Now if you aren’t ready to do face to face lessons, such as our Spanish Courses in Leeds or other location then how about something to get you eased into learning Spanish?

One of the recommendations in 5 hacks to reading better in Spanish was to read graded readers.

In case you’re not sure what a graded reader is, it’s basically a book, novel or comic which has been simplified or specially written for language learners.

You can find loads of graded readers online. They’re available for all language levels – even for absolute beginners!

A lot of graded readers are traditional or even classical novels retold in more simplistic language. For some, this will be exactly what they’re looking for, but others will want something a bit more lively and modern.

So that’s why we’d like to introduce you to the stories of Gael and his accomplices.

Gael who?

Gael is a graded reader written especially for Spanish language learners. It’s graded to A2 level, which means it works well for those who have finished their first Spanish course.

That said, it also works as a challenging reading task for those just getting started (A1) level as well as some revision for B1 level learners.

But the best bit about the Gael stories is the fact they’re in comic book form! This means the story is really visual and the context can help you understand a lot!

Like we said in Why Google is the best dictionary for language learning, a lot of words can be represented by an image, hence the popularity of Google Image among language learners.

But with Gael you don’t even need to search Google! As a comic, the visuals accompany the written text.

Why this graded reader?

Reading should be enjoyable. Working your way through a hefty tome can be a bit off putting or laborious for some language learners. A comic gives you the opportunity to practise your reading while enjoying what you’re reading.

This particular graded reader comes in two editions. What’s more, they both contain two glossaries:

1. A glossary with explanations in Spanish – very often they’re basic synonyms, so a great way to improve your vocabulary using the knowledge you already have

2. A glossary with translations into English, French and German – this is helpful if you’re unsure of the Spanish explanation but it’s also a real confidence booster if you know French or German and can use that knowledge to improve your Spanish!

For those attending a Spanish course, there are some activities at the back. They include questions about the story, which could be a nice speaking or writing activity for you and your teacher.

What are the stories about?

In the first edition, Gael is a thief and his job is to steal a famous work of art from one of the most important art galleries in Spain. Can you guess which one it might be?

Of course, the story isn’t as simple as that. Gael gets wound up in a series of events shrouded in lies, deceit and mystery. But don’t worry, there is some good to this story – it doesn’t all end badly.

The second edition takes our beloved thief to the island of Majorca, where he has to steal something from one of the most exclusive places on the island. Entangled in a web of drama, lies and suspense, Gael tries his best to fulfil his task, all the while being enticed by love.

Where can I find it?

Like with most things on the internet, you can find Gael available to purchase from a number of sites.

You can even download a PDF sample each comic here. This way you can get an idea of whether this is for you before committing to buying it.

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