Short Stories in Spanish for Intermediate Learners

by Olly Richards

An unmissable collection of eight unconventional and captivating short stories for young adult and adult intermediate learners of Italian.

Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work - and you will too! - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers

Short Stories in Italian for Intermediate Learners has been written specifically for students from a low-intermediate to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to B1-B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories will both entertain you, and give you a feeling of progress when reading.

What does this book give you?

· Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making reading fun, while you learn a wide range of new vocabulary
· Controlled language at your level to help you progress confidently
· Realistic spoken dialogues to help you learn conversational expressions and improve your speaking ability
· Beautiful illustrations accompanying each story, to set the scene and support your understanding
· Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, in a stress-free way
· Pleasure! Research shows that if you're enjoying reading in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!'

With intriguing plots that will spark your imagination and keep you reading, Short Stories in Italian will take your grasp of Italian to the next level with key features to support and consolidate your progress, including:

· A glossary for bolded words in each text
· A bilingual word list
· Full plot summary
· Comprehension questions after each chapter.

As a result, you will be able to focus on enjoying reading, delighting in your improved range of vocabulary and grasp of the language all without ever feeling overwhelmed. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in Italian for Intermediate Learners uses reading as the perfect tool to not only delight in learning Italian, but to accelerate your journey towards fluency.

Genres: Spanish Literature, Language, Fiction, Short Stories

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2019

Reviews

[Jonathan O'Neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

As one would expect, a much more satisfying range of vocabulary is utilised here, for the intermediate student, when compared with book 1.

The editing is superior to my early edition of the first book also. That is to say, there would appear to have actually been an editor in this case.

The stories themselves still leave much to be desired but, if you're reading this at the right stage in your development, the sense of achievement of reading in another language at this level, in addition to your ever-growing bag of vocabulary and expressive versatility, should be enough to counter the mundanity of the material.

I would read a follow-up upper-intermediate/advanced book if there were one available but seeing as there's currently not, I'm more than happy, and a little relieved, to be moving onto some proper works of Latin-American/Spanish literature next.

Hasta la proxima, chamos!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading this book for a year and a half, and it was beautiful. It perfectly followed my path of learning Spanish so I could read it gradually. The genres of the stories are pretty much diverse: there are contemporary stories, child stories, crime, fantasy... All I can say is that I recommend Olly Richards books to everyone.

[Madeline Braddon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terminé mi primer libro en español 🤗

[Jake Shirey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid set of training wheels if you’ve never read long-form in another language. I felt like the book did a good job of having some comprehension checks without interrupting the natural flow of reading. However it’s not written by a native author nor do any of the stories have any real relevance. Also I think it’s the same book copy and pasted into like 15 different languages lmao

[Elise Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

It threw me off at first that there were different genres, but now, I really appreciate the variety to help push my language skills.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first foreign language book. These short stories wouldn't have been much in English, but they were moderately interesting in Spanish to test my Spanish skills. Each short story is divided into three chapters and at the end of each chapter there are reading comprehension questions. I'm pretty sure a few of those had incorrect answers, although it could just be my poor Spanish skills. Also of note, this book uses the vosotros form, which I've never been taught in any Spanish class I've taken.

[Kristian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bastante bien

[Mattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️ really enjoyed reading these little stories in Spanish, good for vocab!! maybe i want something a bit more complicated with better stories / storyline (it’s a little obvious and random) - but really nice way to practice a little everyday without getting too stressed !!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with the Beginner's book, there is a good variety of stories in this collection from a wide range of genres, so there should be something to suit all tastes. The variety also helps you pick up new words and expand your vocabulary further beyond what you learn in most language courses.

There is a sense that the verb tenses are getting more varied and complex as you go along, although I understood the stories very well and it never felt like any of them were too difficult. As with the first book, there are vocabulary lists at the end of each chapter as well as comprehension questions. These are also noticeably more complex than in the previous book, as you would expect now that we have stepped up from Beginner to Intermediate, but again, the exercises are not overly taxing if you've been paying attention to the stories.

I've enjoyed both of these books. I've got my own copy of the Beginner one and will now look for my own copy of this one as they make excellent reading practice. As I (hopefully) get more confident in other languages, I will look out for the editions in Italian, French etc.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. An excellent aid to learning a language. The glossary at the end of each section of the story, as well as the summary and questions for comprehension, make for a book and language learning tool that leaves others in the dust.

The content:

The content of the stories vary, each wildly different from another. One deals with imaginary monsters, another with the Wild West. Given the short nature of the stories, the fact that Olly manages to fit stories with great nuance and plots into such small chapters, is remarkable to say the least.

The writing style:

As someone unfamiliar with reading Spanish literature regularly, I can’t really comment as to the writing style. However, given I’m at a B2 level, I can say that it seems like it’s closer to a native level of proficiency in writing.

Other things to add:

Not much other than what’s already been said. I definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to improve their Spanish. Thank you Olly, I look forward to reading more of your books!

[DW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. It did remind me a little bit of Spanish class, especially with the multiple choice questions at the ends of the chapters. I did appreciate that the stories were very dialog-focused and contained everyday vocabulary. For instance, I couldn't believe I'd studied Spanish for so many years without ever learning the word for "sneeze" (estornudar). This was also the first place that I really encountered the vosotros form much at all (or at least recognized it). It was very handy that so many vocabulary words were included in the glossary. The bit about "esligos" was kind of obnoxious though (it's a made-up word).

[Jad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probó de escribir mi opinión en español para practicar di más. Me he divertido mucho leer este libro porque su nivel es perfecto para mi. Las historias son muy interesantes así que se encanta leer y estudiar al mismo tiempo. Pero para ser listo leer este libro, debí haber un nivel intermedio en español. Yo, he empezado a estudiar español cada día desde 10 meses. Seguí la misma metodología cuando estudié italiano hace 2 años. Son las mismas historias pero preparado en idiomas diversos. Soy contento que he comprado este libro y pienso di leerlo un otra vez después algunos meses. Ahora, debo practicar mi español hablando y escribiendo regularmente. Es todo por este libro, espero que mi texto sea útil para la gente che ama y está estudiando este idioma estupendo. Segundo me, aprender nueves idiomas es la cosa muy alegra del mundo.

[Miriam Ilderton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro es bien si quieres aprender más palabras en español, especialmente palabras y frases que no aprenderías en un clase normalmente. Pienso que por eso, las historias en este libro fueron bastante aburridos. Estaban escritos para ensañar español, así que no son muy interesantes. Si tuvo que elegir la mejor, diría que disfruté 'Mi amigo el superordenador' lo más aunque fue bastante raro

[Lisa Odemyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very silly and random stories, I would have appreciated something more realistic to learn more useful vocabulary. It's obviously a book made for language learning though and I liked how the book was structured. Good length of the short stories, and I found the summaries, questions and vocab lists very helpful. 3.5 stars!

[Katie]

I found these stories just right for my Spanish reading comprehension level--I could easily follow the plots and characters, but they still challenged me by teaching me new vocab. I liked that a lot of words and phrases were repeated between all the stories so I could more easily remember them. A satisfying experience!

[Ingrid Krüs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het niveau van dit Spaanse boekje was prima voor mij. Leuke opzet met korte verhalen gevolgd door een woordenlijst en een aantal meerkeuzevragen. Er waren steeds drie verhalen over een onderwerp. Inhoudelijk waren de teksten zeker niet geweldig en soms zelfs heel bizar of nietszeggend. Maar daar gaat het niet om. Het is me gelukt. Hierna ga ik een 'echte' roman proberen.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were stories each with three short chapters. It is an intermediate book but there are lots of words that were advanced (IMHO) but not so many that you couldn't get the gist of it. I found the stories interesting. I recommend for high intermediate learners

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories themselves are just OK, but the book does a great job of sharing information at the correct skill level. I like the short chapters, followed by summaries and reading comprehension questions.

[Chris Leuchtenburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent and often enjoyable practice of reading Spanish. I recommend reading this on a Kindle, which makes looking up word meanings as easy as tapping the word. I skipped several of the fantasy stories, because these are not my interest.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

un libro perfecto para estudiantes de español :) a mí me gusta mucho leer cuentos pequeños en general y esos cuentos de olly richards son realmente buenos e interesantes! la mejor parte es que hay una sección de vocabulario al final de cada cuento!

[Laraharding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not well written but if you can keep re-reading them you get a real sense of progress as you understand things you didn't the time before. The vocab lists and easy comprehension questions help. Also, listening to the audiobook while reading makes it a richer experience.

[Rebecca Kent Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great practice

Love the stories - they are fun, but not
t babyish at all. Good practice for vocabulary and reinforcing tenses. I also like to read aloud sometime s for speaking practice.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfecto para aprendiendo

[Ash’s Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such fun, random stories to help learn Spanish!

[Cindy Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stories

Most of the books I read are one short story. This books give several short stories of different type. The multiple choice chapter tests are helpful.

[Veikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best book for Spanish learners that follows Stephen Krashen hypotheses. Recommended.

[Teun Bastiaans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goed overzichtelijk boek met korte verhalen om m'n Spaans te oefenen. Diverse genres dus dat is ook wel een leuke toevoeging

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ayudó con mi español pero las historias no fueron geniales...

[Anaïs Coderre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful tips and tricks to learn new vocabulary and to get better at reading comprehension in Spanish

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dumb stories. But good practice reading Spanish.