Books for intermediate French learners

If you have taken French classes before or have some level of French, it can sometimes be tricky to find books that are adequate for your level of French. Usually, French levels are categorized under Common European Framework of Reference, if you have no idea what level you are, you can follow the guidelines in our level chart or even take a placement test.

In this article, we will be discussing books that are intended for intermediate levels of French, commonly known as French level A2 and level B1. We will go through a list of books by age group, and that are also available in our French media library.

French books for children: Level A2-B1

Ugo et Liza Cuisiniers

Authors: Mymi Doinet and Daniel Blancou

This book is from the series of "Ugo and Liza", adapted to children aged 6 to 8 years old, it is an easy read that can help them build up their vocabulary.

The story is about Ugo, a handyman, and Liza, an acrobat, who realize that the chef, Monsieur Moutarde is missing from his restaurant. What should they do? Should they replace him?
This story introduces children to the chef profession, and there are many new words to learn. Kids who like to help in the kitchen will love it!

La Baguette Farceuse

Authors: Isabelle Rossignol, and Julien Rosa

In this story, the character, Suzy hates mashed banana with pie, but her mother makes her eat it. How will she convince her? Will her magic wand help?

This book is one of the stories in the SOS sorcière series. The story is about little things that happen between mother and daughter, and it also mentions food and magic. The experience of the protagonist makes it easy for children to follow, which stimulates children's interest in reading independently.

La Puce et la petite moufle

Authors: Cécile Charpentier-Grandveau and Frédéric Rébéna

This story takes place during winter, a period that is too cold for forest animals. Mice, rabbits, owls and other animals are all looking for warmth. Huh? A lost hunter forgot his gloves. One mouse ducked into the glove, and soon another animal followed, and then another, and another... But when the fleas come... and the whole story unfolds!

This book is easy to read and uses funny stories between animals and mittens to learn vocabulary about animals and the seasons. It is not difficult and is very suitable for children to read.

French books for youth: Level A2-B1

Aventure à Fort Boyard

Author: Sylvie Poisson Quinton

A story about solving mysteries, where students that are taking classes on an island in Shanghai and experience the disappearance of wealthy British tourists. A student decides to solve the mystery and find them. Will he succeed?

This is an A2 level book, suitable for students interested in action and adventure. It also has a whole series, and there are some interactive activities in the book, which are very interesting.

La recette secrète

Author: Cinzia Medaglia

During the holiday season, the main character, Alexandre, returns to his parents in Mt. Domme. Eager to find serenity in the countryside, he visits his friend: Mr. Corbefin, a retired chemist, only to find that he has been kidnapped! and so, the story unfolds and Alexandre decided to find him.

The characters in the story are well portrayed, and the story is very interesting, and you can read it in one sitting!

Une foule d'histoires

Authors: Louise Roy and Emanuele Setticasi

Synopsis: Get your suitcase ready! With this collection of ten travel stories, we will travel the world. Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Britain, France, the United States... By car, by boat, on foot, on the back of an elephant... Definitely not boring! You will follow the journey of the people in the book to explore the world.

Why we recommend it: This book is the perfect combination of real travel stories and fictional texts. Is one of the "History of the Crowd" series, which brings together ten travel stories. You can learn very rich French vocabulary and expressions.

French books for adults: Level A2-B1

La cravate de Simenon

Author: Nicolas Ancion

The main character, Leopold, has found a job thanks to a tie that belonged to a famous writer, Georges Simenon. Leopold soon falls ill and the tie will play an important role in the development.

This is a short novel with humouristic and emotional connections between father and son.

Les couleurs primaires

Author: Melissa Verreault

A fictional story about Camille and her cat Cyrille, that follows her during a period of reflection and finding the meaning or color once again in her life. This book is meant to make you reflect about the happiness in life.

Papa et autres nouvelles

Author: Vassilis Alexakis

This books takes you around several encounters of men and their children, sometimes lost and sometimes unintended. These short stories are easy to follow for those intermediate B1 French learners.

Quitter Dakar

Author: Sophie Anne Delhomme

This book is a story about a young French man who goes back to his childhoood home in Dakar, following the death of his mother. In his return trip, he will try to understand the mysteries around his mother and discover a renewed love for Dakar that will make him reflect on the person that he has become.

You can also take advantage of our Digital Library Culturetheque to find more books from the recommended series above!

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