A real problem for young teenagers with severe reading difficulties, including dyslexia, is the shortage of stories they want to read. (Obviously books aimed at young children are not appropriate.) Based on their considerable research and wide-ranging trials, Anna and Sydney Higgins have written the graded series of books, FUN READ. 'FUN READ 2' is the second book in the series. Its Flesch Reading Ease score is 98. It is graded as 'very easy to read'. Based on 8 standard readability formulas, it is appropriate for beginners (= 3rd grade/year). The content is most suitable for male students aged 10 - 15. There are 86 pages and 26 illustrations. Both stories deal with problems of friendships and adventure: 1. 'DOWN ROPE WALK' Tom and Ron live in an old street by the derelict docks. On a snowy winters day, they explore one of the many empty houses and, in one of the rooms, they discover a hoard of cases of whiskey. Then the door is locked. After Ron has escaped through a window and carefully climbed over the snow-covered roofs, he calls the police and rescues his friend, Ron. 2. 'CRASH ' Nick has rich parents unlike his school friend, Paul. When Nick is given an old car, Paul is envious but then he is invited to drive the car around the field at the back of Paul's large country house. Nick gives him instructions on how to drive. All goes well until Paul crashes the car into a ditch. The car is a wreck, Nick's dad is furious, his mother intervenes and the boys' friendship is shaken. The text is displayed not in complete sentences but in phrases - a system that the writers' research has shown is the most effective printed layout for easy reading and comprehension. Both Sydney and Anna Higgins have many years of teaching experience. After being a Senior Advisor for English in the UK, Sydney moved to Italy where he became a professor of English. His wife, Anna, has been for over 20 years a university teacher and an examiner for the Cambridge EFL examinations. The other books in the FUN READ series are: 1. FUN READ 1 1) 'Old Man Moon' 2) 'Shouts in the Night' 3) 'The Run-Away' 4) 'At the Dance' Graded as 'very, very easy to read' - for beginners (= 3rd grade/year). The content is most suitable for male students aged 10 - 15. There are 66 pages and 64 illustrations. 3. FUN READ 3 1) 'Lonely Girl' 2) 'No Time to Scream' Graded as 'easy to read' - for beginners (= 3rd grade/year). The content is most suitable for female students aged 11-16. There are 92 pages and 26 illustrations. 4. WHEN THE SONG WAS OVER Graded as 'very easy to read' - for beginners (= 3rd grade/year). The content is most suitable for female students aged 11-16. There are 94 pages and 26 illustrations. 5. VAMPIRES, WEREWOLVES, GHOSTS & UFOs Graded as 'very easy to read' - for beginners (= 4th grade/year). Content is most suitable for male students aged 11-16. There are 98 pages and 76 illustrations. 6. THE PRICE OF FRIENDSHIP Graded as 'easy to read' - for beginners (= 4th grade/year). The content is most suitable for female students aged 11-16. There are 114 pages and 8 illustrations.