The Mystery of the Missing Bus
You discover that your school bus has disappeared from the parking lot. You must decide how to get home and solve the mystery using different forms of transportation. Your choices will determine whether you find the bus, help your friends, and what you learn along the way.
A free Story Adventure for Young learners at CEFR B1 level. Topic: everyday.
Story
- It is 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, and something strange has happened at your school. The yellow bus that always picks you up is not in the parking lot. Your bus driver, Mr. Chen, is missing too. You check your phone and see a message from him: 'Bus broke down. Finding another way home for…
- You call your mother, and she answers quickly. She sounds surprised when you tell her about the missing bus. 'Stay at school,' she says. 'I will come and pick you up in about thirty minutes. Wait near the main gate where it is safe.' While you wait, your friend Liam shows you something interesting…
- You decide to take action and walk to the nearest bus station with two of your friends, Maya and David. The walk takes about fifteen minutes, and you pass through the neighborhood near your school. When you arrive at the station, you see the schedule on the wall. There is a bus heading toward the…
- You gather your friends together and ask if anyone can get a ride home. Your friend Sophie says her older brother is picking her up in about twenty minutes because he is coming from university. She offers to ask if you can come with them. Your other friend Tom says his father works near the train…
- Your mother arrives and listens carefully to your story about the social media post. She decides to drive toward the shopping center on the way home because she is curious too. As you drive along the highway, you suddenly see it—the yellow school bus! It is parked in the shopping center parking…
- You decide not to tell your mother about the post. You wait patiently near the main gate with your friends. Your mother arrives exactly thirty minutes later as promised. On the drive home, you turn on the radio and hear a news report about a school bus that was found at a shopping center with…
- You and Maya decide to take the bus to the shopping center. The bus ride is interesting, and you enjoy talking with Maya about what you might see there. When you arrive at the shopping center, you and Maya look around, but you do not see the school bus anywhere. You check the time and realize you…
- You decide to wait with David for the direct bus to your area. It arrives right on schedule, and you both get on. The bus ride is quiet and uneventful. You sit by the window and watch the city pass by. When the bus reaches your stop, you get off and walk home. Your mother is already home from work,…
Vocabulary
- bus
- parking lot
- broken down
- worried
- pick up
- main gate
- highway
- shopping center
- social media
- bus station
- schedule
- neighborhood
- curious
- direct
- older brother
- university
- offer
- train station
- taxi
- engine
- mechanic
- relieved
- remaining
- mystery
- mechanical
- arranged
- handled
- calm
- situation
- traveling
- upset
- grounded
- safety rules
- uneventful
- independence
- responsible
- friendly
- repairs
- towed
- repair shop
Printable worksheet
This Story Adventure comes with a free printable worksheet: 2 parts for students to do after the game, and an answer key for the teacher. It prints at three levels (Support, Core and Challenge); this is the Challenge sheet. Sign in free to print the whole sheet.
What's on the worksheet
- Remember the story · Answer in a full sentence.
- A new ending · Write a new ending for the story. Use three story words.
Part 1: Remember the story
Answer in a full sentence.
- Why are you and your friends waiting in the parking lot?
- What did Liam find on social media?
- What are the two bus options at the station?