Overview of Oxford Bookworms Library book - A collection of great stories from Oxford

General Introduction to the Oxford Bookworms Library book by Oxford University 

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Book Title

Summary

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Hank Morgan is a happy young man in Connecticut, USA, in the year 1879, until one day someone runs into his office and shouts, "Come quickly, Boss! Two men are fighting." After that, something very strange happens to him, and his life changes forever.

Dead Man's Money

When Cal Dexter rents one of the cabins at Blue Lake, he finds $3,000 under the floor! He doesn't know it, but it's money from a bank robbery. Dead man's money. "Should I take it to the police?" he wonders.

But there are three more people who want the money, and two of them are dangerous. Can Cal stop them?

Drive into Danger

"I can drive a truck," Kim said on her first day at work in the office. When Kim's passenger, Andy, finds something strange under the truck's chassis, everything becomes dangerous - very dangerous.

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Summary

Animals in Danger

People love and need animals. They keep them as pets in their homes and on farms. They enjoy visiting zoos, watching animals on film and TV. Children like to play with toy animals. 

But humans are also a great danger to animals. They take their land, cut down trees, pollute rivers and seas, and kill large animals for their skins or for medicine. There are about 7,000 species of animals in danger today. What can we do to protect animals in the world from ourselves?

Brazil

Many people know about Brazil's beautiful beaches, the Amazon rainforest, and the fantastic Carnival festival in Rio de Janeiro. But Brazil has much more to offer: here you can find fascinating ancient towns, modern cities, and thousands of different species of animals and plants. 

This is the homeland of famous artists and writers, as well as international sports events like the World Cup and the Olympics. What other interesting things can you find here? Why is there music and dancing in the streets? And who are the people of this amazing country?

A Little Princess

Sara Crewe is a very wealthy little girl. She comes to England for the first time when she is seven, and her father takes her to Miss Minchin's school in London. Then he goes back to work in India. Sara is sad at first, but she soon makes friends at school. 

But on her eleventh birthday, something terrible happens, and now Sara has no family, no home, and not a penny in the world...

Book Title

Summary

A Stranger at Green Knowe

When Ping sees Hanno in the zoo, he is very excited but also unhappy. Hanno is a beautiful, big, black gorilla, much stronger and more powerful than a human being. But how can this amazing wild animal live in a cage, behind bars and locked doors? 

Then Hanno escapes from the zoo. And a few days later, his footprints are seen near Green Knowe, a very old and interesting house deep in the English countryside where Ping is staying...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Content: Up above her, on one of the mushroom heads, a large caterpillar was sitting smoking a pipe. After a while, the Caterpillar took the pipe out of its mouth and said to Alice in a slow, sleepy voice, 'Who are you?' 

Strange things happen when Alice falls down the rabbit-hole and into Wonderland! She talks to the Caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat, goes to the Mad Hatter's tea party, plays croquet with the King and Queen of Hearts...

Changing their Skies: Stories from Africa

Then a letter comes to Aloo from a famous university in the United States. They offer him a place... a place with a scholarship. Aloo can't believe it at first. He reads the letter again and again. Aloo is very excited, but soon he realizes that it is not as easy as it seems. He needs money to live, money for a plane ticket... And then there is his mother...

The stories in this collection come from Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania, and are written by African authors Steve Chimombo, Farida Karodia, and M. G. Vassanji.

Book Title

Summary

A Christmas Carol

Scrooge said that Christmas was a humbug - a time when you find yourself a year older and not a penny richer. The only thing that mattered to Scrooge was business and making money. 

But on Christmas Eve, three ghosts come to visit him. They take him traveling on the wings of the night to see the shadows of Christmas in the past, present, and future - and Scrooge learns a lesson that he will never forget.

A Pair of Ghostly Hands and Other Stories

What would you do if you woke up in the middle of the night and heard the sound of running water somewhere in your house? Of course, you would get up and turn off the tap. A little while later, you hear the sound of running water again. You are alone in the house, and you know that you turned off the tap. What would you do next? 

The ghosts in these stories all have unfinished business with the world of the living. They return from the grave to complete a task, keep a promise, find something they have lost. Sometimes they want to help people, sometimes they want to punish them - or kill them.

Chemical Secret

John Duncan is a kind-hearted person, but he needs money. He also has children to take care of. He is willing to do anything, and his superiors know that. 

They assign tasks to him because he cannot say no; he lacks the ability to be sincere. And the job is like a poison inside him. It has changed him and made him blind, so he cannot see the real toxicity - until it's too late.

Book Title

Summary

A Tale of Two Cities

The Count lay there like a stone, stabbed in the heart. On his chest was a piece of paper with the words: "Drive him fast to the grave. This is from JACQUES." The French Revolution brought terror and death to many.

But even in these dark times, people can still love and be kind. They can be generous, sincere... and brave.

Death of an Englishman

It was a very inconvenient time for a murder. Florence was full of Christmas shoppers, and half the police force was on holiday. At first, it seemed like a fairly ordinary murder. Of course, there were a few mysteries. In this case, the dead man had a habit of moving furniture at three o'clock in the morning. Naturally, the police wanted to know why.

The case becomes more complicated. But as always, the answer is right in front of them. They just can't see it. In the end, it's just a very ordinary murder.

Cranford

Life in the small English town of Cranford seems peaceful and serene. The ladies of Cranford lead orderly and regular lives. They visit from twelve to three, have small evening parties, and worry about their maids.

But life is not always smooth - there are few arguments, jealousies, sudden deaths, and unexpected marriages... Mrs. Gaskell's timeless picture of life in a small town in the first half of the 19th century has captivated readers for nearly 150 years.

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Summary

Brat Farrar

"You look exactly like him! You could take the dead boy's place and no one would ever know the difference. You would be rich for life!" And so the plan is born. At first, Brat Farrar resists the idea; it's a crime, it's dangerous.

But in the end, he is persuaded, and a few weeks later, Patrick Ashby returns from the dead and comes home to inherit the family house and fortune. The Ashby family seems happy to welcome Patrick home, but Brat soon realizes that somewhere there is a time bomb ticking...

David Copperfield

Please, Mr. Murdstone! Don't beat me! I've tried to learn my lessons, really I have," David sobbed. Only eight years old, but Mr. Murdstone had beaten him, making David so frightened that he bit the cruel stepfather's hand.

Because of that, he was locked in his room day and night, with no one allowed to speak to him. As David grows up, he learns that life is full of trouble, pain, and cruelty. But he also finds laughter and goodness, trust and friendship... and love.

Deadlock

V. I. Warshawski, a private investigator in Chicago, United States. Private detectives are often imagined as tired men in raincoats, but Vic is a woman. She is tough, beautiful, carries a gun, and constantly asks questions until she gets answers. When her cousin Boom Boom dies in an accident, Vic is naturally saddened.

She wants to know how and why the accident happened, but she is not satisfied with the answers she receives. So, she continues to ask questions... and more people start dying.

Book Title

Summary

A Passage To India

A mysterious incident at the Marabar Caves involving Adela Quested, a newcomer from England, and Dr. Aziz, an Indian doctor, leads to a drama that divides the British and Indian communities in anger, suspicion, and fear.

Forster's great novel vividly portrays all the dangers and misunderstandings of colonialism, but, as Forster himself wrote, the story is about something larger than politics, about humanity's search for a more enduring home, about the universe expressed in the earth and sky of India, about the horror hidden in the Marabar Caves...

The Woman in White

A woman dressed in white first appears at night on a lonely plot of land near London and is seen again at a grave in Cumberland. Who is she? Where does she come from, and what is her history? She seems lonely and friendless, fearful and confused.

And it seems she knows a secret—a secret that could bring ruin and shame to a man who will stop at nothing to keep her silent. Wilkie Collins's famous mystery thriller has excitement, suspense, romance, and a plot that twists and turns with every page.

Barchester Towers

Mrs. Proudie, the combative wife of the new Bishop of Barchester, brings Reverend Slope into the Bishop's Palace to help rule over her husband and the local clergy.

But Slope is a snake in the grass, determined to advance himself—even if it means battling Mrs. Proudie. Their clash becomes a fierce dance, involving the wealthy, beautiful Widow Bold, the angry Archdeacon Grantly, the man-eating Signora Neroni, the bewildered Parson Quiverful, and his noisy brood of fourteen children. This classic comedy of manners is Trollope's most famous novel.

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