Alan Abernathy's father owns a toy shop but, as it only sells educational toys, it doesn't do very well. Then one day, a delivery of "Small Soldiers" comes in, along with their enemies, the "Gorgonites". However, these are no ordinary toys, and a full-scale war soon starts. "Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders.