Cambridge and other publishers have very nice new series of (graded) readers. To get an impression of the readers that are published, go to the Extensive Reading Foundation who have awards in different categories every year.
What I like about many of these new series is that original stories have been written at a certain level: they are not simplified stories of well-known classics. And most of them go with CDs so that pupils can listen to the stories as well.
I recently read a good story by Jeremy Harmer called Solo Saxophone; a story set in Sarajevo at the time of the war there. It is about a young, inexperienced journalist who is sent to Sarajevo to write about the war for young readers. Interesting setting, all kinds of themes come along.
My problem is that this is supposed to be a book at C1 level: my vwo level. But for vwo I find this a too simplified story: the character development in the book is poor and on a literary level I do not rate it very high. The female journalist is a naïve young girl and the plot is oversimplified.
If I compare this booklet of 112 pages with Safran Foer's novel Extremely Loud & Incredibly Clear that my class has to read this year (plus two other authentic novels), I think there is a world of difference in level. In language, in literary value, in size, in scope, in short in all respects.
What I am wondering now: is our vwo level too high or the level in these book series too low??

Extensive Reading Foundation

Christien van Gool
cmmhvangool@planet.nl