The Moonstone is an ancient Indian diamond which brings disaster and tragedy to everyone who owns it. Rachel Verinders uncle gives the diamond to her as a birthday present but the same night it is stolen. 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.