American Stories from VOA
Please Note: VOA has recently changed their site. As a result, most, if not all, of these links do not work. We will update the links as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, you can find the new links by using a Google site search. To do a site search, enter the following information into the Google search window: site:learningenglish.voanews.com story name. For example, to find The Law of Life, enter site:learningenglish.voanews.com the law of life.
The VOA American Stories are simplified versions of short stories by famous American authors from the 1800s and early 1900s.
The numbers – from 2.0 to 5.8 – indicate the approximate level of difficulty. Stories at the beginning of the list are easier; stories at the end are more difficult.
Stories with an asterisk (*) have been some of my students’ favorites.
- The Law of Life, Jack London, 2.0
- Keesh, Jack London, 2.1
- *To Build a Fire, Jack London, 2.3
- An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce, 2.5
- The Californian’s Tale, Mark Twain, 2.7
- * The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allen Poe, 2.8
- A Piece of Red Calico, Frank Stockton, 3.0
- The Open Boat, part 1, Stephen Crane, 3.1
- The Open Boat, part 2, Stephen Crane, 3.1
- * The Ransom of Red Chief, O. Henry, 3.1
- The Lady in Black, Eleanor Porter, 3.2
- The God of His Fathers, Jack London, 3.2
- * The Last Leaf, O. Henry, 3.2
- A Princess of Mars, part 1, Edgar Rice Burroughs, 3.2
- A Princess of Mars, part 2, Edgar Rice Burroughs, 3.5
- A Princess of Mars, part 3, Edgar Rice Burroughs, 3.2
- A Princess of Mars, part 4, Edgar Rice Burroughs, 3.5
- The Return of a Private, Hamlin Garland, 3.5
- Bartleby, Herman Melville, 3.3
- * The Gift of the Magi, O. Henry, 3.6
- * The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allen Poe, 3.6
- The Devil and Tom Walker, Washington Irving, 3.7
- A Municipal Report, O. Henry, 3.8
- The Purloined Letter, Edgar Allan Poe, 3.9
- * The White Heron, Sarah Orne Jewett, 4.0
- Feathertop, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 4.0
- Paul’s Case, part 1, Willa Cather, 4.0
- Paul’s Case, part 2, Willa Cather, 4.0
- The Exact Science of Matrimony, O. Henry, 4.1
- The Line of Least Resistance, Edith Wharton, 4.1
- * The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving, 4.2
- Pigs is Pigs, Ellis Parker Butler, 4.4
- The Boarded Window, Ambose Bierce, 4.4
- * John Henry, traditional story, 4.5
- * Paul Bunyan, traditional story, 4.5
- Pecos Bill, traditional story, 4.6
- A Horseman in the Sky, Ambrose Bierce, 4.6
- The Story of an Eyewitness, Jack London, 4.6
- The Diamond Lens, part 1, James O’Brien, 4.6
- The Diamond Lens, part 2, James O’Brien, 4.4
- Rappaccini’s Daughter, part 1, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 4.8
- Rappaccini’s Daughter, part 2, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 4.5
- Athenaise, Kate Chopin, 4.5
- The Ambitious Guest, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 4.7
- A Pair of Silk Stockings, Kate Chopin, 4.8
- The Luck of Roaring Camp, Bret Harte, 4.8
- * The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County, Mark Twain, 4.9
- Luck, Mark Twain, 5.0
- * The Lady, or the Tiger? Frank Stockton, 5.0
- Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 5.1
- Benito Cereno, part 1, Herman Melville, 5.0
- Benito Cereno, part 2, Herman Melvills, 5.8
- Benito Cereno, part 3, Herman Melville, 5.4
- The Whirligig of Life, O. Henry, 5.2
- The Birthmark, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 5.8