I’m thrilled to introduce my new Chinese graded reader: 《影鼠传》— The Tale of Shadow Mouse.
I haven’t worked this intensively with word processors since my university days – but preparing this graded reader definitely brought me back. So it’s a real relief to see it finally published and available in stores. Well, on Amazon that is.
The story
This story follows 小影 (Xiǎo Yǐng), a clever but shy little mouse who lives beneath the noisy subway tunnels of Beijing. He doesn’t like trouble. He doesn’t like loud noises. But when the metro authorities announce a brutal crackdown on all mice, 小影 realizes he can’t hide forever. What begins as a small escape becomes a long, strange journey – through cities, storms, and unexpected friendships – to search for something everybody dreams of: home.
The book has also become a small tribute to the city of Kaifeng, which, despite its illustrious past and nearly five million inhabitants, is often overlooked (both by foreign tourists as the Chinese themselves).
For intermediate learners
This book is designed for (upper) intermediate learners of Chinese (HSK 4–6) who want to improve their reading fluency through immersive and meaningful content. I specifically created it with intermediate students in mind. If you’ve completed HSK 4, you should be able to read it comfortably. At the HSK 5 level, it becomes even more accessible, while HSK 6 learners will still find value – particularly in the vocabulary and expressions used throughout the story. That’s why I define intermediate in a broad sense.
What to expect
Audio: You can download the audio recordings for every chapter for free.
No pinyin clutter: The story is presented in simplified characters only – no full pinyin version, to reduce dependency and paper waste.
Extended vocabulary lists: Every chapter includes an extensive glossary to support new words and expressions – more than 1000 unique characters in total.
Extra materials: Includes comprehension questions, exercises, cultural notes, and reflections.
Great for extensive reading: If you’re aiming to increase your reading speed and confidence, this story is the perfect step between textbook texts and native content.
Why this graded reader?
Unfortunately, most graded readers are aimed at beginners. As an intermediate learner, this often leaves you in a tough spot – beginner materials are too simple, while authentic texts are still too challenging.
In my experience, learners at this stage benefit greatly from graded content, but beyond the well-known reading apps, there are very few suitable books available. And sometimes, you just want a physical book -something you can hold, take with you, highlight, and really make your own.
That’s exactly what this book offers. It’s available on Amazon in both e-book and print, so you can choose whichever suits your reading style best.
