When I was an ESL teacher, students often asked me what they could do to practice their reading outside of class.

This question was particularly hard to answer for lower-level students since I knew it would likely be difficult to read an entire English novel with a language level lower than B1.

My answer for those eager lower-level students was usually the same: Try reading children’s books!

Even for older students, children’s books can be a great resource for learning basic vocabulary and getting used to seeing English in context. 

Reading Recommendations Your Low-Intermediate Students Will Love

Here are a few go-to reading recommendations from the Middle Grade (MG) category:

• Percy Jackson and the Olympians (series) by Rick Riordan
• They Called Us Enemy (graphic novel) by George Takei
• Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
• Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
• Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

   

Reading Resources for Elementary-Level Students

Another great reading resource is the Helbling Readers Red Series, which contains books written for elementary-level students (CEFR A1–A2). You'll find original titles, some of which are illustrated to help with comprehension, as well as classics adapted for lower levels.

Here are a few of the available titles:

• The Time Detectives (series) by Martyn Hobbs
• Sherlock Holmes (series) by Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by Maria Cleary
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, adapted by Jennifer Gascoigne
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain, adapted by Scott Lauder and Walter McGregor
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Geraldine Sweeney
• The Westbourne Kids (graphic novel series) by Martyn Hobbs

Students will find that a little bit of extracurricular reading every day goes a long way. Likewise, sharing what they’ve read recently with the class provides them with an opportunity to practice speaking. In short, extracurricular reading is full of benefits and has virtually no drawbacks. 

Got any other recommendations for low-intermediate reading resources to add to my list? Let me know in the comments below!