Improve English Through Engaging Stories
Explore "The Bookshop's Secret," a simplified mystery tale ideal for intermediate learners!
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This engaging story will help you improve your English reading, listening, and comprehension skills, all while enjoying a thrilling mystery.
Perfect for those looking to enhance their vocabulary and understanding of common English phrases.
🌟 Join Claire as she unravels a mysterious puzzle hidden within the walls of an old bookshop.
Be on the lookout for the following Common Phrases in the story and test your vocabulary with the exercises at the end.
Common Phrases
(a) out of place
(b) piqued her curiosity
(c) shake the feeling
(d) on the brink of
(e) caught her eye
(f) heart pounding
Learn English With A Mystery Story
Title : The Bookshop's Secret
Chapter 1: The Strange Book
Claire loved old books. One day, she found a small bookshop in a quiet alley.
It was called "Whispering Pages."
The shop was a labyrinth of dusty,
old books, stacked high on wooden shelves.
As Claire looked through the books, one caught her eye.
It was an old, leather book with no title.
Curiosity piqued, Claire opened it.
Inside, she found peculiar notes written in the margins.
Some were in English, but others were in different languages.
The notes seemed to be a riddle.
Chapter 2: Solving the Puzzle
Claire couldn’t shake the feeling that the notes were a puzzle she needed to solve. She used a dictionary to decipher the notes. They talked about something hidden, something important. One note said: "Where the light never fades, and the past remains."
Claire wanted to know more. She visited the local library and asked the librarian about the bookshop.
The librarian told her about Harold Montgomery, the shop’s old owner.
"Harold disappeared years ago," the librarian said.
"Some say he left behind a great secret."
Chapter 3: A Warning
As Claire continued to search for answers, she noticed a man following her.
He was always nearby, watching her. One evening, he approached her.
"Stop looking for the secret," he said in a menacing voice. "It’s dangerous."
But Claire was not scared.
She felt on the brink of discovering something important and wasn’t going to stop now.
Chapter 4: The Hidden Room
Claire returned to the bookshop at night. She had noticed that one shelf didn’t seem right. It looked out of place.
She pushed against it, and it moved!
Behind the shelf, there was a small, hidden staircase.
Heart pounding, Claire grabbed her flashlight and went down the stairs.
At the bottom, she found a small, dark room.
The air was musty, and the walls were covered with more notes like the ones in the book.
In the centre of the room was an old chest.
Using the clues she had found, Claire unlocked the chest.
Inside, she didn’t find gold or jewels.
Instead, there were old letters, diaries, and photos.
Chapter 5: The Real Secret
As Claire read the letters, she learned about Harold Montgomery.
He had been obsessed with preserving the town’s history.
The notes in the book were meant to lead someone to his secret archive.
The letters and diaries told the stories of the town’s past, stories that would have been forgotten.
Claire realised that the real treasure was not something valuable, but the history and memories of the people who lived in the town.
Epilogue: A New Start
After solving the mystery, Claire decided to stay in the town.
She took care of "Whispering Pages" and continued Harold’s work.
She wanted to share the stories she had found with others.
Sometimes, she added her own notes to the books in the shop, hoping that one day, someone else would find them and discover the town’s secrets.
A. Common Phrases - Meaning & Example Sentence
(a) caught her eye = something that attracted her attention.
e.g. A peculiar book caught her eye.
(b) piqued her curiosity = made her feel interested or curious.
e.g. Curiosity piqued, Claire opened the book.
(c) shake the feeling = unable to stop feeling a certain way.
e.g. Claire couldn’t shake the feeling that the notes were a puzzle.
(d) on the brink of - very close to doing or experiencing something.
e.g. She felt on the brink of discovering something important.
(e) heart pounding - feeling nervous or excited, causing the heart to beat faster.
e.g. Heart pounding, Claire grabbed her flashlight.
(f) out of place - something that doesn’t fit or belong in a particular setting.
e.g. One shelf didn’t seem right. It looked out of place.
(Exercise 1)
Fill in the Blanks.
Choose the correct phrase from the list to complete each sentence.
(a) out of place
(b) piqued her curiosity
(c) shake the feeling
(d) on the brink of
(e) caught her eye
(f) heart pounding
(1) The unusual painting in the gallery immediately ____________.
(2) When she heard the strange noise, it ____________.
(3) Standing at the edge of the cliff, she felt her ____________.
(4) He was ____________ telling her the truth but hesitated at the last moment.
(5) No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't ____________ that something was wrong.
(6) Claire felt ____________ in the elegant party, as if she didn’t belong there.
Answers:
(1) Caught her eye
(2) Piqued her curiosity
(3) Heart pounding
(4) On the brink of
(5) Shake the feeling
(6) Out of place
B. Vocabulary/ Word List & Example Sentence from the story
(a) labyrinth= a complicated network of paths or passages.
e.g. The shop was a labyrinth of dusty, old books.
(b) peculiar =strange or unusual.
e.g. She found peculiar notes written in the margins.
(c) riddle= a puzzle or question that needs to be solved.
e.g. The notes seemed to be a riddle.
(d) decipher = to figure out or understand something difficult, like a code or puzzle.
e.g. Claire used a dictionary to decipher the notes.
(e) chest = a large, strong box, typically made of wood, used for storing things.
e.g. In the centre of the room was an old chest.
(f) musty=having a stale, mouldy smell.
e.g. The air was musty in the small, dark room.
(g) archive = a collection of historical documents or records.
e.g. The notes led to a secret archive of the town’s past.
(i) Matching Exercise
Match the word to its correct definition.
(1) Labyrinth A) A puzzle or question that needs solving
(2) Peculiar B) Strange or unusual
(3) Riddle C) A large, strong box, typically used for storage
(4) Decipher D) To figure out or understand something difficult
(5) Chest E) A stale, mouldy smell
(6) Musty F) A complicated network of paths or passages
(7) Archive G) A collection of historical documents or records
Answers: 1 - F, 2 - B, 3 - A, 4 - D, 5 - C, 6 - E, 7 - G
(ii) Fill in the Blanks
Choose the correct word from the list to complete each sentence.
(peculiar, riddle, chest, musty, archive, decipher, labyrinth)
(1) The old bookshop was like a ____________ with shelves full of ancient books.
(2) Claire found a ____________ note in the margins of the book.
(3) The ____________ was hidden behind the shelf, containing old letters and diaries.
(4) It took Claire hours to ____________ the strange notes she found.
(5) The air in the hidden room was ____________, making it difficult to breathe.
(6) Harold left a ____________ behind, which led Claire to his secret.
(7) The letters and diaries were part of the town’s historical ____________.
We hope you enjoyed reading the mystery story and gained some new phrases that you can use in your conversations.
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