Page 40 - Ziptales Program Manual - US

Adventure

Sinbad: Sinbad’s adventures take him to many exotic lands, and involve innumerable close
calls with death. We read about the roc (giant bird) which carries Sinbad off, flesh eating
monsters, being trapped in a cage and saved up for dinner. (2211 words)
(Zip Stage 9)

The Lost Sword: Max, Jo and Brian are invited to an exhibition in Paris at which the fabled
and priceless sword of Joan of Arc is unveiled. To everyone’s horror though, the sword is
suddenly stolen from under their very eyes. What follows is a breakneck race through the
city as the kids try and track down the thieves. (5486 words) (Zip Stage 10)

Nightmare Island: Max and his friends are in a light plane flying back from a tropical
resort in the China Sea when the plane crash lands on an island. However, the island is also
home to a band of bloodthirsty terrorists. Can the kids escape the island and somehow defeat
the bad guys? (5244 words) (Zip Stage 10)

Family and Friends

The Best of Both Worlds: Amy is aware that her mother Laura has been depressed ever
since Amy’s father left her for another woman. She decides that she needs to act as a
matchmaker. When Laura finds the right man Amy is delighted, except that this will have
a major impact on Amy’s own life. (2020 words) (Zip Stage 9)

Romeo and Juliet: Shakespeare’s immortal play – the most famous romance in history.
Romeo loves Juliet, but is unable to marry her, since their families are at war. She becomes
his wife in secret. Then tragedy strikes. When Romeo accidentally kills Juliet’s cousin, he is
banished. A plot to reunite them goes terribly wrong. (2022 words) (Zip Stage 10)

Sisters: Mardi has a big sister, Bella, who is restless to get out and experience life. Her mother
is trying to protect her from harm, but Bella sees her mother’s care only as interference, and
wishes to rebel. One night, Bella sneaks off to a party which she has been forbidden to attend.
(2500 words) (Zip Stage 10)

Fantasy and Sci Fi

The Magic Shop: A father takes his small son to a magic shop. The very strange
shopkeeper does some wonderful, indeed unbelievable, tricks. But there is something
really odd about this man, and the shop itself. Could it be that the magic is real?
(2820 words) (Zip Stage 9)

The Sphinx and the Riddles: Out in space, an alien craft sends out an emergency signal.
A squad of men go to check it out. There, they discover a sinister robot, ‘Sphinx’,
guardian of a massive treasure. He will yield entry to it only to whomever can correctly
answer his three riddles. (3172 words) (Zip Stage 10)

Dream Maker: Dan is in New York when he meets a strange man. The man offers him
access to a wonderful virtual reality program. In this dream world, Dan meets a beautiful
woman, Galatea. He falls for her. However, he must come back. And in returning, he
accidentally destroys the dream machine. (4660 words) (Zip Stage 10)

At the end of every story are two interactive
comprehension tests, for immediate feedback.

Worksheets are available for every story.

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