The Rainmaker. Grisham John

Rudy Baylor is a newly qualified lawyer with no money and a lot of debts. He takes on a case against a giant insurance company who refused a claim that could have saved a mans life. The case will make him a lot of money; the only problem is, hes never argued a case in court before. Penguin Readers is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language.

Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders. Penguin Readers are graded at seven levels of difficulty, from Easystarts with a 200-word vocabulary, to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition, titles fall into one of three sub-categories: Contemporary, Classics or Originals.

At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing. Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette, or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally, selected titles have free accompanying Penguin Readers Factsheets which provide stimulating exercise material for students, as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.