“书虫”是外语教学与研究出版社和牛津大学出版社共同奉献给广大英语学习者的一大精品。书虫在英语中大概是颇可爱的形象，试想想如痴如醉沉迷于书卷，孜孜不倦地咀嚼着字母的那么一只“书虫”……
　　如今这只“书虫”漂洋过海，轻盈落在了中国英语学习者的掌中。“书虫”首先将给你处信，即使你目前只有几百词汇，即可以不大费劲地阅览世界名作了。书虫还会用它细细的鸣叫声不停地提醒你：要坚持不懈地读下去要广泛而丰富地读下去。待到读完丛书系列中的*后一本，你也许会突然发现：你已经如蛹变蝶一样，振翅欲翔了！

　罗威娜·埃金耶米是英国儿童读物作家和改编者，其为书虫撰写的其他读物包括《潘德尔的巫师》、《在月亮下面》等。

  17世纪的时候，英格兰有许多人相信巫术。巫师可能是一个老太婆，或是一个年轻女子，有时甚至会是一个成年男子或小男孩。不过，巫师通常都是女人。人们都害怕巫师，因为巫师仅凭一句诅咒就能使人丧命。

1612年，在兰开夏郡的潘德尔山附近住着一个名叫詹妮特·迪瓦斯的小女孩。那时她刚9岁，因家里穷时常饿肚子，长得很瘦弱。她缺衣少鞋，有时一连几天吃不上饭。生活对于她来说十分艰难。

詹妮特的外祖母老德姆代克是一个巫师。她的母亲伊丽莎白和她的姐姐艾丽森也都是巫师。就连她可怜兮兮、傻头傻脑的哥哥詹姆斯也是巫师。不管怎样，村民们是这样认为的。

本书以女主人公詹妮特的口吻来讲述她一家人的故事。故事从1634年讲起，当时詹妮特被关押在兰开斯特城堡监狱里。

1 THE PEDLAR
1　小贩
2 ROGER NOWELL
2　罗杰·诺埃尔
3 A FAMILY OF WITCHES
3　巫师之家
4 TRUTH AND LIES
4　真相与谎言
Exercises

The spring of 1634 arrives, but in the prison of Lancaster Castle it stays cold．The twenty women in the prison are dirty, hungry and cold．There are no beds or chairs and so they sleep on the cold floor．There are no windows, so it is always dark．The women want to get out of the prison; they want to go home．Sometimes the guards open the big, old door and put some bread and water on the floor．Then they close the door again.
　　My name is Jennet Device, and I am one of the twenty women in prison．Day after day, I sit on the cold floor and wait．I want to feel warm again; I want to see the sky again, and Pendle Hill, the beautiful hill near my home．But I am in the dark prison of Lancaster Castle, and I sit on the cold floor and wait.
　　One day, something happens．The guards open the big, old door．'Jennet Device！' a guard calls．'Come here at once, witch！Somebody wants to see you.'
　　I get up slowly because I'm very cold and I walk across the dark room to the door．Perhaps it's someone from Read Hall！Perhaps I'm going home！
　　'Jennet Device, be quick！' the guard calls again.
　　Someone is standing at the door with the guard．'Jennet,' he says quietly.
　　I see him then：a tall man with brown hair and tired blue eyes．He is not from Read Hall．It is Mr Webster, from the church at Kildwick．My legs stop moving and suddenly I want to sit down.
　　'Come on, come on,' the guard says angrily．He begins to close the door.
　　'Come out here for a minute, Jennet,' Mr Webster says quietly．'Sit down and eat something.'
　　I sit down at a little table near the door．Mr Webster gives me some bread and some meat and I begin to eat hungrily.
　　'Ten minutes,' the guard says．'After ten minutes, she goes in again.'
　　'Thank you,' Mr Webster says.
　　'How is everyone at Read Hall?' I ask at last.
　　Mr Webster smiles．'Everyone is well．I was there yesterday.'
　　I close my eyes for a minute．'Mr Webster, it's not true．I'm not a witch, you know.'
　　'I know, Jennet,' Mr Webster says．'Last week, I brought Edmund Robinson and his father into my church, and asked them about the boy's story．Many people believed Edmund's story, but some people didn't．Edmund Robinson is going to London tomorrow with his father, and a judge is going to question them.'
　　The guard comes back and begins to open the door.
　　'Time！' he says.
　　Mr Webster stands up．'God is here with you, Jennet．Never forget that．You can be happy, when God is with you.'
　　I stand up too, and take the bread from the table．'Yes, Mr Webster．God is with me; I believe that.' But happy? How can I be happy?