The Lost Coin-sample

Stage 1 A1

In this reader you’ll find:

- Focus on York - Glossary of difficult words - Comprehension and grammar activities including A1 style exercises and 21st-century Skills activities - Final test

Teen

Tags

Studying Abroad | Friendship | Family | History

Downloadable

Audio Files

Stage 1 A1

Readers

The Lost Coin

When Jenny travels from Ireland to York for a summer school, she brings a lucky silver coin from her grandfather — a piece of family history. But when she loses her backpack in the city, she panics and she thinks the coin is lost forever. A man from the museum sees the coin and wants to show it in an exhibition.

Jenny must choose: keep the coin for herself or share it with the world.

In York, Jenny finds friendship courage and a new home!

Lynn Bulmer

Lynn Bulmer The Lost Coin

Stage 1

ELT A1

Look at the inside front cover flap to find out how to download your free Audio files.

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3

600 headwords 800 headwords 1000 headwords

Elementary Pre-intermediate Intermediate

A1 A2 B1

Lynn Bulmer

The Lost Coin

Key Preliminary

Original

Original

Readers

BN IS

RS 3 l. E 4.r. AD in 1 I s E Co -48 EL LI R st 36 E Lo -5 8 EN he -8 TE T 978

Eli Readers is a beautifully illustrated series of timeless classic and original stories for learners of English.

The pleasure of Reading

Teen

www.eligradedreaders.com

Downloadable

Audio Files

The Lostbrief Coin Book

travels from Ireland to York 1 Jenny for a summer school and brings a special lucky coin from her grandfather.

is nervous about being in a new 2 She town alone and she is worried about making friends.

loses her backpack and her lucky coin.

3 She A museum expert sees the coin and asks

to display it in an exhibition. Jenny doesn’t know what to do.

talks with her family and they help 4 Jenny her to make a decision — and discovers courage, friendship, and a second home.

themes are courage, friendship, 5 Main travel, family and the importance of sharing history.

www.eligradedreaders.com 1

Spazio didascalia

In this reader: 21st-century Skills 2030 Agenda

To encourage students to connect the story to the world they live in.

A1

A1-level activities.

Simple Story

A brief summary of the paragraph.

Glossary

Explanation of difficult words.

Picture Caption

A brief explanation of the picture.

Audio

These icons indicate the parts of the story that are recorded.

start stop

Syllabus Topics

Travel, places in a town, describing people, meeting people, friendship, courage, doing something new, family, history, talents, feelings

Articles

A / an, the

Pronouns

Personal, subject, direct and indirect object, demonstrative

Adjectives

Absolute forms, comparative, superlative

Verbs

Affirmative, negative and question forms; Verb + -ing / verb + infinitive; Verbs of preference; Infinitive of purpose; Present simple, present continuous, past simple (regular and irregular verbs), future (going to / will); Common phrasal verbs

Conjunctions And, so, but, because

Teen Eli Readers The ELI Readers collection is a complete range of books and plays for readers of all ages, ranging from captivating contemporary stories to timeless classics.

There are four series, each catering for a different age group: First ELI Readers, Young ELI Readers, Teen ELI Readers and Young Adult ELI Readers.

The books are carefully edited and beautifully illustrated to capture the essence of the stories and plots. The readers are supplemented with ‘Focus on’ texts packed with background cultural information.

The Lost Coin Lynn Bulmer Illustrated by Chiara Nocentini ELI Readers Founder and Series Editors Paola Accattoli, Grazia Ancillani, Daniele Garbuglia (Art Director) Graphic Design Emilia Coari Production Manager Francesco Capitano Photo credits Shutterstock

© 2026 ELI s.r.l.

P.O. Box 6 62019 Recanati MC Italy T +39 071750701 F +39 071977851 support@elipublishing.com www.elipublishing.com Typeset in 12 / 17 pt Fulmar designed by Leo Philp Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa - Pigini Group Printing Division Loreto - Trevi - ERT138.10 ISBN 978-88-536-4814-3 First edition: March 2026 www.eligradedreaders.com

Contents

6

Main Characters

8

Before you read

10 19

Chapter 1 Activities

A New Adventure

21 30

Chapter 2 Activities

The Lost Backpack

32 40

Chapter 3 Activities

A Coin with a Story

42 50

Chapter 4 Activities

A Hard Decision

52 60

Chapter 5 Activities

A Summer to Remember

62

Focus on...

York — A City of Films

63

Focus on...

York — A Sweet City

64

Test Yourself

Main Characters

Mrs Taylor

She lives in York and is Jenny's host family for the summer.

She's married to Mr Taylor and they have twins, Ava and Archie.

Mei

Mei is from China.

She is friendly and always positive.

She loves photography and history.

Mr Carter

Mr Carter works at the museum. He loves history and always carries a magnifying glass.

Jenny’s Grandpa

Jenny's Grandpa is from Spain.

He's gentle and fun and he loves telling Jenny stories in Spanish.

6

Jenny

Jenny is a little bit shy, but also brave and curious. She loves writing stories and poetry.

Jamal

Jamal loves music and plays the guitar.

He's calm, helpful and good at solving problems.

Mr Thomas

Mr Thomas is a teacher at the York School of Arts. He is kind and patient, so all the students love his singing lessons!

Luca

Luca is from Italy.

He is energetic and fun, and he loves sports and making people laugh.

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Before you read

Vocabulary and Writing

A1

1 These words are in Chapter 1 of The Lost Coin. Look at the pictures and match the words with the correct definition.

Be careful! There are two extra words.

a hug

b wave

c diary

d scared

e laugh

f cathedral

g lounge

h coin

1 ■ A type of notebook with a page for every day.

______________

2 ■ An action you do with your hand to say hello or goodbye. ______________ 3 ■ A large room in a college where you can relax.

______________

4 ■ A round piece of metal you can use to buy something.

______________

5 ■ Feeling nervous, worried or afraid.

______________

6 ■ A very big and important church.

______________

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Speaking and Writing 2 In this story, a girl called Jenny goes on holiday to the city of York. Work with a partner and do some research. Go online and find the answers to these questions.

- Where is York?

- How many people live there?

- What is the name of the river in York?

- Why is York famous?

- What can you see and do in York? (find at least three things)

Reading and Writing

A1

3 Read Jenny’s email. Choose the correct word from the box and write it on the line.

are • haven’t • can • am • live • got

Hello!

My name is Jenny O’Reilly. I (1) __________ 14 years old and I live in Dublin. I’ve (2) __________ a brother called Jack.

He’s 10. I (3) __________ got any sisters.

My mum’s name is Lucia and my dad’s name is David.

My mum’s parents (4) __________ Spanish. They come from Seville, but now they (5) __________ in Dublin.

I (6) __________ speak English and Spanish. I also study French at school. I love music and I can sing quite well. I also like writing poems and stories.

Please write and tell me about your home in York.

See you in July!

From Jenny

Write a short email to Jenny. Tell her: • where you live • about your family

• which languages you can speak • what you like doing

9

Chapter 1

A New Adventure 2

Jenny is travelling alone for the first time.

She's worried but her mum makes her feel better.

Jenny O’Reilly walked into Dublin Airport with her small green backpack on her back and her suitcase1 next to her. She felt nervous2. Lucia, Jenny’s mum, stood next to her.

‘I’m a little worried3,’ Jenny said quietly, looking up at her mum. ‘I’ve never been away from home alone before.’

‘I know that you’ll be fine,’ her mum said kindly. ‘You are clever, kind, and brave4. And we are only a phone call away.’

Jenny smiled at her mum. ‘You’re right. This will be an adventure!’

Her mum gave her a long hug. ‘Jenny, everyone will feel nervous on the first day, so don’t worry.

Soon, you’ll have lots of new friends.’

‘I hope so,’ Jenny said. She looked at her ticket one more time and waved goodbye as she walked to the plane.

1 suitcase a big bag for taking clothes on holiday 2 nervous worried, frightened

3 worried scared, nervous, frightened 4 brave able to do difficult or scary things

10

>

A big hug from mum.

Lynn Bulmer The journey to Manchester was nice. It took about an hour. Jenny sat next to the window on the plane, watching the clouds in the sunny, blue sky. She wrote some sentences in her diary. * * * Today I am flying to England. I feel excited but also nervous. I want to make friends and write some new poems 1 and stories.

Jenny arrives in Manchester.

A man called Mr Thomas is waiting to meet her.

He is very friendly.

She smiled2. She felt better already.

When the plane arrived in Manchester, Jenny got her suitcase and looked for the way out. It was hot and noisy3 and Jenny didn’t know where to go. She had so many questions! Where will I go? Who will be here to meet me? Will my host family4 be nice? Will I really be okay?

Just then she saw a friendly man holding a big piece of yellow paper with her name: JENNY O’REILLY – YORK SCHOOL OF ARTS. ‘Hello Jenny! I’m Mr Thomas,’ he said, giving her a big smile. ‘Welcome to England.’

1 poem a short piece of writing with special words, sometimes about feelings, people or places 2 smile what we do when we feel happy

3 noisy loud, with lot of people talking 4 host family a family you stay with when you are on holiday

12

The Lost Coin ‘Hello,’ Jenny said, feeling happy. ‘I’m Jenny.’

‘How was the journey1?’ asked Mr Thomas.

‘It was good, thanks,’ said Jenny.

‘It’s nice to meet you,’ Mr Thomas said. ‘Now, we have to drive to York. It usually takes about two hours to get there. It's a beautiful city, you know. I think you’ll love it!’ * * * They walked outside to the minibus. The sun was shining2, and Jenny felt warm and happy. On the journey, Mr Thomas asked Jenny about her family. Jenny told him she had a brother called Jack and that her parents were called Lucia and David.

‘Lucia isn’t an Irish name!’ said Mr Thomas, ‘Is your mum Spanish?’

‘My mum is Irish, but her parents are Spanish.

They come from Seville. They went to live in Dublin after they were married’, Jenny said.

‘Ah, that’s very interesting!’ said Mr Thomas, ‘And can you speak Spanish?’

1 journey travelling from one place to another

2 shine make a strong light, like the sun

13

Jenny meets Mr Thomas.

Jenny and Mr Thomas talk about Jenny's family.

Lynn Bulmer Jenny sees the city of York for the first time.

She thinks it's wonderful!

‘Yes, I can. My grandpa taught me when I was a baby!’ Jenny smiled, thinking about her family in Ireland.

‘It’s very green here,’ Jenny said, looking out of the window.

‘Yes,’ Mr Thomas smiled. ‘It rains quite often.’

‘Just like Ireland!’ Jenny laughed.

After about two hours, they arrived in York.

Jenny looked at the old white walls around the centre of the city.

‘That’s the city wall,’ Mr Thomas said. ‘The Romans made it a long time ago, to keep the city safe1.’ * * * They drove past a very tall church. It was very old and very beautiful.

‘That’s York Minster,’ Mr Thomas said. ‘One of the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe.’

‘It’s wonderful2,’ Jenny said. She looked at the city through the window, trying to see everything.

They soon arrived at a small house with lots of flowers in the garden. A smiling woman with 1 safe not dangerous, secure

2 wonderful really great, amazing, incredible

14

The Lost Coin short red hair looked out of the window. She waved at Jenny and Mr Thomas.

‘Here we are,’ said Mr Thomas. ‘Your host family’s house. This is Mrs Taylor. Mr Taylor will be home later.’

‘Hello, Jenny!’ Mrs Taylor said as she opened the door. ‘Welcome! It’s great to meet you.’

‘Hello,’ Jenny replied, feeling a little shy1.

The house was small but very nice. A boy and a girl with blonde hair smiled at Jenny.

‘These are my twins2, Ava and Archie,’ said Mrs Taylor. ‘Say hello.’

‘Hi Jenny, welcome to York!’ said the twins together.

‘Let me show you to your room,’ Mrs Taylor said. * * * Mrs Taylor opened the bedroom door. Jenny’s room was small but very nice, with a single bed, a big desk, and a window looking out onto the garden. There was a bookcase full of books, and a little box with snacks and drinks on the desk.

1 shy when you feel worried because you don’t know someone

2 twins brothers or sisters who have the same birthday and who look very similar

15

Jenny meets her host family and looks around her new home.

She feels happy there.

Lynn Bulmer

Jenny unpacks her things.

She looks at the special coin from her grandpa and she thinks about her family.

Jenny goes to York for her first day at summer school.

‘I hope you’ll feel happy here,’ Mrs Taylor said.

‘Dinner is at six o’clock. Tonight Mr Taylor is cooking roast chicken and vegetables.’

‘Thank you,’ Jenny said, ‘I love roast chicken.

It’s my favourite!’

She opened her suitcase and put her clothes in the wardrobe. Then, she put her diary, her family photo, and her silver coin on the desk. She picked up the coin and looked at the strange writing.

She remembered her grandpa’s voice when he gave this coin to her: ‘This is from the time when people travelled between Spain and England. Maybe you can learn more about it in York.’

Jenny put the coin back into its little red pouch1 and put it in her backpack to keep it safe. * * * The next morning, Jenny walked to York School of Arts with Mrs Taylor and Ava. In the school, Jenny found the lounge and she sat down on a big purple sofa. Then a girl with long black hair and glasses sat down next to her.

>

1 pouch a small bag, like a pocket

16

The friends chat in the school lounge.

ge.

Lynn Bulmer Jenny is nervous, but she makes friends quickly and has a fun first day!

The friends talk about what they want to do in York.

‘Hi! I’m Mei. I’m from China,’ she said.

‘I’m Jenny, from Ireland,’ Jenny answered. She was happy to talk to Mei. A tall boy with curly hair sat down next to them. ‘Hello, I’m Jamal. I’m from Egypt.’

‘And I’m Luca!’ said another boy with a big smile. ‘I’m from Italy. It’s my second year here.’

Mr Thomas arrived. He told them about singing, writing, and music lessons.

That morning, they had a singing lesson; they sang a pop song. Jenny felt shy, but she loved singing and the lesson was fun!

The new friends had lunch together. They talked about what they wanted to do that week.

‘I want to see the Shambles1,’ said Mei. ‘I want to eat fish and chips,’ said Luca.

‘I want to buy gifts2 for my family,’ said Jenny.

She put her hand in her backpack and felt the coin.

She didn’t know it yet, but this was just the beginning of Jenny’s summer adventure3.

1 Shambles the name of a famous street in York 2 gift presents, something that you give to someone

3 adventure an exciting time or experience

18

After-reading Activities • Chapter 1

Grammar

A1

1a Read the text about Chapter 1 and write the verb in the past tense on the line.

Jenny travelled from Dublin to Manchester by plane.

She (1) __________ (feel) excited and nervous about her holiday.

A teacher, called Mr Thomas met Jenny at the airport. On the journey to York, Jenny (2) __________ (talk) to Mr Thomas about her family. When they (3) __________ (arrive) in York, Jenny met her host family, Mr and Mrs Taylor and their twins.

The next day, Jenny (4) __________ (go) to the York School of Arts. She made friends with Mei, Jamal and Luca. In her first lesson, Jenny (5) __________ (sing) a pop song with her classmates.

Grammar – Pair Work 1b Which verbs are regular and which are irregular? How do you know? Check your answers with your partner.

Writing 2 Answer the questions.

1 Where is Jenny from?

2 Who meets Jenny at Manchester airport?

3 What are the names of Jenny’s new friends?

4 What was Jenny’s first class?

5 What special thing does Jenny keep in her backpack?

19

Before-reading Activity • Chapter 2

Listening 3 3 Listen to the beginning of Chapter 2. What does Jenny need

on Saturday? Circle the correct objects.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

20

Focus on...

York A City of Films

York is a city in the north of England. It is very old, more than 2000 years old, in fact!

It is also very beautiful. It has many old buildings and streets.

People from different countries come to visit York every year.

Many people in York work in media and art. They make films, video games, apps, and music.

Every year, the city has a big festival3 is called York Mediale.

It is a media art festival. People can watch short films, see light shows, and enjoy new art.

In 2014, York became a UNESCO City of Media Arts.

This is a special title1. It means York is important for art, film, and media. Media is music, video, games, and digital2 art.

York is a popular city for media. In fact, many films and TV shows are made in York and near York.

York Minster, the big and important church in the city, was part of the TV series4 The Crown, and the film Elizabeth.

Near York, there is a place called Fountains Abbey. It is old and beautiful. It was in the film The Secret Garden and the TV show The Witcher.

There is a small town called Saltaire.

It is also a UNESCO site. Many TV shows were filmed there too.

Task – Realia Work What important festival does your city have?

Make a poster to show your friends.

Use pictures and write short sentences.

62

1 title name 2 digital using computers 3 festival a special party for many people 4 series programmes on TV

Focus on...

A Sweet City York is famous for something sweet — chocolate!

Chocolate making began in York in the 1800s. In 1862, a man called Joseph Rowntree opened a food shop in York. That later became the Rowntree’s chocolate factory. The factory made many different chocolates – maybe you know some of them. They made Quality Street, KitKat and Smarties! You can find these chocolates in many countries around the world.

Many people in York worked in the chocolate factories.

The jobs were good, and the factories helped the city grow1.

Chocolate made York rich2 and important.

Today, some of the old factories are closed, but York still has a big chocolate story to tell.

1 grow become bigger 2 rich having lots of money

Now, you can visit York’s Chocolate Story, a museum in the city centre. There, you can learn about the history of chocolate in York. You can even try to make some chocolate to take home!

York also has chocolate shops and cafés.

Every year, the city has a special event called York Chocolate Festival. People can taste3 new chocolates, see chocolate art, and watch cooking shows.

Task

Write an article called ‘My Favourite Chocolate’. Add a picture or draw the chocolate bar. Write 5-8 sentences.

Use these questions to help you: • What is your favourite chocolate?

• Where is it from?

• Why do you like it?

• When do you eat it?

3 taste try to eat something new

63

Test Yourself 1 Choose the correct person for each question. Put a tick

in the box.

Jenny Luca Mei Jamal 1 Who came to York from Ireland?

■ ■ ■ ■ 2 Who is from China and wears glasses? ■ ■ ■ ■ 3 Who wanted to buy a toy for his sister? ■ ■ ■ ■ 4 Who looked at the city map to find the museum?

■ ■ ■ ■ 5 Who wrote a poem about her summer adventure?

■ ■ ■ ■ 6 Who took a picture of the city and said it was like walking in history?

■ ■ ■ ■ 7 Who gave a high five to Mr Thomas at the party?

■ ■ ■ ■ 8 Who tried to teach the friends some Italian words at the café?

■ ■ ■ ■ 9 Who said, ‘We’re the dream team’?

■ ■ ■ ■ 10 Who helped Jenny find her lost backpack?

■ ■ ■ ■

2 What is the correct order? Write the correct number next to each sentence.

a ■ Jenny and her friends ran to the café, but her backpack was gone. b ■ Jenny travelled to York for a summer school and met Mei, Jamal, and Luca. c ■ She gave the coin to the museum for the new exhibition. d ■ Jenny returned to Ireland and told her family about her adventure. e ■ Jenny left her backpack at a café in the Shambles. f ■ Mr Carter told Jenny that her coin was very old and important.

64