Author(s): Clare Harris

3. Young adults (15+)

The Coat is a pre-intermediate reader, set in Melbourne, and featuring the sometimes impetuous Anni.

I was shivering when I arrived at work. Sue, my boss, looked at my thin jacket.

“Anni, you need a good coat,” she said. She was wearing a thick red jacket. She looked wonderful. She always looked wonderful.

“I’m not really cold,” I said. It wasn’t true, but I didn’t have the money for a new coat.

When Anni moves to Melbourne, she’s cold, but she doesn’t have the money for a new coat. She wants to start a business, but she can’t get a bank loan. Her boyfriend wants to get married, but she’s not sure...

Then suddenly a borrowed coat changes everything.

The Teacher’s Guide version has the story,  teacher notes, learner worksheets, answers and audio CD; everything can be photocopied, so each student could have a take-home copy of the reader. (Not that anyone wants to fill the world with paper, but it can be so frustrating for teachers to hit the 10% only rule…)