When Jonathan Harker arrives at Castle Dracula, he has no idea of his host's horrible nocturnal habits. Can the eccentric Professor Van Helsing and his brave young friends take on the vilest vampire in the world? A modern and accessible retelling of Bram Stoker's classic horror story, guaranteed to grip young readers. Includes informative notes on both the author and the original text.
"Count Dracula" has inspired countless movies, books, and plays. But few, if any, have been fully faithful to Bram Stoker's original, best-selling novel of mystery and horror, love and death, sin and redemption. "Dracula" chronicles the vampire's journey from Transylvania to the nighttime streets of London. There, he searches for the blood of strong men and beautiful women while his enemies plot to rid the world of his frightful power. Today's critics see "Dracula" as a virtual textbook on Victorian repression of the erotic and fear of female sexuality. In it, Stoker created a new word for terror, a new myth to feed our nightmares, and a character who will outlive us all. Brooke Allen is a book critic whose work has appeared in numerous publications including The Atlantic Monthly, The New Criterion, The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, and The Hudson Review. A collection of her essays, "Twentieth-Century Attitudes," will be published in 2003.
As lightning flashes across the night sky, Victor Frankenstein succeeds in the ultimate scientific experiment – the creation of life. But lonely and rejected, the being he creates soon turns on Victor and his family, with terrifying and tragic results. Rivetingly retold for a new generation of readers, Mary Shelley's classic horror story remains as powerful and gripping as the day it was first written. Includes informative notes on both the author and the original text.
Rivetingly retold for today's readers, Robert Louis Stevenson's stirring tale of intrigue and adventure in the Scottish Highlands is as fresh and exciting as the day it was first written. After the death of his parents, young David Balfour is sent to stay with his mysterious Uncle Ebenezer. When David discovers a family secret that could change his life forever, he is kidnapped and sold into slavery. His only chance to escape is to follow a Highland warrior, Alan Breck, on a desperate and dangerous adventure.
A faithful retelling of the classic Herman Melville story about Captain Ahab and his vengeful hunt for the whale Moby Dick. Clearly written in a modern, approachable style, the Classics Retold series is designed to introduce young readers to much-loved classic stories. The text includes informative notes on both the author and the original text, and is ideal for encouraging young readers to pursue an interest in literature.
Mark Twain's classic tale of escape and adventure rivetingly retold for today's readers. To get away from his violent, drunken father, Huckleberry Finn fakes his own death and lives wild in the woods. He soon meets Jim, a runaway slave, and the two outcasts set off on a dangerous journey down the mighty Mississippi river, in search of freedom. Clearly written in a modern, approachable style to introduce young readers to this much-loved classic story.
Emily Brontë's haunting tale of love and revenge, rivetingly retold for today's readers, remains as powerful and gripping as the day it was first written. High on the windswept Yorkshire moors, an old farmhouse hides dark secrets. What is the strange history of Wuthering Heights? Why has Heathcliff, its mysterious owner, cut himself off from the world - and who is the unearthly girl wandering the moors at night?
Rivetingly retold for today's readers, Charlotte Brontë's classic story of thwarted love and dark secrets remains as fresh and exciting as the day it was first written. Jane Eyre is a poor orphan who has no one to protect her from bullying relations and school masters. Determined to change her luck, she becomes a governess and settles happily into a new life at Thornfield Hall. Before long, Jane realizes Thornfield and its owner, Mr. Rochester, are hiding secrets from her. Whose menacing laugh does she keep hearing? How did the fire start that almost cost Mr. Rochester his life? And why are there screams in the night?
Robert Louis Stevenson's gripping classic tale of pirate gold and adventure on the high seas, rivetingly retold for today's readers, is as fresh and exciting as the day it was first written. Young Jim Hawkins stumbles upon a treasure map and sets sail on the Hispaniola, on a perilous voyage that will change his life forever. But Treasure Island is a sinister, ghostly place, and Jim soon finds himself battling for survival - up against cut-throat pirates, and the mysterious Long John Silver.
Mark Twain's classic story, rivetingly retold for today's younger readers. In his sleepy little town, Tom Sawyer dreams of becoming a pirate, an explorer or an outlaw. But after witnessing a gruesome crime in the graveyard, he sets off on an adventure far more thrilling than he could have imagined. Clearly written in a modern, approachable style, this book is designed to introduce young readers to this much-loved classic story.
