Carnival PDF

 Annette Keen's "Carnival" is a popular graded reader, often found in series like Penguin Readers (EasyStarts or Level 0/A1), designed for beginning English language learners. It's a short and engaging story with a light romance and a surprising twist.

Here's a summary of the plot:

The story follows Jake, an eighteen-year-old from Manchester, who is visiting London for the first time on a holiday weekend. His main goal is to experience the famous Notting Hill Carnival.

At the carnival, amidst the vibrant music, dancing, and elaborate costumes, Jake spots a beautiful girl named Maria dancing on a float. He is instantly smitten and feels it's love at first sight. Their eyes meet, and she smiles at him, reinforcing his feelings.

Determined to talk to her and get her phone number, Jake tries to follow Maria's float through the dense crowds and loud music. It's difficult to hear or communicate effectively in the noisy carnival atmosphere.

As he follows her, Jake sees a camera left on a table outside a street cafe. In his eagerness to capture a memory of Maria, he impulsively takes the camera to snap a photo of her as she passes.

However, the owner of the camera quickly notices it's gone and reports it to a policeman. Jake, now holding the "stolen" camera, is pursued by the police. He's caught and taken to the police station.

At the station, the police question Jake. He tries to explain that he only took the camera to get a photo of the girl he fell in love with at the carnival. He pulls out the photo he managed to take of Maria.

The sergeant at the police station looks at the photo and is surprised. He then asks for "Policewoman Day" to come into the office. To Jake's utter astonishment and delight, Policewoman Day is Maria, the very girl from the carnival! The story ends with them recognizing each other, and a clear implication of a romantic connection forming, despite the initial misunderstanding.

The charm of "Carnival" lies in its simple language, relatable premise of young love, and the humorous, unexpected resolution that brings the two main characters together.