A2 · Eiken Grade 3

Ren English Readers

Ren English Readers follows a group of friends through slice-of-life adventures in Japan — school days, festivals, and a slow-building supernatural mystery tied to a local shrine. Written for young Japanese learners at A2 / Eiken Grade 3 level, with characters drawn as cats in the classic Carl Barks tradition.

REN-01

The Haunted Shrine Visit

The first Ren English Readers story — an introduction to Ren, Hana, and the local shrine that becomes the heart of the series.

REN-02

Riding the Train

Ren gets his first IC card and learns to navigate the train system with Hana, Sora, and Momo — while a strange encounter at the shrine lingers in the background.

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Ren's First Day at School

Ren navigates his first day at a Japanese school, and the small moments of culture shock and friendship that come with it.

REN-04

Festival Fever

The friends head to a summer street festival full of takoyaki, kakigori, and games — but Sora's nerves about the crowds threaten to keep him away.

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Time Slip Trouble

A strange event pulls Ren and his friends out of their ordinary day and into trouble.

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Valentine's Day Mix-up

Hana and Momo make homemade “friendship chocolate” for Valentine's Day, walking through the customs — and small mix-ups — of a Japanese Valentine's.

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The Soccer Bully

A schoolyard conflict tests the group's friendship and Ren's instinct to stay out of confrontation.

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Culture Shock

Ren's mixed-heritage background creates small moments of friction and curiosity as he settles further into life in Japan.

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The Last Bell

A late-night hatsumode shrine visit turns strange when the friends meet a mysterious girl in an old kimono, deepening the shrine's growing mystery.

REN-10

Cherry Blossom Magic

A springtime story woven with a touch of the series' growing supernatural thread.

REN-11

The Idol Competition

Momo works up the courage to compete in a televised idol competition, with her friends rallying to calm her nerves before the biggest tryout of her life.

REN-12

Get Out Oni!

A Setsubun story that opens the series' central supernatural arc.

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Two on One Bike

A slice-of-life story about friendship and the small rules of everyday life in Japan.

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The Bento Incident

A lunchtime mix-up leads to an unexpectedly big day for the group.

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Summer is Too Hot

A summer story following the friends through the heat, festivals, and everything that comes with the season.

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The Voice at the Onsen

The supernatural arc deepens at a hot spring town, and Ren opens up to Hana about his father for the first time.

REN-17

Journey to Oni-Ga-Shima

The supernatural trilogy continues, raising the stakes with a promise that binds the story forward to Book 20.

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Sports Day

A undoukai (sports day) story following the group through Japan's classic school athletic festival.

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The Cowardly Detective

Channeling their favorite detective stories, Ren, Hana, and Sora search for the missing shrine priest — and end up helping Miwa search for someone of her own.

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Return to the Shrine

The series finale. The friends finally track down the shrine priest and uncover a centuries-old secret — and Ren makes a binding promise that will carry the story into the B1 series.

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The Final Curtain

The idol competitions are on again, and Momo is taking part. However, an old rival is waiting for her, and someone is attacking the hopefuls. Can Hana find who's responsible before someone is seriously hurt?

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Return to Oni-ga-Shima

Ren made a promise to return to Oni-ga-Shima, and now he must keep it. But the island is not what it seems, and the friends are in for a dangerous adventure.

Paperback Collection