Stage 4 A2
Louisa May Alcott
Stories from
Eight Cousins
Young
Readers
Adapted and with activities by Jane Cadwallader
Illustrated by Gustavo Mazali Classic
Downloadable
Multimedia
Files
Link to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
ELI Graded Readers 2026 - Eight-Cousins
Louisa May Alcott
Stories from
Eight Cousins
Adapted and with activities by Jane Cadwallader
Illustrated by Gustavo Mazali
Note for the readers It’s important to know about life at the time of Rose, the hero of this story. Rich people lived in big houses and had servants. Many poor children didn’t go to school, and some worked as servants in big houses or in factories. Most women didn’t work outside the home. They were wives and mothers and did the housework. THE CHARACTERS Rose Campbell She’s 13 years old. She’s the hero of the story. She’s an orphan. Phoebe She’s a servant. She’s an orphan, too. Uncle Alec He’s a ship’s doctor and a kind uncle. 2
Aunt Peace
Aunt Plenty
Aunt Jessie
Aunt Jane
Aunt Clara
Aunt Myra
Archie
Will Geordie (sons of Aunt Jessie)
Charles (son of Aunt Clara)
James
Mac Steve (sons of Aunt Jane) 3
2 Three Good Things Happen
Rose Campbell was an orphan. She went to live with her six aunts in the countryside near Boston in the USA. She was pretty, but she was very sad, thin, and weak. She had headaches every day. Each aunt had a different idea about Rose’s future. Poor Rose didn’t know what to think!
You must take lots of medicine.
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You must go away to school.
You must learn to be a lady.
What you need is a mother.
You must learn how to cook.
You must learn how to sew.
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3 Then three good things happened …
One day Rose heard a bird singing a beautiful song. She looked upstairs and downstairs. Finally, she found the bird in the kitchen.
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But it wasn’t a bird! It was a girl who could sing like a bird! The girl was called Phoebe. She was an orphan, too, but she was poor. She was a servant. Rose told Phoebe her story, and Phoebe was kind to her. Rose had a new friend.
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4 The second good thing was that she met her
seven cousins. At first, she didn’t want to meet them. They were all boys, and Rose didn’t like boys! They wore Scottish clothes. One played the bagpipes, and the others danced and sang. They were so friendly and funny that Rose had to laugh.
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5 But the best of the three good things was Uncle
Alec. He was a doctor and a sailor … and he was Rose’s uncle. He came home to look after her. His medicines were outdoor activities like running, jumping, and playing with her cousins!
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Uncle Alec taught Rose to ride a horse, to swim and to row a boat. He helped her be stronger and healthier.
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