Lily Saves a Garden 1 Lily awoke with the sun. It was Saturday, which meant two
things: she’d have breakfast with Papá before he went to work.
Then she and Mamá would spend a few hours in their favorite
place—Mariposa Community Garden.
2 The garden, which was once an abandoned lot between two
buildings, now held row after row of raised vegetable beds. All
around its border were colorful flowering plants that attracted
bees, birds, and butterflies. Lily loved kneeling beside Mamá,
who always seemed happiest with her hands in the soil.
3 “Our tomatoes should be ready,” said Mamá, as they strolled
the three blocks to Mariposa. They carried extra bags to hold
their harvest.
4 “We can give some to Mr. and Mrs. Michiko, next door,”
suggested Lily. Her family always shared what they grew with
the neighbors.
5 When they arrived at the gate, a group of gardeners had
gathered near the entrance. Lily could tell something serious
was going on.
6 “¿Que pasó?” her mother asked a man in a straw hat.
7 “A developer is selling the buildings,” he said. “And the land
between, too.”
8 Lily was shocked. The garden belonged to the neighborhood.
Families needed it!
9 She needed it. It was her special place to come with Mamá.
10 “They can’t take our garden away,” said Lily.
11 “I’m afraid they can, mija,” said Mamá. “We own the plants,
but not the land.”

12 That evening, Lily asked Papá what they could do to save
Mariposa.
13 “It’s out of our hands,” he told her.
14 But Lily disagreed. So that night, she typed an email to her
teacher, Dr. Veléz. Just recently, he had taught her class about
petitions. A petition is a written request that is signed by those
who agree with it. The more people sign it, the stronger their
message is. Maybe he would help her draft a petition?
15 The next day, a response from Dr. Veléz arrived in Lily’s
inbox. He agreed to help her create a petition to save Mariposa
Community Garden. Dr. Veléz also suggested that Lily send a
letter to the local newspaper, telling them about the garden and
why it was important.
16 In her letter, Lily didn’t just write about vegetables. She
wrote about her special time in the garden with Mamá and how
much it meant to her.
17 Soon, the whole neighborhood was talking about Lily’s letter
and the petition. Mamá and Lily collected signatures from as
many neighbors as they could. More than 100 people supported
the petition! The neighbors were so inspired, they wrote more
letters and gathered more signatures for Lily’s petition.
18 When the developer read about how important the garden
was to the community, they promised to keep Mariposa
Community Garden exactly where it was.
19 And it was all because Lily didn’t give up.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. Which key event is the problem in the story?

2. Which key events show how the problem is solved?

3. Which key event is the solution?

4. What is the theme? Write a sentence or theme statement

5. What was the author's approach to the theme?