of friendship between a pig and a spider is relevant for children and adults. The language is simple, which makes it great for beginners. 📚 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 This short, political novel tells the story of animals rebelling against their human masters. Orwell uses simple English and the animals speak in short, clear sentences. 📚 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿 When Nick’s parents are killed in a car crash, he is left alone to survive in an empty world. The language in this novel is simple, but it is as thought-provoking as any adult book. 👉 We can discuss books like these in our English classes together! Whether you’re preparing for exams or want to improve your speaking and listening skills, reading a book is a fantastic way to gain new vocabulary, explore new sentence structures and get a good feeling for the language. Book a class with me today to kickstart your language journey! 🧑‍🎓