Василий Мантуленко
Grandpa Frost and the Broken Boiler

GRANDPA FROST

AND THE BROKEN BOILER

A funny modern fairy tale about kindness on the coldest days

Based on the classic tale of "Morozko" (Old Man Frost)

An English reader for young learners

Level: A1–A2 · Elementary school

A Note for Teachers and Parents

This story is written in simple, funny English for young learners at level A1–A2. It uses short sentences, everyday words, and plenty of dialogue and jokes, so children can read it aloud and enjoy it in the classroom or at home.

The story is a modern, humorous retelling of the classic Russian folk tale "Morozko" (Old Man Frost) — with a broken boiler instead of a broken heart, a phone-obsessed stepsister, and a Grandpa Frost who drives a very unreliable van.

Each of the 13 chapters ends with a short "New Words" box: key vocabulary from the chapter, with simple English definitions, to help build reading confidence and vocabulary step by step.

We hope this warm, funny story brings a smile — even on the coldest days!

Contents

Chapter 1. A Very Cold House

Chapter 2. The Ivanov Family

Chapter 3. Kira and Her Phone

Chapter 4. Boris Says No

Chapter 5. Zinaida's Brilliant (Terrible) Idea

Chapter 6. Masha Walks Into the Forest

Chapter 7. The Rattling Silver Van

Chapter 8. Grandpa Frost's Three Questions

Chapter 9. The Magic Toolbox

Chapter 10. Home With a Warm Van

Chapter 11. Kira Wants a Turn

Chapter 12. Grandpa Frost's Four Questions

Chapter 13. The Warmest Winter Ever

Meet the Characters

Masha — an eleven-year-old girl who does all the chores, and never stops being kind, even in the cold.

Kira — Masha's stepsister, glued to her phone, dramatic, lazy, but not really a bad person.

Zinaida Petrovna — Masha's stepmother, loud, dramatic, and always complaining about something.

Mr. Ivanov — Masha's quiet father, who agrees with everything his wife says.

Whiskers — the family cat, who has opinions about everyone, expressed only through meows and stares.

Grandpa Frost — a mysterious old man who lives in the forest, drives a very unreliable silver van, and fixes things — for people who are kind.

Boris — the family's old, broken boiler, who makes a lot of noise and very little heat.

Chapter 1

A Very Cold House

Number 7, Birch Street, was the coldest house in town. Everybody knew it. Even the postman wore two hats when he walked up to the door.

Inside, eleven-year-old Masha woke up and saw her own breath in the air. Like a tiny cloud. "Good morning, cloud," she said, and got out of bed very, very fast.

The house was cold because of Boris.

Boris was not a person. Boris was the boiler — the big metal machine in the basement that was supposed to make hot water and warm the house. But Boris was old, and Boris was grumpy, and Boris made strange noises all night long: clunk... hisssss... BANG.

"Boris is angry again," said Masha's father at breakfast, rubbing his cold hands together.

"Boris is USELESS," said Masha's stepmother, Zinaida Petrovna, loudly. She said everything loudly. "We need a new boiler! But new boilers cost money, and we have no money, so we all just... freeze!"

She said this every single morning. Masha's father nodded every single morning, because that was easier than arguing.

In the corner, a black cat named Whiskers sat on top of the radiator — the only warm spot in the whole house — and watched everyone with a very unimpressed face.

"Meow," said Whiskers, which meant, probably: This family has problems.

Upstairs, Masha's stepsister Kira was still in bed, wrapped in four blankets, filming herself with her phone.

"Hi, everyone," Kira said to her phone screen. "Day 47 of living in the coldest house in the world. Please like and subscribe. I might actually turn into an ice sculpture soon."

Masha smiled. Every day was a little bit funny, even when it was freezing. That was one good thing about Masha: she could find something to smile about, even in a very, very cold house.

New Words

boiler — a big machine that heats water for a house

grumpy — in a bad mood; easily annoyed

freeze — to become extremely cold

unimpressed — not excited or interested

Chapter 2

The Ivanov Family

Let's meet the Ivanov family properly, shall we?

Masha's mother had passed away when Masha was small. A few years later, her father married Zinaida Petrovna, who came with a daughter of her own: Kira, who was exactly Masha's age, but nothing like her at all.

Masha's father, Mr. Ivanov, was a kind, quiet man who worked at the train station. He loved his daughter very much, but he was a little bit afraid of his new wife's loud voice, so he usually just said, "Yes, dear," to everything.

Zinaida Petrovna loved three things: her phone, complaining, and Kira. She did not love chores, cold houses, or, if we are honest, Masha very much.

Kira loved her phone, taking selfies, and more selfies. She was not a bad person, really — just a very, very lazy one, who thought that carrying a laundry basket was basically the same as running a marathon.

And Masha? Masha did the cooking. Masha did the cleaning. Masha fed the chickens, chopped the wood, and fixed the wobbly kitchen table with an old spoon and a lot of patience. Nobody asked her to do all this. It just... happened, slowly, over the years, the way snow quietly covers a whole garden.

"Masha, dear," Zinaida Petrovna called from the sofa, "bring me my tea. And my second blanket. And maybe a third blanket, too."

"Coming!" Masha called back, already halfway to the kitchen.

Whiskers the cat watched her go, and let out a long, tired sigh — as much as a cat can sigh.

"One day," Masha whispered to the cat, "someone in this house is going to say thank you. I'm sure of it."

Whiskers looked extremely doubtful.

New Words

chores — small jobs you do at home, like cleaning

wobbly — not steady; shaking a little

patience — the ability to wait calmly

doubtful — not sure something is true

Chapter 3

Kira and Her Phone

Kira's phone was, without question, the warmest thing in her life. She held it close, she charged it first, and she talked to it more than she talked to anyone else in the house.

"Watch this," Kira said to Masha one afternoon, holding up her phone. "I'm starting a new video series. It's called 'Cold House Diaries.' I already have two hundred followers!"

"That's nice," said Masha, carrying a heavy bucket of water from the well outside.

"You should be in it," Kira said. "You could be the... the funny cold girl who does all the work."