Spanish books
From B2 up, here are complete texts in Spanish, not simplified versions. A1, A2 and B1 hold MovaReader adaptations: well-known stories retold in simple Spanish, because the classics offer almost no complete texts at that level; the one exception is a real school reader from the 1910s at A2. Each book has a CEFR level: it shows how readable the text really is with translation of unknown words.
The level rests on two measures: the average sentence length and the share of long words (9 letters or more), plus whether the difficulty is even across the book. Spanish words run longer than English ones on average, so Spanish books are compared only with each other. It assesses the text, not a language exam.
A1
25 books
- Little Red Riding Hood Caperucita Roja Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Brothers Grimm tale retold for A1 3 313 words 1 hour
- The Three Little Pigs Los tres cerditos Joseph Jacobs A fairy tale adapted for A1 3 315 words 1 hour
- The Emperor’s New Clothes El traje nuevo del emperador Hans Christian Andersen A comic Andersen tale retold for A1 3 372 words 1 hour
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears Ricitos de Oro y los tres osos Robert Southey Southey’s tale: an adaptation for A1 3 379 words 1 hour
- The Frog Prince El príncipe rana Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Grimm tale of a promise, retold for A1 3 393 words 1 hour
- The Little Red Hen and Other Farm Tales La gallinita roja y otros cuentos de la granja Anonymous Three farm folk tales retold for A1 3 398 words 1 hour
A2
23 books
- Hansel and Gretel Hansel y Gretel Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A Grimm tale adapted for A2 readers 3 389 words 1 hour
- Cinderella Cenicienta Charles Perrault An easy-Spanish retelling for A2 readers 3 679 words 1 hour
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Alí Babá y los cuarenta ladrones Antoine Galland A tale of a treasure cave, adapted for A2 4 446 words 1 hour
- Peter Pan J. M. Barrie An A2 adaptation of Barrie’s novel 4 740 words 1 hour
- Around the World in Eighty Days La vuelta al mundo en 80 días Jules Verne An A2 adaptation of Verne’s novel 4 933 words 1 hour
- Beauty and the Beast La bella y la bestia Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont Beaumont’s 1756 tale as an A2 adaptation 4 992 words 1 hour
B1
11 books
- La Celestina Fernando de Rojas A B1 retelling of the 1499 tragicomedy 12 126 words 2-3 hours
- Fuenteovejuna Lope de Vega A B1 retelling of Lope de Vega’s play 12 264 words 2-3 hours
- Don Juan Tenorio José Zorrilla A B1 retelling of Zorrilla’s drama 12 646 words 2-4 hours
- Pride and Prejudice Orgullo y prejuicio Jane Austen A B1 retelling of Austen’s novel in Spanish 12 802 words 2-4 hours
- Les Misérables Los miserables Victor Hugo Hugo’s novel retold for B1 13 376 words 2-4 hours
- The Count of Monte Cristo El conde de Montecristo Alexandre Dumas A B1 adaptation of Dumas’s novel 13 522 words 2-4 hours
B2
52 books
- Ratón Pérez Luis Coloma A complete children’s tale for B2 3 836 words 1 hour
- Gypsy Ballads Romancero gitano Federico García Lorca A book of Andalusian ballads for B2 5 148 words 1 hour
- Rhymes Rimas Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Romantic love poems in verse for B2 7 345 words 1-2 hours
- The Student of Salamanca El estudiante de Salamanca José de Espronceda A romantic narrative poem in verse for B2 9 519 words 2-3 hours
- Fuenteovejuna Lope de Vega A verse play of village revolt for B2 13 310 words 2-4 hours
- Literary Fables Fábulas literarias Tomás de Iriarte Verse fables with a moral, for B2 13 976 words 2-4 hours
C1
21 books
- The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll El caso extraño del Doctor Jekyll Robert Louis Stevenson A gothic novella in Spanish for C1 25 648 words 4-7 hours
- Peruvian Traditions Tradiciones peruanas Ricardo Palma Colonial Peru in 27 witty tales for C1 47 632 words 8-13 hours
- Tyrant Banderas Tirano Banderas Ramón del Valle-Inclán A dictator novel in Latin American Spanish 48 927 words 8-14 hours
- Trafalgar Benito Pérez Galdós A naval novel told by a boy, for C1 51 014 words 9-14 hours
- Advice for a Young Investigator Reglas y consejos sobre investigación científica Santiago Ramón y Cajal A Nobel laureate’s advice to young scientists 51 249 words 9-14 hours
- The Cabin La barraca Vicente Blasco Ibáñez A Valencian novel of land and feud for C1 54 071 words 9-15 hours
C2
12 books
- Soledades Luis de Góngora A baroque poem in verse for C2 11 610 words 2-3 hours
- Ariel José Enrique Rodó An essay of long periods for C2 25 387 words 4-7 hours
- A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias Bartolomé de las Casas A 1542 report to the crown, for C2 30 443 words 5-8 hours
- The Perfect Wife La perfecta casada Fray Luis de León A 16th-century moral treatise for C2 41 035 words 7-11 hours
- Idearium español Ángel Ganivet A generation of ’98 essay on Spain, for C2 41 500 words 7-12 hours
- The Book of Her Life Libro de la vida Teresa of Ávila A spoken-voice autobiography for C2 112 419 words 19-31 hours
How these books read in MovaReader
Tap an unfamiliar word and its translation appears right there, with no dictionary in another tab. The reader remembers your place and the words you opened. Signing up is free.