"Italian Short Stories for Beginners is written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level (A1-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference). The eight captivating stories are designed to give you a sense of achievement and a feeling of progress when reading. You'll finally be able to enjoy reading in Italian, grow your vocabulary in a natural way, and improve your comprehension at the same time. Based on extensive research into how people most enjoy and benefit from reading in a new language, this book eliminates all the frustrations you have experienced when trying to read in Italian: Dull topics that are no fun to read. Books so long you never reach the end. Endless chapters that make you want to give up. Impenetrable grammar that frustrates you at every turn. Complex vocabulary that leaves you with your head buried in the dictionary. In this book you will find: Short stories from a variety of compelling genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller, so you'll have great fun reading, whilst learning a wide range of new vocabulary and rapidly improving your Italian comprehension! Stories which are broken down into manageable chapters, so you always make progress with the story and feel a sense of achievement without great difficulty reading! Realistic amounts of new vocabulary so that you're not overwhelmed by complex words. Instead of pausing to look up every word, you'll absorb new vocabulary from the context of the story, and have the satisfaction of that moment when you say: 'I totally understood that sentence!' Carefully written Italian, using straightforward grammar that is comprehensible for beginner and intermediate level learners, so that you can enjoy reading and learn new grammatical structures without the feeling of overwhelm and frustration that you get from other books. Plenty of natural dialogues in each story, so that you can learn conversational Italian whilst you read, and improve your speaking ability at the same time! Regular plot summaries, comprehension questions and word reference lists, so that help is always on hand when you need it. You'll be able to focus on enjoying reading and having fun, rather than fumbling around with dictionaries and struggling through dense text with no support. A five-step plan for reading the stories in this book the smart way. This detailed introductory chapter gives you specific, step-by-step instructions for effective reading in Italian, so that you know exactly how to make the most out of the book and maximise your learning!"