Kidnapped: read-along
Kidnapped as a read-along for the projector: 16 pages, 1966 words, level 13, grade 8.
Page 1 of 16
I begin my story on a June morning in the year 1751, when I was seventeen and took the key out of my dead father's door for the last time. The minister of Essendean walked me as far as the river and gave me a packet with three small presents in it: a shilling, a little Bible, and a recipe for lily-of-the-valley water, which he said would cure almost anything. My father had left a letter for his brother, Ebenezer Balfour, who owned a great house called Shaws, and I was to carry it there. I thought that my fortune was waiting for me. I did not understand that when a poor boy is sent to a wealthy relation, there is usually a suspicious reason.
Keys: ← → or Page Up and Page Down turn the page, Space starts and pauses the voice, Home and End jump, F fills the screen. Tapping the right side of a page goes on; the left side goes back.
How to use it
- Press Full screen (F) to put the book on the projector.
- Press Read to me (Space), or read it yourself and turn pages with the arrow keys or a tap. Pick the Pace that suits the class.
- After the last page, three questions come up to talk about.
About this book
- Level 13, Grade 8
- 16 pages, 1966 words, about 15 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, a little spooky
Related
About Kidnapped
A boy sent to claim his inheritance is tricked onto a ship bound for slavery. With a loud, proud Highland swordsman as his only ally, he has to survive a wreck, a murder he did not commit and the long, hungry run home across Scotland.
Words to preview
- Jacobite (JAK-uh-bite)
- supporter of the exiled king
- brig
- two-masted ship
- outlaw (OWT-law)
- hunted criminal
- reef
- ridge of rock
- heir (air)
- rightful inheritor
Questions that fit any book
- What happened at the beginning, in the middle and at the end?
- Which page was your favorite? Why?
- How did the main character feel at the end? What tells you?
Questions
How long does Kidnapped take to read aloud?
It has 16 pages and 1966 words, so about 15 minutes at the Steady pace and a little less at Quick. If you stop to talk on the way, plan for more.
What reading level is Kidnapped?
Level 13, Grade 8. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 13 sits at grade 8. A level is a guide for choosing, so look at the pages yourself.
Whose voice is it?
Your browser's own. Read to me uses a speaking voice already on the computer, so it sounds like that computer and works without a sign-in. Voices differ: some light each word as it is spoken, and some do not, in which case the highlight follows a steady pace instead. Some browsers use an online voice; if yours does, the browser, not us, sends the words of the page to its speech service. If no voice is installed, turn the pages and read it aloud yourself.
Do students need an account?
No. Nothing is asked of anyone and nothing is sent to us. Project the page, or share the link and let students open it on their own screens.
Is this the original text?
No. It is a retelling in Peabody's own words at this reading level, so it may differ from the edition you know.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.