The Bell of Atri

From Fifty Famous Stories Retold, by James Baldwin

This story comes from a collection published in 1896 by American educator James Baldwin, retelling legends from many lands. The tale is set in the medieval Italian town of Atri, where a bell of justice allowed any wronged person to summon the judges. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story teaches that loyalty and service deserve reward, and that even those without a voice may still call for justice.

Band

Green · Independent readers, early, about 8 to 10

Length

medium · about 732 words in 5 sections · 3 pictures

Source

Fifty Famous Stories Retold, James Baldwin · Project Gutenberg

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.