The Notebook on the Train (A2 Reading Story)

A2 · ELEMENTARY Reading practice · ~1,800 words · 10-min read

This is an easy story for A2 learners. It is about a young woman on her first long train journey alone — and a small green notebook that changes her day. First, read the eight key words. Then read the story. At the end, there is a small quiz to check what you understand.

The story

1 · The long journey

Nadia was nineteen years old. She lived in a small town with her mother and her cat. She loved her town, but she wanted to see more of the world. So, when her older brother Sami invited her to visit him in the big city, she said yes at once.

“Can you take the train alone?” her mother asked. Her voice was worried.

“Yes, Mum,” Nadia said. “It is only four hours. And Sami will meet me at the station.”

Nadia had never travelled alone before. But she did not want to say that.

On Saturday morning, Nadia packed her small red bag. She put in two shirts, some socks, a book, and a photo of her cat. Her mother made her sandwiches for the journey. A journey is a long trip from one place to another place. This journey to the city was going to be Nadia’s first journey alone.

At the train station, Nadia’s mother hugged her tight. “Be careful,” she said. “And phone me when you arrive.”

“I will, Mum,” Nadia said. She smiled a big smile, but her heart beat fast.

Nadia walked to platform 4. A platform is the long area at a train station where you wait for the train. Many people stood on the platform with heavy bags. A cold wind blew through her hair.

Soon, the train came. It was long and blue, with many windows. Nadia found her carriage — carriage number 6. A carriage is one part of a long train, with seats for many people. She showed her ticket to the man at the door.

“Seat 24,” he said. “That way.”

Nadia walked slowly through the carriage. It was busy. A father held a small baby. Two boys played a game on a phone. An old woman knitted a red scarf. Nadia found her seat next to the window and sat down. The seat next to her was empty.

The train started to move. Nadia looked out of the window. She watched her town become smaller and smaller. Then it was gone. She was on her way.

For the first hour, Nadia read her book. She ate one of her sandwiches. She listened to a little music. The train stopped at two small stations. At every stop, some people got off, and some people got on.

Then, at the third stop, the train stopped for a long time. The doors opened. Cold air came inside. A man ran off the train fast. He carried a big bag and a coffee cup in his hands. He looked worried, and he did not look back. The doors closed again. The train moved.

Nadia did not think about the man. She looked out of the window at the green fields. But she did not see something small and important on the seat next to her.

2 · Something on the seat

An hour later, Nadia was hungry again. She wanted to take her second sandwich from her bag. She turned to her bag on the seat next to her. And then she saw it.

There, on the empty seat, was a small green notebook. A notebook is a small book with empty pages, where you write your notes. This notebook had a soft green cover. It was old, and one corner was bent.

Nadia looked around. Nobody was near her seat. She picked up the notebook.

On the front page, in careful writing, she read: “This notebook is for Karim. If you find it, please return it. Thank you.”

There was no phone number. There was no email. Only that short message.

Nadia thought for a moment. She should not read a stranger’s notebook. A stranger is a person you do not know. But she wanted to help this Karim. Maybe there was an address inside — a place she could send the notebook. An address tells you where a person or a house is.

Carefully, she opened the second page. There was a small drawing of a bird. Under the bird, some words in the same careful writing: “Sparrow, in the garden, Tuesday morning.”

The next page had a to-do list:

– Buy bread and honey.
– Fix the kitchen tap.
– Send a letter to Uncle Malik.
– See Mother in the hospital, Room 42.
– Buy her some yellow flowers, her favourite.

A hospital is a big building where sick people go, and doctors take care of them. Nadia felt a small pain in her heart. Karim’s mother was sick. And now Karim did not have his notebook — the notebook with his important list.

She turned to the last page. There was one small drawing of a tree with a swing. Nothing more.

Nadia closed the notebook. She thought about the worried man with the coffee cup. He had run off the train two hours ago. Yes — it was him. She was sure now. He left his notebook behind.

Nadia looked at the notebook in her hands. Karim’s mother was in a hospital. Nadia was going to the big city. Big cities have big hospitals. It was probably one of them. She could take the notebook to the hospital and ask. Maybe someone there knew Karim. Maybe his mother did.

The train started to slow down. Outside, she saw grey buildings and tall lights. The big city! Her brother’s city!

Nadia put the notebook carefully into her red bag. She put her book on top of it. Then she smiled a small smile. Her first journey alone was going to be more interesting than she thought.

3 · Room 42

At the station, her brother Sami waited for her at the end of the platform. He was tall and had kind eyes. When he saw Nadia, he ran and hugged her.

“You did it!” he said. “How was the journey?”

“It was fine,” Nadia said. “But something interesting happened. Look.”

She showed Sami the little green notebook. She told him about the man with the coffee cup, about Karim, and about Room 42.

Sami listened carefully. “That is very kind of you,” he said. “The city hospital is close. We can go now. I do not start work today until five o’clock.”

They took a bus to the city hospital. The building was big and white, with many windows. Nadia was a little afraid, but Sami held her arm.

Inside, at the desk, a young woman in a blue shirt smiled at them.

“Excuse me,” Nadia said quietly. “I am looking for Room 42. Do you know if there is a lady in that room? Her son is called Karim.”

The young woman looked at her computer. “Yes,” she said. “Room 42. Mrs Amina. On the second floor. Are you family?”

“No,” Nadia said. “I am… a friend of her son.”

The young woman gave her a small paper. “Take this to the second floor,” she said.

They went up in the lift. On the second floor, everything was quiet. A nurse walked past them and smiled. Room 42 was at the end of the corridor. Nadia knocked softly on the open door.

Inside, a small old woman was in a bed near the window. She had grey hair and very bright eyes. On the small table next to her bed, there were yellow flowers. Nadia smiled — the yellow flowers from Karim’s list.

“Hello,” the old woman said. “Come in.”

“My name is Nadia,” Nadia said. “I do not know you, but…” She took the green notebook out of her bag. “I think this is your son’s.”

Mrs Amina’s bright eyes became bigger. “Karim’s notebook!” she said. “Oh, thank you, thank you. He was so worried about it this morning. He looked for it everywhere. He thought he lost it forever.”

Nadia gave her the notebook. Mrs Amina held it close, like a small child. She looked up at Nadia.

“Where did you find it?” she asked.

“On the train,” Nadia said. “The train from Elmwood.”

Mrs Amina laughed a small tired laugh. “Ah, my Karim!” she said. “He always leaves his things somewhere. Thank you, dear girl. You are very kind — you are not a stranger to me now.”

She took a small card from the drawer next to her bed. She wrote something on the back. “This is Karim’s address,” she said. “He lives on Rose Street, number 11. Please, go and tell him I am fine, and tell him — thank you from me too.”

Nadia took the card and smiled. “I will,” she said.

4 · A knock at the door

Nadia and Sami walked from the hospital to Rose Street. The city was noisy and full of colour. Nadia liked it, but her feet were tired.

At number 11 Rose Street, Nadia knocked on a small blue door. Nobody answered. She knocked again. Still, nobody came.

“He is probably at work,” Sami said. “Or he is on a train back home, looking for his notebook everywhere.”

Nadia thought for a moment. She took a small piece of paper from her pocket. She wrote a short note:

“Hello Karim. I am Nadia. I found your notebook on the train this morning. I took it to your mother in Room 42. She is fine, and she says thank you. — Nadia”

She wrote her brother’s phone number under her name. Then she pushed the note carefully under the blue door.

“Now,” Sami said, “you are hungry, and I am hungry. Let’s go home.”

Sami’s flat was small but warm. It had one green plant near the window and many books on the walls. Nadia sat on the sofa and closed her eyes. What a day! Her first journey alone, and already a little adventure.

Sami cooked pasta with tomatoes. They ate and talked about the family. They laughed. Nadia felt happy.

At half past eight, there was a knock at the door.

Sami looked at Nadia. Nadia looked at Sami.

Sami opened the door. There, in the corridor, stood a young man. He was tall, with dark hair and tired eyes. In one hand, he held the same little green notebook.

“Excuse me,” he said. “Is Nadia here?”

Nadia stood up quickly.

“Yes, that is me,” she said.

The young man smiled a big smile. “I am Karim,” he said. “I went to the hospital an hour ago. My mother told me everything.” He held up a small paper bag. “I brought you something. A thank-you note. Please — do not open it now. Open it when I am gone.”

A thank-you note is a small paper card that says “thank you” to somebody. Karim gave her the paper bag. He said thank you one more time. Then he left. Nadia stood at the door with the bag in her hand.

Her fingers wanted to open the bag right now. But she did not open it. She waited.

Check your understanding

Read each question. Think about your answer. Then click “Show answer” to check.

Words to remember

Here are the key words again, in new sentences. Say each one out loud.

• journey — Our journey to the mountains took six hours by car.
• platform — Your train leaves from platform 3 in ten minutes.
• carriage — The first carriage of the train is only for people with young children.
• notebook — I always carry a small notebook in my bag for good ideas.
• stranger — A kind stranger helped me when I was lost in the city.
• address — What is your home address? I will send you a card.
• hospital — My grandmother is in hospital this week, but she is getting better.
• thank-you note — After the party, I wrote a short thank-you note to my friend.

Talk about it · Write about it

Talk about it: What was your longest journey? Where did you go, and who were you with? Did anything interesting happen on the way?

Write about it: Imagine you find a small notebook on a bus or train. Write 6–8 sentences in the past simple. What did you see inside it? What did you do next?

🎉 Well done — you read a whole A2 story in English! That is a real step forward. And now you know eight new words too. Try to use one of them today.

But wait — what is inside the little paper bag from Karim? What did he write in his thank-you note to Nadia? You will find out in the next A2 story…

Next story: Read another A2 story →

About this story: This is an original A2 graded reader (~1,800 words). It uses controlled elementary vocabulary and mainly the past simple tense, with a little going to and will for future plans, so A2 learners can understand about 98% of the words. Any harder word is explained before the story and used again inside it. The story is 100% original and written for englishteachersite.com.

Khamis Maiouf

I’m Khamis Maiouf. English is not my first language – I learned it as an adult in the UK, passed Functional Skills Level 2 in English, qualified in Hairdressing at Level 3, and I’m now studying Business at university. For over five years I’ve taught ESOL classes in my community and tutored students through GCSE English. I write every lesson on this site myself, for the learner I used to be.