Immersion is the fastest and most accurate way to learn a language. But living for a few months in another country isn’t always an option.

Reading a story in a different language is another great way to speed up the learning process. But selecting a story isn’t as simple as finding one that is interesting.

You need to find a story that is written at the right reading level so that you can slowly expand your vocabulary and solidify the words you have already learned.

With a book in hand, you’ll be able to take your time to understand each of the sentences and break them down. Let’s take a look at some of the best choices to get started!

1. “Papelucho”

By Marcela Paz

“Papelucho” is a great series to help youin Spanish. It was written by a Chilean author named Marcela Paz between 1940 and 1980. The stories tell of a middle-class boy named Papelucho.

The boy is eight years old and the stories take the form of his diary, detailing his life in Santiago de Chile.

The stories in this book are based on the real-life experiences of the author and give you a great peek into what it was like to live in that time and place.

These books are a nice, short read and the words are easy to understand. You’ll find yourself amused by the adventures of this little boy.

2. “Cuentos de la Selva”

By Horacio Quiroga

This is another work for children. “Cuentos de la Selva” is a collection of short stories written by an Uruguayan author named Horacio Quiroga.

The stories in this book are set in the jungle of Argentina, where Quiroga spent many years growing up.

The tales tell of a world with crocodiles that smoke Paraguayan cigarettes and parrots that have tigers over for tea.

With these short and simple stories, you will find yourself entertained and slowly exposed to new vocabulary.

3. “El Principito”

By Antonie de Saint-Expuery

El Principito is the name for “The Little Prince” in Spanish. This book was originally written in French and its sweet story has been retold around the globe.

This is a great book for new language learners because it takes place with a simple dialogue set in the past tense. This makes it easy to study for students who are just beginning to focus their efforts.

4. “El Alquimista”

By Paulo Coelho

“El Alquimista” is the Spanish name for the book “The Alchemist”. Although this book was originally written in Portuguese, its Spanish translation became an international bestseller.

The book tells the story of a young shepherd in Spain who goes on a quest after receiving the same dream night after night. As he goes through his journey, the shepherd learns light life lessons that can be applied to any person’s life.

This makes the story as much of a self-help book as it is a literature one. You will find the language and grammar easy to understand and the story touching.

5. “Spanish Short Stories for Beginners”

By Olly Richards

Short stories are a good place to start if you haven’t done a lot of Spanish reading. This collection of tales is enjoyable and has a nice range of vocabulary meant to challenge beginning Spanish speakers.

The plots of these tales will keep you entertained and each story has a quiz after that will help test how much of the story you comprehended.

6. “Gritty Spanish Beginnings eBook”

By Eldon Mirjah

From the popular Gritty Spanish audios, the Gritty Spanish Beginnings book will give you a chance to read all the engaging stories from the audios in English and Spanish. This book includes 32 super entertaining short stories. Most of the verbs and tenses are explained with the click of a button.

You’ll read a story featuring a super jealous boyfriend interacting with his girlfriend in the street, another featuring a bougie woman moving into her new apartment, a distraught woman talking about her cat’s death, a drunk guy at the beach, a thief in the street, kids talking about baseball and so much more!

The Gritty Spanish Beginnings ebook will give you great Spanish reading practice. It’s an excellent resource if you’re are stuck at the Mid-beginner’s level and you would like to advance to the upper beginner/lower intermediate level in Spanish.

7. “Short Stories in Spanish”

Compiled by Penguin Publishing

Penguin Publishing put together this collection of eight short stories written by a variety of famous Spanish authors.

Unlike the other stories on this list, this collection is a bit more advanced. But the book is set up to have a Spanish translation on the left-hand page and an English translation on the right. This allows you to read the story in both languages at the same time to understand more.

8. “Easy Spanish Reader”

By William T. Tardy

Easy Spanish Reader another great book! One of the best ways to get a better handle on Spanish is through reading. This book is easy to read and helps a great deal in building up your confidence and your vocabulary Great for raw beginners through intermediate learners.

9. “Cuentos Pintados”

By José Rafael de Pombo y Rebolledo

“Cuentos Pintados” is another great children’s story that was written by the Colombian, Jose Rafael de Pombo y Robelledo. It contains fables and nursery rhymes that compliment each other.

This book has more advanced vocabulary than you would expect, but since the pieces are brief, it isn’t that difficult to look up words as you go.

You will find yourself intrigued by the funny stories in this book and inspired by the beautiful illustrations. You will also love feeling like you are a part of the Colombian culture by learning some of their most popular folklore.

10. “Mafalda”

By Quino

“Mafalda” is a comic strip written by Argentine cartoonist, Quino. It was published from 1964 until 1973 and is the most recognized Latic American comic strip in the world.

The protagonist is a six-year-old girl who deals with socio-political issues as she explores global injustices.

You will find this comic strip is full of amusing characters and stereotypes that make commentary on all parts of Latin American life.

11. “El Túnel”

By Ernesto Sabato

This book is a psychological thriller written in 1948 by an Argentinian author named Ernesto Sabato. The story was very popular when it came out and was later adapted both for the stage and as a major motion picture.

The plot tells the story of a man named Juan Pablo Castel. Juan is a painter in Buenos Aires who killed the woman he was in love with. The book is his existential musings about what he has done.

If you are looking for a book with exciting subject material that will challenge the way you think, then this is a great option.

More Help for Beginning Spanish Speakers

Now that you know some great books for beginning Spanish speakers, you’re one step closer to becoming fluent.

Are you ready to get serious about your language learning process? Learn more about Gritty Spanish and check out these testimonials today.