Middle School Reading Comprehension and Inference High Interest Short Stories

Fed up with boring comprehensions? Are your students struggling with inference? These BRAND NEW, original, short stories have twists and turns to keep reluctant and struggling readers reading. Great for short attention spans! Differentiated activities support all levels and help students get to grips with understanding what they’ve read.

These stories are specially written for lower-ability readers so they can access exciting text. They are also enjoyed by good readers too! You can read the first page of each story by clicking on the preview file of each resource and see if they’re for you.

Each story is graded by Flesch-Kincaid. This is very easy to understand. Click here to see the Flesch-Kincaid reading levels. Basically, the higher the percentage of reading ease, the easier the story is to read. The grades correlate with grades in US education.

You can download some freebies and see if you like them. Here's one here. And here .... (You're welcome).

Each story has comprehension, inference, and spelling activities, PLUS a graphic organizer. Numbered and unnumbered lines for assisting with comprehension. PDF files. US and British spellings. Answers included.

What do you get in this bundle?

Run!:

A man with memory loss and no idea of who he is, tells police that he has escaped from a farm where he was held captive for months. Who is the man? Is he telling the truth? Detective Ed Cooper, who has enough problems of his own, struggles to unravel the mystery.

A short fiction story of 1,421 words.

Flesch Reading ease 91.4%

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 2.2

Pumpkin Boy:

When an unpopular bully wins the local pumpkin competition for three years running, people nickname him ‘Pumpkin Boy.’ But Pumpkin Boy’s run of good luck ends when his grandfather, who grows the pumpkins, dies. Determined to keep his title, Pumpkin Boy sets about winning the competition at any cost. But things don’t always go according to plan. A spooky story great for fall and Halloween story with a twist!

A short fiction story of 1,706 words.

Flesch Reading ease 85.9%

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 3.3

Grave House:

When the spooky house opposite the Brown family suddenly sells after lying empty for twenty years, Nathan Brown is keen to see inside before the buyers renovate it. Nathan gets his chance when he meets the new girl, but things get spooky once he sets foot inside Grave House.

A short fiction story of 1,668 words.

Flesch Reading ease 87.0%

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 3.1

Boulder Creek:

Twins Max and Arnie spend every summer at Boulder Creek where nothing ever happens. Until one day in 1990, when a local couple claim to have been abducted by aliens.

A short fiction story of 1060 words.

Flesch Reading ease 90.7%

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 2.3

The Visitors:

When fourteen-year-old Ronny’s mother dies suddenly, he struggles to come to terms with life without her. A year later he experiences the first of nightly visits that will help him heal and move forward. Who are the strange beings that visit Ronny at night and take away his pain?

A short fiction story of 1,227 words.

Flesch Reading ease 83.9%

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 3.7

The Lookout:

Jay’s parents have dragged him to a remote beach house for the weekend and he is not impressed. The place gives him the creeps and the only thing to do is walk the beach. His weekend is transformed when he meets Sandy, a local girl who shows him around the area. But there is something distant about Sally and Jay’s parents seem to think he has made her up.

A short fiction story of 1578 words.

Flesch Reading ease 93.0%

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 2.0

Lots more exciting stories in my store and new ones are uploaded as I write them. Follow me for updates and special offers. You can download some freebies and see if you like them. Here's one here. And here .... (You're welcome).