Skip to content
HummingReadStories that grow with you.
Green bandReady now · Open and print today

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, earlyTypical starting range: ages 9–11
Length
medium · about 732 words in 5 sections · 3 pictures
Source
Fifty Famous Stories Retold, James Baldwin
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
  • · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Lesson at a glance

Reading
about 9 minutes at this band
Pause questions
2
Words to Know
9
Quick Check
10 questions, with the answer key
Let’s Talk
2 questions for afterwards
Worksheet
questions, an activity and a drawing prompt

About 35 minutes with one story, all of it.

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.

Report a concern about this reader · What’s in a HummingRead reader

The same story

The Bell of Atri at other bands

Yellow band

The Bell of Atri

James Baldwin

medium · 539 words · also in Green

Ready now