raz lt18 advabuela

Adventures with
Abuela
A Reading A–Z Level T Leveled Book
Word Count: 1,771

LEVELED BOOK • T

Adventures
with Abuela

Written by Carolina B. Page
Illustrated by Cende Hill

Visit www.readinga-z.com
for thousands of books and materials.

www.readinga-z.com


Adventures
with Abuela

Written by Carolina B. Page
Illustrated by Cende Hill

www.readinga-z.com


Table of Contents
Special Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Clue 1: Books and Scrambled Letters . . . . . . . 6

Clue 2: Names and Paintings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Clue 3: Towns and Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Clue 4: More Letters and Quarters . . . . . . . . 15
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Adventures with Abuela • Level T

3


Special Delivery
It was late afternoon in Kanab, Utah,
when Adriana Cruz ran inside. Holding a
large envelope, she exclaimed, “It’s the letter
from Abuela!”
Her brother, Rob, looked up from the book
he was reading. “Get Mom and Dad!” he
said. “They’ll want to open it right away.”
Their little sister, Emily, put her hands
on her hips, looking puzzled. “Abuela sends
us stuff all the time. What’s the big deal?”
Adriana explained, “This is a special letter.
It contains clues to an adventure!”
Table of Contents

“Clues?” Emily asked.

Special Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Clue 1: Books and Scrambled Letters . . . . . . . 6
Clue 2: Names and Paintings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Clue 3: Towns and Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Clue 4: More Letters and Quarters . . . . . . . . 15
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Adventures with Abuela • Level T

3

“Remember, in her last email Abuela told
us she was going to send us clues about our
vacation,” Rob said.
“That’s no mystery,” Emily said. “Mom
and Dad already told us we’re going to
Abuela’s house.”
“But we have to solve a mystery on the
way there,” Adriana explained. “And this
has the clues.”
4


Their parents walked into the living room.
“What’s all the buzz about?” Mr. Cruz asked.
“The letter from Abuela is here!” the
children exclaimed.
“We’re leaving Kanab tomorrow so it
came just in time,” Mrs. Cruz said.
The family gathered to read the letter.

Dear family,
I am taking you on a wonderful trip. Let’s see if

you can figure out where we are going. I have sent
you clues.
As you drive, use the clues to try and figure out
where we will meet.
I will give you a hint: All the answers to my clues
can be found on an Arizona map.
The clues are found in smaller envelopes. You may
open each clue as you solve the one before it. You
may now open the first clue.
Good luck, and I hope I am not sitting at the
meeting place alone!
Love, Abuela

Adventures with Abuela • Level T

5


Their parents walked into the living room.
“What’s all the buzz about?” Mr. Cruz asked.
“The letter from Abuela is here!” the
children exclaimed.
“We’re leaving Kanab tomorrow so it
came just in time,” Mrs. Cruz said.
The family gathered to read the letter.

Dear family,
I am taking you on a wonderful trip. Let’s see if
you can figure out where we are going. I have sent
you clues.

As you drive, use the clues to try and figure out
where we will meet.
I will give you a hint: All the answers to my clues
can be found on an Arizona map.

CLUE 1: Books and Scrambled Letters

The clues are found in smaller envelopes. You may
open each clue as you solve the one before it. You
may now open the first clue.

“Look! She included a map.” Rob said,
unfolding it on the coffee table.

Good luck, and I hope I am not sitting at the
meeting place alone!

“I think these are the clues,” Emily said,
pointing to a bunch of envelopes held
together with a rubber band.

Love, Abuela

Adventures with Abuela • Level T

5

6

Mr. Cruz held up a sealed envelope. “We
are supposed to open this one first,” he said,
as he opened the envelope. He pulled out the
paper and read:

Clue 1
e
vacation gam
r
u
o
in
g
e
b
   To
with a name
y
it
c
e
th
to
o
   g
mmon part
o
c
a
lls

te
t
a
   th
very book.
e
d
n
a
h
c
a
e
f
   o
city, ”SHOUT!”
e
th
to
t
e
g
u
o
   When y
rs in shout
e
tt
le
e

th
le
b
m
   Then unscra
.
ection to take
ir
d
h
ic
h
w
u
o
   to tell y
Emily said, “Let’s look at the map. Abuela
said all the answers were on the map. If we
look at the map maybe we can find a city that
is part of a book.”
“Hmm,” said Adriana, “I think it might be
easier to list the parts of a book. I think there
are fewer parts of a book than there are cities
in Arizona.”
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

7


Nevada

Kanab

Utah

Colorado

Page

Flagstaff

o
lif
Ca

Mr. Cruz held up a sealed envelope. “We
are supposed to open this one first,” he said,
as he opened the envelope. He pulled out the
paper and read:

New Mexico

N

ia

rn

Arizona
Phoenix

Clue 1

Tucson

e
vacation gam
r
u
o
in
g
e
b
   To
with a name
y
it
c
e
th
to
o
   g
mmon part
o
c
a
lls
te

t
a
   th
very book.
e
d
n
a
h
c
a
e
f
   o
city, ”SHOUT!”
e
th
to
t
e
g
u
o
   When y
rs in shout
e
tt
le
e
th

le
b
m
   Then unscra
.
ection to take
ir
d
h
ic
h
w
u
o
   to tell y

MEXICO

Arizona

“Great idea!” exclaimed Rob, and he started
making a list. “Let’s see, there are covers, a
table of contents, and page numbers . . .”
“Pages! All books have pages but they
might not have a table of contents!” said
Adriana.

Emily said, “Let’s look at the map. Abuela
said all the answers were on the map. If we
look at the map maybe we can find a city that

is part of a book.”
“Hmm,” said Adriana, “I think it might be
easier to list the parts of a book. I think there
are fewer parts of a book than there are cities
in Arizona.”
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA

7

“Great! Let’s see if there is a Pages,
Arizona, on the map,” said Rob.
“There’s not Pages, but there is a Page,
Arizona! It is in the northern part of the
state, almost in the center,” stated Adriana.
“Well, then that is where we will drive
tomorrow after we have had a good breakfast,”
said Mrs. Cruz.
8


CLUE 2: Names and Paintings
The next morning, an hour after an early
breakfast, they rolled into Page and gave a
loud SHOUT.
“Now we have to figure out what direction
to go using the letters in the word shout,”
said Rob.

“Well it shouldn’t be west because we just
came from there, and Abuela wouldn’t send
us back in the same direction,” said Adriana.
“You sillies. It’s sout­h! You just move the
h to the end,” cried Emily.
“Hey, don’t we get to open the next clue
now that we are in Page?” remembered Dad.

Adventures with Abuela • Level T

9


CLUE 2: Names and Paintings

Mom opened the next clue because Dad
was driving. Mom read, “Clue 2. You should
be in Page, Arizona and traveling south.”

The next morning, an hour after an early
breakfast, they rolled into Page and gave a
loud SHOUT.
“Now we have to figure out what direction
to go using the letters in the word shout,”
said Rob.

“Yeah!” cheered the Cruz children. “We
were right.”
Mom continued reading.

Clue 2
e and across
g
id
R
e
th
g
n
lo
a
After you Spring
exit to a town
e
th
to
t
e
g
ill
w
u
the Gap, yo
ften a member
o
is
d
n
a
y

it
c
a
that thinks it’s
, start looking
re
e
th
t
e
g
u
o
y
n
of a band. Whe
represents.
re
tu
ic
p
is
th
g
in
th
for some
, open Clue 3.
it
h

g
u
ro
th
g
lin
e
av
When you are tr

“Well it shouldn’t be west because we just
came from there, and Abuela wouldn’t send
us back in the same direction,” said Adriana.
“You sillies. It’s sout­h! You just move the
h to the end,” cried Emily.
“Hey, don’t we get to open the next clue
now that we are in Page?” remembered Dad.

“It’s a drawing of a paintbrush
and a cactus,” Adriana said, “but what
does it mean?”
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

9

10


“Let’s look at the map. I don’t see any
cactus, and certainly there are no paintbrushes.

Read the clue again, Mom,” asked Rob.
Mom read the clue again and said, “Oh, I
just noticed that Spring, Ridge, and Gap are
all capitalized. That means they might be
the name of something. All place names are
capitalized.”
Adriana opened the map. “Here it is!
Highway 89. We are supposed to drive south
on Highway 89!”
“Let me see,” said Rob as he grabbed the
map. “Look Highway 89 goes through Bitter
Springs, Cedar Ridge, and The Gap—places
just like Mom thought.”
“Good, then 89 must be the right road,”
said a relieved Dad. “What about that town
that thinks it’s a city and is often a member
of a band. What the heck does that mean?”
“Hmm,” said Rob. “I’ve got it! It’s Tuba
City. I see from the map legend that Tuba
City is really a town, and I know that tubas
are musical instruments in bands.”
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

11


Map of Northern Arizona

“Let’s look at the map. I don’t see any
cactus, and certainly there are no paintbrushes.

Read the clue again, Mom,” asked Rob.

Kanab
Grand Canyon
National Park

Mom read the clue again and said, “Oh, I
just noticed that Spring, Ridge, and Gap are
all capitalized. That means they might be
the name of something. All place names are
capitalized.”

Flagstaff

Kingman
Sedona
Prescott

Adriana opened the map. “Here it is!
Highway 89. We are supposed to drive south
on Highway 89!”

Highway
Painted
89
Desert

Winslow

Navajo

Holbrook

N

CLUE 3: Towns and Flags
Several hours passed as the children
searched every billboard, sign, and building
along Highway 89 for something that
matched the drawing. They had passed the
exit to Tuba City and were starting to get
nervous.

“Let me see,” said Rob as he grabbed the
map. “Look Highway 89 goes through Bitter
Springs, Cedar Ridge, and The Gap—places
just like Mom thought.”
“Good, then 89 must be the right road,”
said a relieved Dad. “What about that town
that thinks it’s a city and is often a member
of a band. What the heck does that mean?”

“Maybe we missed it,” said Adriana.
“I don’t think so,” said Mom, “but just
look out the window. Aren’t these rocks
beautiful? It’s almost as if someone painted
them with a rainbow.”

“Hmm,” said Rob. “I’ve got it! It’s Tuba
City. I see from the map legend that Tuba
City is really a town, and I know that tubas

are musical instruments in bands.”
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

Lake
Page Powell
Bitter Springs
Cedar
Ridge
The
Gap
Tuba City

Kaibab
National Forest
I-40

Area of Detail

“Painted with a paintbrush?” asked Emily.
11

12


Just then Adriana saw a sign “Painted
Desert.” “That’s it!” she cried. “Emily, you
are a genius! Paintbrush and cactus—we are
in the Painted Desert. Mom, open the next
clue and let’s see if we are right!”
Mom read:

Clue 3
Cedar Ridge,
s,
g
n
ri
p
S
r
te
it
B
passed
be
You should have
Now you should
t.
xi
e
ity
C
a
b
Tu
e
The Gap, and th
.
e Painted Desert
th
g

n
lo
a
g
lin
ve
a
tr

The children all screamed, “Yes!”
Mom continued.
in
cited this poem
re
r
e
th
o
m
d
n
ra
Your great-g
n you reach the
e
h
W
.
ild
h

c
a
s
a
w
e.
school when she
me on the phon
ll
a
c
f,
o
u
yo
s
d
min
Arizona city it re
nion
O Flag of Our U
true,
, to you we’ll be
n
io
n
u
r
u
o

f
o
g
o Fla
ars on the blue;
st
r
u
yo
d
n
a
s,
Pe
white stri
to your red and
ght,
, the symbol of ri
m
o
d
e
e
fr
f
o
m
the emble
t!
g fair and brigh

fla
o
,
u
yo
te
lu
sa
we children
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

13


Just then Adriana saw a sign “Painted
Desert.” “That’s it!” she cried. “Emily, you
are a genius! Paintbrush and cactus—we are
in the Painted Desert. Mom, open the next
clue and let’s see if we are right!”

“Oh, man. It’s all about a flag. Where are we
going to find a flag in the middle of the desert?”
moaned Rob.
“I’ve seen flags at gas stations,” stated Emily.
“Yeah, but a gas station isn’t a city. Abuela
said when we get to the city the poem reminds
us of, to call her,” said Rob.

Mom read:
Clue 3

Cedar Ridge,
s,
g
n
ri
p
S
r
te
it
B
passed
be
You should have
Now you should
t.
xi
e
ity
C
a
b
Tu
e
The Gap, and th
.
e Painted Desert
th
g
n

lo
a
g
lin
ve
a
tr

“I know,” said Adriana. “Remember, Abuela
also said that all the clues can be found on the
map. Let’s look at the map and find the cities.
Maybe if we read the city names we can find
one that reminds us of a flag. Cities have bigger
dots on this map than towns.”

The children all screamed, “Yes!”
Mom continued.
in
cited this poem
re
r
e
th
o
m
d
n
ra
Your great-g
n you reach the

e
h
W
.
ild
h
c
a
s
a
w
e.
school when she
me on the phon
ll
a
c
f,
o
u
yo
s
d
min
Arizona city it re
nion
O Flag of Our U
true,
, to you we’ll be
n

io
n
u
r
u
o
f
o
g
o Fla
ars on the blue;
st
r
u
yo
d
n
a
s,
Pe
white stri
to your red and
ght,
, the symbol of ri
m
o
d
e
e
fr

f
o
m
the emble
t!
g fair and brigh
fla
o
,
u
yo
te
lu
sa
we children
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

13

The children looked for all the cities on the
map, Phoenix, Tucson . . . “FLAGSTAFF!” they
shouted. “Dad, quick, drive to Flagstaff!”
Map of Southern Arizona

Tucson
I-10

Map Legend
Cities & Towns
PHOENIX

TUCSON­
FLAGSTA­­FF
NOGALES

14

Population
1,000,000+
500,000–750,000
50,000–100,000
2,500–25,000

N

I-19
Nogales

MEXICO

Douglas


CLUE 4: More Letters and Quarters
They drove to a rest stop near Flagstaff,
and Dad called Abuela on his cell phone.
“Wow, you have done a great job! I hope
you’re in Flagstaff,” said Abuela over the
phone. “Put me on the speakerphone so
everyone can hear.”

Hi everyone. Here is Clue 4.
Unscramble the letters in Clue 3
that chose not to join.
Go two hours east on Interstate 40.
And meet me at the head
of Washington’s coin.

“See you in two hours!” Abuela said.
“Bye, Abuela!” the children shouted.
“I guess we need to pull out the map
again,” said Rob.
“And don’t forget Clue 3,” said Emily.
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

15


CLUE 4: More Letters and Quarters

The children saw that some of the letters
were different from the other letters in Clue 3.
They figured that those were the letters that
didn’t join. But when they listed the letters, F,
i, e, t, d, i, P, r, o, e, e, r, s, f, t, they didn’t make
sense.

They drove to a rest stop near Flagstaff,
and Dad called Abuela on his cell phone.
“Wow, you have done a great job! I hope
you’re in Flagstaff,” said Abuela over the

phone. “Put me on the speakerphone so
everyone can hear.”

Then Adriana remembered that Abuela
had said to unscramble the letters. So they
each played with the letters. They scrambled
and unscrambled them as Dad drove.

Hi everyone. Here is Clue 4.
Unscramble the letters in Clue 3
that chose not to join.
Go two hours east on Interstate 40.
And meet me at the head
of Washington’s coin.

They had made Peter Fest, and Free Poets
but nothing was making sense. Then Dad
reminded them of the map.
“We are driving two hours east on
I-40. Maybe you
can use the scale
F, i, e, t, d, i,
of miles on the
r, o, e, e, r, s,
map to figure
out how far two
fried
hours driving
Peter
would be and see if

poets
something near that
red
spot has the letters
you listed.”

“See you in two hours!” Abuela said.
“Bye, Abuela!” the children shouted.
“I guess we need to pull out the map
again,” said Rob.
“And don’t forget Clue 3,” said Emily.
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

15

16

P,
f, t


Map of East Central Arizona
Flagstaff

I-40
Meteor
Crater

Petrified
Forest

Sun Valley

Navajo

Winslow

0

60 miles

0

100 kilometers

Holbrook

N

“Well, it’s about 60 miles from Flagstaff to
Winslow,” said Rob.
“That means it is about an hour because
cars travel about 60 miles an hour. Another
hour, or 60 miles from there, puts us at a place
called the Petrified Forest,” said Adriana.
“That’s it!” cried Rob. “Abuela is meeting
us at the Petrified Forest. That has all the
right letters.”
“But according to this map the forest is
huge! How are we going to find Abuela in a

forest?” cried Emily.
“She said to meet her at Washington’s
head,” Adriana remembered. “Maybe there‘s
a statue there. Wait, didn’t she say something
about a coin? Washington’s head is on a
quarter, isn’t it?”
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

17


Map of East Central Arizona
Flagstaff

I-40
Meteor
Crater

“Quarters are even smaller than heads!”
cried Rob.

Petrified
Forest

Sun Valley

Petrified Forest National Park

Navajo

Winslow

0

60 miles

0

100 kilometers

Holbrook

N

“Well, it’s about 60 miles from Flagstaff to
Winslow,” said Rob.
“That means it is about an hour because
cars travel about 60 miles an hour. Another
hour, or 60 miles from there, puts us at a place
called the Petrified Forest,” said Adriana.
“That’s it!” cried Rob. “Abuela is meeting
us at the Petrified Forest. That has all the
right letters.”

Kachina
Point
Pintado
Point
Park
Headquarters

I-40

Newspaper
Rock

N

Current Park
Boundaries
Proposed New
Park Boundaries

Adriana
read aloud
the spots labeled inside the Petrified Forest,
“Pintado Point, Kachina Point, The Park
Headquarters, and Newspaper Rock.”

“But according to this map the forest is
huge! How are we going to find Abuela in a
forest?” cried Emily.
“She said to meet her at Washington’s
head,” Adriana remembered. “Maybe there‘s
a statue there. Wait, didn’t she say something
about a coin? Washington’s head is on a
quarter, isn’t it?”
Adventures with Abuela • Level T

“Well,”
Mom said,

“I believe
Abuela’s
words were
‘at the head of
Washington’s
coin.’ Perhaps
you need
to look at
the map
again.”

17

“Wait!” cried Rob. “That’s it! The Park
Headquarters— we will meet Abuela at the
Park Headquarters inside the Petrified Forest!”

18


Soon the Cruz family pulled into
the parking lot at Petrified Forest Park
Headquarters. The children scrambled out of
the car. They found Abuela cheerfully talking
to a park ranger.
“There’s my family now,” said Abuela.
“I thought you’d never get here!”
“Never? That was the shortest drive ever!”
said Emily.
“Well, let’s go find out about Petrified

Forests,” said Abuela.
The Cruz family knew they were off on yet
another adventure with Abuela.

Adventures with Abuela • Level T

19


Soon the Cruz family pulled into
the parking lot at Petrified Forest Park
Headquarters. The children scrambled out of
the car. They found Abuela cheerfully talking
to a park ranger.
“There’s my family now,” said Abuela.
“I thought you’d never get here!”
“Never? That was the shortest drive ever!”
said Emily.
“Well, let’s go find out about Petrified
Forests,” said Abuela.

Glossary
adventurean unusual experience (p. 4)
cluespieces of information or objects
that help solve a puzzle (p. 4)
directionthe path or line along which something
moves, lies, or faces, such as north,
south, down, or up (p. 7)
headthe side of a coin considered the front,
often shows a person’s face (p. 15)

headquarters the main office of an organization (p. 18)
map legenda group of symbols and brief
descriptions on a map (p. 14)

The Cruz family knew they were off on yet
another adventure with Abuela.

mysterysomething not explained or solved (p. 4)
Painted
a desert on a plateau in north-central
DesertArizona, famous for the bands of color
created by eroded layers of sediment,
mud, and volcanic ash (p. 13)
Petrified
Forest

a national park in northeastern Arizona
with fossilized logs (p. 17)

puzzled

to be confused (p. 4)

recited

to have said aloud from memory (p. 13)

scale of milesa series of marks on a line used to
measure distance on a map (p. 16)

Adventures with Abuela • Level T

19

20


Adventures with
Abuela
A Reading A–Z Level T Leveled Book
Word Count: 1,771

LEVELED BOOK • T

Adventures
with Abuela

Written by Carolina B. Page
Illustrated by Cende Hill

Visit www.readinga-z.com
for thousands of books and materials.

www.readinga-z.com


Adventures
with Abuela

Written by Carolina B. Page

Illustrated by Cende Hill

Adventures with Abuela
Level T Leveled Book
© Learning A–Z
Written by Carolina B. Page
Illustrated by Cende Hill
All rights reserved.

www.readinga-z.com

www.readinga-z.com

Correlation
LEVEL T
Fountas & Pinnell
Reading Recovery
DRA

P
38
38