Words, Language & Grammar, Schools & Teaching 

Is Mark going mad? The picture on the wall just winked at him. The next thing Mark knows, Captain Blood and his parrot, Hector, have stepped out of the picture and are asking for Mark's help. They don't even know why they have been summoned, only that it is something to do with the shifty Professor Grimsdale and a long-buried treasure. This story is part of the "Oxford Reading Tree: Treetops" series of fiction with built-in progression for pupils aged seven to 11. Specially written for children who need the support of carefully monitored language levels, the stories are accessible, motivating, and humorous. The series is organized into "Oxford Reading Tree" stages (from Stage 10 to Stage 14), with each stage introducing more complex narrative forms, including flashbacks and changes in viewpoint; descriptive writing; extended reading vocabulary; and more pages, more text, and fewer illustrations. Each stage is supported by a teacher's guide, which offers guidance on using "Treetops" to assess children's reading ability, and includes a variety of activities, many on photocopiable sheets. - from Amzon