I was ten years old when my father and mother died. I lived with my aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Reed. The house was in Yorkshire, in the north of England. It was called Gateshead Hall. My Aunt and Uncle Reed had two children - a boy, John, and a girl, Eliza. I liked my uncle and he liked me too. But a few years later my uncle died.
He left a widow and three children who had room in their house, but not in their hearts, for me. Aunt Reed did not like me, and John and Eliza were always unkind to me.
It was a rainy winter day in December at Gateshead Hall. All of us were in the house. My cousins Eliza and John gathered around their mother in the drawing room.
I was not allowed to join them. With a book, I settled on a window seat in the next room. I was happy, but it did not last long. I heard my Cousin John’s voice.

Otto-Classics Graded Readers Series are outstanding classics written by famous writers. The language and vocabulary in the books are controlled and simplified by specialist ELT authors and compilers according to Common European Framework so that they can be easily understood by new learners of English. 
Depending on the eight levels from A1 to B2+, the longer stories are divided into a number of chapters and every chapter has its own activities. Some of the activities in the books are meant to be done in pairs. You may work with a partner to solve problems and design projects that reflect not only your own thinking but also new ideas you and your mates will discover by working in groups.