英文原著：推荐十本简单易读的入门级英文原著
听说有些小伙伴最近又书荒了，今天贴心的推荐书君（微信公众号：推荐书）为大家奉上了十本简单易读的英文原著，这些小故事生动有趣，用词简单，非常适合入门级读者。如果你还没看过，不如从今天开始读起吧。
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Charlotte’s Web
《夏洛的网》
E.B. White E.B.怀特
This is a lovely novel that all age groups can understand. Aimed at native English speaking children, there are many adults who still say this famous book is their favorite.
这是一本美妙的小说，各年龄段的人都能理解。书的目标读者是以英语为母语的儿童，许多成年人仍然说这本著名的书是他们的最爱。
This is part of the national curriculum in many schools around the world, so it’s quite possible this book will also come up in conversation. You can almost guarantee that the majority of native English speakers have read this book at least once.
世界上许多学校的教学大纲里都有这本书，所以人们在聊天时也很有可能谈到这本书。几乎可以保证，大多数以英语为母语的人都至少读过一次这本书。
plot summary
A baby pig called Wilbur is almost killed because of his status – he is the smallest pig that was born and he is considered to be useless and of no value.
一个名叫威尔伯的小猪，由于它生下来最小，派不上什么用场，也没有价值，所以差点被主人宰了。
Charlotte, the spider, knows that the farmers are planning to kill Wilbur. She promises to make a plan to save his life. The farmers are surprised the next day when they see the words “some pig” written in the web Charlotte has made.
一个名叫夏洛的蜘蛛知道农夫们要杀掉威尔伯，她承诺要救威尔伯。第二天，当农夫们看见夏洛用网织出的文字“王牌猪”时，他们感到非常惊讶。
Wilbur is sad when Charlotte disappears. But in the end, her baby spiders turn out to be great company for the pig. They continue to protect each other and the story ends well.
夏洛消失后，威尔伯很伤心。但最后，夏洛的孩子们变成了威尔伯最好的陪伴。他们继续保护着彼此，故事的结尾很美好。
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Mieko and the Fifth Treasure
《枝子和第五件宝物》
Eleanor Coerr 埃莉诺·科尔
This book is not really so famous, but it is on the recommended book list. What’s great about “Mieko and the Fifth Treasure” is that it’s short. At only 77 pages long, this will be an easy read.
这本书不是那么有名，但它同样在推荐书单上。《枝子和第五件宝物》的优点是文章篇幅非常短。一本只有77页的书，读起来会非常容易。
Again this book is aimed at young native English speakers, so if you’re learning English, the level won’t be so difficult. This book will keep you interested as you’ll learn many interesting things about Japan and its culture.
这本书的目标读者同样是以英语为母语的年轻人，所以如果你正在学习英语，那么这种水平的读物对你来说不会很难。书中会讲到许多有趣的日本文化，它会一直吸引着你一直读下去。
plot summary
This is an emotional story about Mieko. Mieko is a talented artist and calligrapher (handwriting artist). Her hand is badly hurt during the bombings of the war. The scared little girl is sent to live with her grandparents in the countryside where it is safer.
这是一个关于枝子的动人故事。枝子是一个有才华的画家和书法家。在战争的轰炸中，她的手部严重受伤。这个受到惊吓的小女孩被送去更安全的乡下，跟爷爷奶奶生活在一起。
Mieko is worried and afraid that she’s lost her 5th treasure – the “beauty in her heart.” This treasure is the key to her happiness and her beautiful art.
枝子很担心，她怕丢了第五件宝物——“她心中的美”。这个宝物是她幸福和创作美丽绘画的关键。
Mieko starts a new school. Her new classmates are mean. They constantly laugh at her and tease her which just makes her angrier. Her grandparents eventually manage to lift her darkness through their patience and wisdom.
枝子开始在新学校上学。她的新同学并不友好。他们经常嘲笑她，欺负她，这使她更加生气。最终，爷爷奶奶用耐心和智慧驱除了她心中的阴暗。
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The Outsiders
《边缘小子》
S.E. Hinton 辛顿
This short novel is perfect for EFL learners. It has modern themes and typical teenage issues that people around the world have experienced.
这部短篇小说非常适合英语学习者。它主题比较现代，并且有大家都经历过的典型青少年问题。
There are very few cultural notes in this, which means you don’t need much background information. The sentences are short and easy to understand. The vocabulary is also very easy. You should be able to read this book without difficulty.
小说中的文化注释很少，这意味着你不需要太多的背景知识。句子简短，易于理解，词汇也很简单，你应该能够毫不费力地阅读这本书。
plot summary
Ponyboy Curtis is one of the main characters. He is a part of a gang of teenagers called the Greasers. They meet up with the rival gang and the fight begins. One of the enemies is killed.
波尼博伊是小说的主要人物之一。他是当时被称为“油脂仔”的青少年帮派的一份子。他们遇见了另外一个团伙，双方开始打架。敌人中有个人被打死了。
Ponyboy is really scared. They hide in a church and try to hide their appearance by dyeing (coloring) their hair. A number of different fights break out between the two gangs. Eventually Ponyboy wakes up in the hospital.
波尼博伊真的害怕。他们躲在教堂里，试图通过染发来掩饰他们的外表。两个帮派之间爆发了一系列战斗。最终波尼博伊在医院醒来。
A trial is set in the courtroom and the judge has to decide Ponyboy’s fate (future). Is he guilty or not guilty?
审判在法庭上进行，法官将决定波尼博伊的命运。他到底是有罪还是无罪？
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The House on Mango Street
《芒果街上的小屋》
Sandra Cisneros 桑德拉·希斯内罗丝
The great thing about “The House On Mango Street” is that it’s an interesting read. It’s written from the point of view of the writer. You can really feel what the protagonist (the main character) feels.
《芒果街上的小屋》的优点是，它是一个有趣的读物。它从作家的视角出发，让你切身体会到主人公（主角）的感受。
The sentences are really short so it’s also easy to understand. There are a few challenging words and a little bit of descriptive language, but you can usually understand them with the context. Another great thing about this is book is that it gives you a deep understanding of a different culture.
文中句子真的很简短，所以也很容易理解。其中有少部分具有挑战性的单词和一点点的描述性的语言，但你通常可以在语境中读懂它们。这本书的另一个优点是它可以让你对不同文化有深刻的了解。
plot summary
This book follows the life of Esperanza, a Mexican girl. Esperanza moves into a new home on Mango Street. Their new house is old and small. In the new home, Esperanza feels like she has no time to be alone. She promises herself that one day she will leave and have her own home.
这本书描绘了一个墨西哥女孩埃斯佩朗莎的一生。埃斯佩朗莎搬到了芒果街上的一个新家。他们的新房子又旧又小。在新家，埃斯佩朗莎感觉自己没有时间独处。她向自己保证有一天会离开这，并拥有自己的房子。
Throughout the novel the young girl grows up a lot. The story follows her life as she makes friends, her body changes and she begins to have feelings for a boy.
小说中，小女孩长大了很多。故事描述了她的生活，交友、身体变化、开始对一个男生有好感。
There is a lot of focus on other women in the community and Esperanza hopes never to be like them. Through watching the older women and how they are stuck, she knows that she wants to leave.
小说也描绘了社区中的其他女人，埃斯佩朗莎希望自己永远不会像她们一样。通过观察老妇女们和她们如何被困住，她知道她想要离开。
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Thirteen Reasons Why
《13个理由》
Jay Asher 艾雪
This story takes place in the present, which means the writer writes using simple grammar. All sentences are short and the vocabulary is relatively easy.
故事发生在当代，这意味着作家运用简单的语法写作。所有的句子都很简短，词汇也比较容易。
The interesting grammar and short paragraphs make this a quick and easy book for ESL learners. This is an award-winning book and on the NY Times best books list, so it’s worth a read.
它语法有趣，段落简短，对英语学习者来说简单易读。这是一本屡次获奖的书，并上榜榜《纽约时报》最佳书单，值得一读。
plot summary
The main character is Clay Jensen, a quiet high school student. He comes home from school to find a parcel at his front door. He does not know who sent it. He opens it and discovers 7 cassette tapes. These tapes are from Hannah Baker, his previous classmate. She had emotional problems and has committed suicide (killed herself).
主角是克莱，一个安静的高中生。他从学校回到家，在门口发现了一个包裹。克莱不知道是谁寄的，于是打开它，发现了7盒磁带。这些磁带是他以前的同学汉娜寄来的，汉娜曾有精神问题并自杀。
The tapes came with instructions. The paper stated that they should pass the tapes from one student to another student. There are 12 people in total. In the paper, she explains to these people that they helped her die – she gives them 13 reasons.
磁带旁还有指令。纸上写道，他们必须把磁带从一个学生传给另一个学生。共有12人。汉娜向这些人解释说，他们都是她死亡的原因——共13个理由。
We hear about her pain. She talks about her first kiss, people who lied to her and stole from her. Everything started with gossip. The gossip then grew and became out of control.
磁带中我们听到了她的痛苦。她谈论她的初吻，对她撒谎的人，偷她东西的人。一切都始于流言蜚语。流言不断传播，后来变得越来越失控。
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Peter Pan
《彼得·潘》
J.M. Barrie 詹姆斯·马修·巴利
Almost everyone knows the story of “Peter Pan” which is why this is an easy read. Being familiar with a story already helps the reader to understand the text better.
几乎所有人都知道彼得·潘的故事，这就是为什么称它为简单读物的原因。熟悉一个故事有助于读者更好地理解文本。
This book is aimed at children, but it continues to be enjoyed by adults around the world too.
这本书的目标读者是儿童，但它仍被世界各地的成年人所喜爱。
plot summary
Peter invites Wendy to return to Neverland with him. Wendy asks for her brothers Michael and John to join them. They have a magical flight as they travel to Neverland and have many adventures along the way.
彼得邀请温蒂和他一起回到荷兰。温迪让她的兄弟米迦勒和约翰加入他们。他们在飞往荷兰的途中经历了一次神奇的飞行，在沿途历经多次冒险。
After all their adventures and fun, Wendy decides that her place is at home with their mother. But Peter doesn’t want her to go. Instead he tries to trick her. He tells her that their mother doesn’t want them anymore. However, he understands how sad their mother must be. In the end, he decides to let them go home.
尽管他们的旅行冒险有趣，但温蒂决定，她还是应该在家里与她们的母亲一起生活。但彼得不想让她回去。相反，他试图欺骗她。彼得告诉温蒂，他们的母亲不想要她们了。然而，彼得明白她们的母亲该有多么的悲伤。最后，他还是决定让她们回家。
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The Old Man and the Sea
《老人与海》
Ernest Hemmingway 欧内斯特·海明威
This is a famous classic. Almost all native English speakers will have read this book at some point in school. So, if you ever find yourself in a conversation about literature and books, this is a good one to talk about.
这是一部著名的经典作品。几乎所有以英语为母语的人都会在学校的同一时期读过这本书。所以，如果你发现自己正在和别人谈论文学与书籍，这将是一个很好的选择。
It has a little bit of difficult vocabulary, however, it is short and you won’t have too much trouble being able to finish it.
这本书有一些较难的词汇，但是它篇幅很短，读完它你不会感觉太困难。
plot summary
This is a story of a long fight between an old, experienced fisherman and the best fish he ever caught. Santiago has returned to the village without any fish for 84 days.
这是一个关于有经验的老渔民和他抓到过最好的鱼之间长期博弈的故事。圣地亚哥已经84天没有向村里带回任何鱼了。
On the eighty-fifth day, his luck changes and so does his life. At 12 pm, a huge fish (a marlin) takes the bait (the food used to attract fish). The man tries to pull the fish up, but the fish is too big and strong. Instead, the fish begins to pull the boat. The old man continues to fight and hold on to the line. The fish pulls the boat around the sea for two days.
第85天，他的运气改变了，他的生活也随之改变。半夜12点，一条巨大的鱼（马林鱼）上钩（食物用来吸引鱼）。圣地亚哥想把鱼捞起来，但鱼又大又壮硕。相反，鱼开始拉船。老人继续战斗，坚持拉线。鱼把船拉了整整两天。
On the third day, the fish gets tired. Santiago is able to pull the fish closer and kill it. It’s the biggest fish he has seen in his life. He begins to sail back to the village, but the blood of the fish attracts sharks. The boat is attacked by a Mako shark, but Santiago is able to kill it. He kills most of the sharks, but there is a problem. They have eaten the meat of the fish and now only the skeleton (bones) is left. He returns back to his home and falls asleep.
第三天，鱼累了。圣地亚哥把鱼拉近并杀死了它。这是他一生中见过的最大的鱼。他开始返回村子，但鱼的血吸引了鲨鱼。船被灰鲭鲨攻击，但是圣地亚哥杀了它。他杀死了大多数的鲨鱼，但有一个问题。他们吃了鱼肉，现在只剩下鱼骨架（骨头）了。他回到自己的家里，睡着了。
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The Giver
《赐予者》
Lois Lowry 洛伊丝·劳里
“The Giver” begins in a very interesting way and catches the attention of the readers from the beginning. It has easy-to-understand grammar. Most of the grammar is just past simple and past perfect.
《赐予者》以一种非常有趣的方式开头，从一开始就吸引了读者的注意。文章的语法简单易懂。大部分的语法都是一般过去时和现在完成时。
All of the sentences are short. This is a longer book. It’s really easy though, so you’ll finish it quickly.
所有的句子都是简短的，虽然篇幅相对较长，但它真的很简单，所以你很快就会读完。
plot summary
Jonas is a young boy. He lives a very safe life with a lot of order and rules. There are many rules and everyone follows them. They don’t often make a decision by themselves.
乔纳斯是一个小男孩。他的生活很安全，充满着秩序和规则。社会中有许多规则，每个人都要遵守。他们经常不能自己做决定。
But Jonas soon learns some truths about the people in the community. He comes to understand that this kind of life is unfair. He wants to allow people to make their own choices.
但乔纳斯很快就知道了关于社区里人们的一些真相。他开始明白这种生活是不公平的。他想让人们做出自己的选择。
Jonas comes up with an interesting plan to change the community. He decides he needs to move the community to another place. In his plan, they be able to live a good and fair life.
乔纳斯提出了一个有趣的计划来改变社区。他决定把社区搬到另一个地方去。在他的计划中，他们将过上美好的、公平的生活。
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Number the Stars
《数星星》
Lois Lowry 露易丝·劳瑞
This is a realistic novel. It’s based on history. Unlike other historical literature, it’s easy to understand.
这是一部很现实的小说。它以历史为基础，但不像其他的历史著作，它很容易理解。
If you already know a lot of information about World War II, this might be an interesting book for you. It’s not recommended if you don’t know too much about the World Wars. In this case, you will be focusing on trying to understand the facts too much so you will not enjoy the book as much.
如果你已经很了解第二次世界大战，那你可能会对这本书感兴趣。但如果你不是很了解世界大战，则不建议你阅读此书。因为你会太过专注于了解事实，而无法享受阅读。
plot summary
This is a story of hope and courage. The year is 1943 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The area has been taken over by Hitler’s army. There are soldiers everywhere. The life of 10-year-old Annemarie has changed a lot. There is little food and everyone is very scared. There is talk about moving all of the Jewish people to another place. This is difficult for Annemarie because her best friend, Ellen, is Jewish.
这是一个关于希望和勇气的故事。故事发生在1943年丹麦哥本哈根。该地区当时被希特勒军队占领，到处都是士兵。10岁的Annemarie的生活改变了很多。当时食物稀缺，每个人都很害怕。有传言说所有的犹太人要搬到另一个地方去。Annemarie很难过，因为她最好的朋友，爱伦，是犹太人。
This is a different book about the war. It shows it was not only the Jewish people who suffered during the war. Annemarie’s family lost their eldest daughter, Lise, a few weeks before her wedding.
这是一本从不同角度讲述战争的书。它让我们知道在战争中，经受折磨的不仅是犹太人民。Annemarie的家庭失去了他们的大女儿莉萨，而她本要在几周后结婚。
Annemarie will later do what her sister, Lise, did. She will join the resistance party to fight against the Nazis. She ends up being a heroine for a few reasons (which I will not tell you because I don’t want to ruin the story).
Annemarie后来继承了姐姐莉萨之前做的事。她加入了反对纳粹的抵抗组织，并最终成为一个女英雄，至于原因，我可不会剧透给你，因为我不想毁了故事。
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A Wrinkle In Time
《时间的皱纹》
Madeline L’engle 玛德琳·英格
This book has a mix of shorter and longer sentences. The short sentences allow the readers to relax a little bit more. They also create the scene well and let you know what is happening through simple words.
这本书长短句结合。其中的短句子能让读者稍微放松一下，同时营造出很好的场景氛围，用简单的文字让你知道发生了什么。
There is a lot of vocabulary to learn. It is a good book if you’ve already got experience reading novels in English. Make sure you have your vocabulary notebook with you, just in case there are any cool words that you’d like to learn. This book has MANY!
书中有很多词汇要学习。如果你已经有了很多阅读英文小说的经历，这会是一本好书。准备好你的词汇笔记本，以便记录下你想学的一些很酷的词。这本书中有很多哦！
plot summary
Meg is 14-years-old. Everyone sees her as a troublemaker. They think she’s a bad student. Everyone in her family seems to be perfect. Her mom is a very beautiful scientist. Her twin brothers are very athletic. And her little 5-year-old brother, Charles Wallace Murry, is a child genius and can often read the mind of Meg.
麦吉14岁。每个人都视她为捣蛋鬼，坏学生。在她的家里，每个人似乎都是完美的。她的妈妈是一个美貌科学家。她的双胞胎兄弟都是体育健将。她五岁的小弟弟，查尔斯·华勒斯·莫里，是一个天才儿童，总是知道麦吉在想什么。
Meg and her brother meet a friend. Calvin O’Keefe is a high school junior student. Meg and Calvin begin to like each other. Charles suddenly announces that they should focus on finding their father who is lost somewhere in the universe.
麦吉和她的哥哥见了一个朋友，中学生加尔文夫。麦吉和加尔文互相喜欢。查尔斯突然宣布，他们应该专注于寻找曾丢失在宇宙中某个地方的他们的父亲。
Eventually they find their dad, but not without drama. Along the way, Meg learns to love. She uses this new love to help them escape.
最终他们找到了他们的父亲，过程充满了戏剧性。一路上，麦吉学会了爱。她用这种新的爱来帮助他们逃脱困境。
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