CIDEB

This little duckling is different from the other ducklings. Everyone laughs at him, animals and humans alike, and only his mum loves him. But when spring comes, he sees his reflection in the water, and… what a change has taken place!

A romantic fairy-tale which rapidly transforms itself into the worst night mare, when the story’s main character wakes up summarising his life in one sentence, ‘Well, I have always been alone’. Der blonde Eckbert exemplifies all the main characteristics of the German Romanticism: from the fable-style description of nature to the gloomiest aspects of human existence.

Luca wants to become a film director but at the moment he works for a television channel in Cologne, where he falls in love with a colleague, Marion. The couple have to weigh up the costs of their relationship with the jealousy and lack of scruples of Hupperz, the owner of the television channel. Luca and Marion find themselves therefore having to fight to stay together… just like in a film.

Daniele plays guitar and dreams of being part of a band. His dream comes true when he met Gianni, who invites him to play with him and his friends. Among the problems and love affairs, the boys are preparing to take part in a concert, a unique opportunity for people to hear their music. Who knows what will happen?

How can a peaceful stay in Italy turned into a real adventure? This is what happens to Anna, a German student who has gone to Bergamo to improve her Italian. One day in her room she discovers the diary of Louise, a previous tenant. As she flicks through he discovers one pages which she finds deeply disturbing... Curious, Anna begins to investigate, and sets about to solve the mystery with the help of a friend.

Virgilio’s masterpiece tells of the ups and downs of Enea, a hero who left from the wretched city of Troy towards Italy. This version of the story is shorter than the original but it maintains the intensity of the most important events; his love story with Didone and Enea’s meeting with his father Anchise during his descent to hell. The text is accompanied by a series of comprehension exercises, numerous activities for in-depth study and a dossier about the author and his works.

Elena, the most beautiful woman in the world, has been kidnapped by Paride and taken to Troy. To get her back, Menelao, her husband and the king of Spartan, gather together the Greek sovereigns and princes and declare war on Troy. We will see heroic warriors in action, we will develop a fondness for the adventures of the king and the commanders, we will follow the actions of strong and brave men, and we will observe the bad tempers of the fickle but powerful gods, who intervene in the fate of the characters. With a war which lasts ten long years as a backdrop, we can pick out some values which continue throughout time, such as friendship, honour, love and mutual respect. The text is accompanied by numerous activities and a short dossier on the Greek world.

Beatrice Lindi, a talented artist, has decided to help her cousin in the management of his manikin factory, so as to personalise the products. Arcata department store commissioned a ‘family’ of manikins for their store: a few weeks later they are delivered to the warehouse in Florence. But three days later, something strange happens... What mystery is hidden in these inanimate objects?

The idea of narrating the adventures of the myth of Perseo was born from a journey in Greece: the hero’s childhood, his encounter with Medusa, his meeting with Atlante and the unintentional killing of his grandfather, Acrisio. This myth, with which the origin of the constellations Andromeda and Cassiopea was explained in the past, is poetic and able to enchant even modern readers. Dossiers on Ancient Greece and the Olympics and a series of comprehension exercises are also included with the text.

Cercere, the goddess of the messengers, is tormented by a recurring dream that her daughter, Proserpina disappears.Very soon the goddess discovers that it is a premonition; Proserpina is in fact kidnapped by the god of hell, who takes her with him to the afterlife. Giving over to the anger and pain, the goddess interrupts his good work on earth: the fields dry up, the seed no longer sprout and a terrible famine starts... The text is accompanied by some dossiers on the characters and places mentioned in the myth as well as a series of comprehension exercises.

The war of Troy has finished and Ulisse leaves to return home, to Itaca. It proves to be a very long journey during which the hero has to deal with many kinds of danger and threat: giants with only one ear, beautiful women who enchant sailors... One of the most famous stories in the world, told in a language which is simple but at the same time faithful to the original. A passionate and moving story about a man who fights against fate and who wins in the end thanks to his courage and intelligence. A series of comprehension activities, activities to study the characters in more detail and dossiers about the author and the places, accompany the text.

Seventeenth century Milan, dominated by the Spanish and torn apart by a terrible epidemic creates the basis for Renzo and Lucia’s love story. Alessandro Manzoni’s masterpiece has been shortened without losing the fascinating rhythm of the original work. At the end of each chapter, numerous activities offer readers the chance to test their comprehension of the text but also to reflect on a story in Italian. The cultural studies dossiers provide valuable information and facts about Milan in the past and the present.

El Cantar de Mio Cid is the oldest-known text in Spanish literature and it narrates part of the life of Cid, an epic hero. Exiled unjustifiably by King Don Alfonso, Cid, with a group of followers, fights to regain his honour against the Moors and against anyone who is plotting against him. Cid’s disgrace turns into triumph, and his misery into power, eventually leading to the conquest of Valencia from the Muslims.

A silent, dark house. Suffocating heat, church bells which ring to toll for the dead and terrible secrets. A closed space, rigorously guarded by Bernarda Alba, which is home to her five daughters, some servants and an elderly, insane mother Despite all of this, love enters the house, but then a tragedy also happens…

The adventures of four teenagers dealing with everyday problems: school, family, friendship, love... and also a great passion for music, which leads them to form a complex pop group as they also decide to enter a music competition. After months of trials and hardships, they finally perform in front of a public audience for the first time. This experience providing an exciting finale...

Just as every year, Belinda de Orgaz travels to the old family home in the Pyrenees to celebrate her birthday. Friends and relatives gather to spend a pleasant weekend. But suddenly one of the guests falls ill... and a few hours later is found dead in his room. What happened? How did he die?

Considered to be the first realistic story coming from the Río de la Plata, El matadero describes Argentinean society in the first decade of the 19th century. Set in the area near Buenos Aires during Lent, the story starts during a heavy downpour, which makes the use of the slaughter house – the main business of the town – impossible, and thus creates a crisis in the town. In this story, Echeverría offers a critical insight into society at that time and its principal institutions: state and church.

One of the major works of the Spanish theatre, a tyrannical nobleman violent with his subjects and a popular uprising that culminated in a just revenge. Women with great personalities, the strength of the people against the tyranny and a crime forgiven by the royal family makes Fuente Ovejuna a legendary work.

Teenager Romina always goes to school very reluctantly. However, one day things start to change. Why is she now getting good marks? Why is she able to do incredible things? What the people don't know is that Romina has a secret that she doesn't want to share with anyone.

Robert Louis Stevenson investigates into the nature of good and evil in this novel set in the Scotland of 1745. This was the year many in Scotland fought to put a Scottish king on the British throne. Two brothers, James and Henry Durie, become involved in this historical event. But The Master of Ballantrae is a also worldwide novel. Readers will travel from Scotland to New York, to India… Along the way, they will meet soldiers, hunters and pirates.

There has been a UFO sighting in the Cascade mountains near Seattle, Washington, and everyone is excited. But no one believes there could possibly be an alien in town, until Karen, Barbara and Walter notice that one of the teachers at their high school is behaving very strangely. Karen and her friends start investigating on their own and are very surprised by what they discover...

A Christmas Carol is the first and the most famous of the five books that Dickens wrote to celebrate the spiritual values of Christmas.

Daisy Miller is a beautiful, rich American girl. She comes to Europe with her mother and brother to travel and see the sights. In Switzerland she meets Frederick Winterbourne, a young American who has lived in Europe most of his life. He is fascinated and perplexed by Daisy’s flirtatious and unconventional manners…

Mary Shelley was not yet twenty years old when she wrote this classic tale of a scientist’s attempt to create a new noble species – an experiment which instead produces a monster. Frankenstein is here presented in the 2nd, revised edition of 1831 and includes an analysis of the most recent criticism on Shelley’s science fiction masterpiece, as well as an extensive filmography.