My Grandma Gave Me A Plant

By Lori Palminteri

My Grandma gave me a plant. It looked the way plants look. It

was green and had leaves.
“What do you want me to do with this?”
“Take care of it until it blooms,” my Grandma replied.
I looked at the plant. I asked for a hamster. All I wanted was a
hamster. What I got was this stupid plant.
“Prove to me that you can
take care of the plant until it
blooms and I’ll get you a
hamster.”
Deal. How hard could it be
to take care of a stupid plant?
I put it on the windowsill
in my room so it could get
sunlight. Water and sunlight,
that’s what plants need. Not too
much water though. Every day, I
watered that plant. Just a little.
It had a dying leaf here and there but, overall, it didn’t seem to
change much. It didn’t get greener. It didn’t get bigger. It just
stayed the same.
“When will it bloom?” I complained to my Grandma.
“You must be patient, my child.”
Weeks passed, and one morning I noticed a bud. It seemed to
come out of nowhere. I jumped for joy on my bed. This means the
plant will bloom soon! Then I will have my hamster, and I can feed
the stupid plant to my hamster.

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 A few days later, a beautiful red flower bloomed. And as
promised, my Grandma bought me a hamster, which I named Floyd.
I asked my Grandma what I should do with the plant, and she told me
to keep it.
Time passed, and I had been so distracted playing with Floyd
that I hadn’t noticed how big my flower had gotten. But that wasn’t
odd. I mean, that’s what flowers do. They grow. But the leaves of
the stem were beginning to look like arms. The whole stem rather
resembled a body. I gave the flower some water.
I woke up one day and Floyd was not in his cage. The top of his
cage was left open and he was gone. I cried and searched
everywhere. Eventually we found him, tucked behind the bed, fast
asleep in a nook in the corner of the room. I was scolded for leaving
the cage top off. But I didn’t. I didn’t leave the cage top off.
The next night, the same thing happened. I found Floyd in the
same spot under the bed. Who opened the cage? I made sure to
close it this time. I looked at the flower on the windowsill. When I
turned my head, I swear I saw from the corner of my eye that the
plant moved.
I looked at the plant. The red flower even seemed to have a
face.
I grabbed the flower.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” I yelled at the petals. “You opened the
cage! I know it!”
I pulled the flower out of the soil, opened the window and
threw it outside. I tossed the flowerpot into the garbage.
The next morning I checked on Floyd in his cage. He wasn’t
moving. I figured he was just asleep, until I noticed there was a red
flower petal in his cage. I took Floyd out. He was dead! I screamed
and cried until eventually my Grandma came to comfort me.

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 Later that day I buried Floyd in the backyard. I wept over his
shoebox grave. I wanted to tell my Grandma about how that stupid,
horrible plant killed Floyd out of jealousy but I knew she wouldn’t
believe me. She’d probably send me to a shrink.
About a week later I sat in my room feeling bored (as usual)
when my Grandma walked in.
“I’m sorry about your hamster, my dear, I know you really
cared for him. I think it’s lovely how you’ve decorated his little
grave.”
She walked away leaving me feeling puzzled. What the heck
was she talking about? I went out to see the spot where I buried him.
Poking out of the little mound of dirt over his grave was a small, red
flower.

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Name________________________________________________Date______________

My Grandma Gave Me A Plant – Multiple Choice

Directions: circle the best answer for each question.

1. What had the narrator asked for when his Grandma gave him the plant?
a) A goldfish
b) A hamster
c) A dog
d) A cat

2. Where does the narrator decide to keep his plant while it grows?
a) In the kitchen by the sink
b) Out in the backyard
c) Out on the front steps
d) On the windowsill in his room

3. How long does it take for the narrator to spot a bud on the plant?
a) Hours
b) Weeks
c) Months
d) Over a year

4. What caused the narrator to neglect his flower?

a) He misplaced it
b) He was busy with school
c) He was distracted by his hamster
d) He thought it was ugly

5. Why does the narrator throw the flower out of the window?
a) Because he wants a new one
b) Because it was dying
c) Because it had a strange smell
d) Because he blames it for leaving the hamster’s cage open

©2018 READERSBEWARE.com
6. “Eventually we found him, tucked behind the bed, fast asleep in a nook in the corner
of the room” Which of the following is a synonym for nook?
a) Cranny
b) Crumb
c) Closed
d) Cover

7. “The whole stem rather resembled a body.” Which of the following is a synonym for
resembled?
a) Became a part of
b) Studied closely
c) Looked up to
d) Looked like

8. “She’d probably send me to a shrink.” The word shrink in this passage most
likely means:
a) To decrease
b) To pullback
c) An informal term for a type of type of doctor
d) Cringe

©2018 READERSBEWARE.com
Name________________________________________________Date______________

My Grandma Gave Me A Plant – Short Answer

Directions: Answer the questions that follow using complete sentences.

1. Why does the Grandma buy the narrator a plant instead the hamster at the
beginning?

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2. What was the first odd thing that the narrator noticed about the plant?

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3. How does the narrator know that the plant was involved in Floyd’s death?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

4. Why doesn’t the narrator tell his Grandma what he suspects about the plant?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

©2018 READERSBEWARE.com
Name________________________________________________Date______________

My Grandma Gave Me A Plant – Personal Response

Directions: Answer the questions that follow using complete sentences.

1. Do you believe that taking care of a pet helps kids to be more responsible? Why or
why not?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. The narrator didn’t tell his Grandma about the plant because he didn’t think she
would believe him. Do you think he should have told her? Why or why not?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

©2018 READERSBEWARE.com
Name________________________________________________Date______________

My Grandma Gave Me A Plant – Multiple Choice

Directions: circle the best answer for each question.

1. What had the narrator asked for when his Grandma gave him the plant?
a) A goldfish
b) A hamster
c) A dog
d) A cat

2. Where does the narrator decide to keep his plant while it grows?
a) In the kitchen by the sink
b) Out in the backyard
c) Out on the front steps
d) On the windowsill in his room

3. How long does it take for the narrator to spot a bud on the plant?
a) Hours
b) Weeks
c) Months
d) Over a year

4. What caused the narrator to neglect his flower?

a) He misplaced it
b) He was busy with school
c) He was distracted by his hamster
d) He thought it was ugly

5. Why does the narrator throw the flower out of the window?
a) Because he wants a new one
b) Because it was dying
c) Because it had a strange smell
d) Because he blames it for leaving the hamster’s cage open

©2018 READERSBEWARE.com
6. “Eventually we found him, tucked behind the bed, fast asleep in a nook in the corner
of the room” Which of the following is a synonym for nook?
a) Cranny
b) Crumb
c) Closed
d) Cover

7. “The whole stem rather resembled a body.” Which of the following is a synonym for
resembled?
a) Became a part of
b) Studied closely
c) Looked up to
d) Looked like

8. “She’d probably send me to a shrink.” The word shrink in this passage most
likely means:
a) To decrease
b) To pullback
c) An informal term for a type of type of doctor
d) Cringe

©2018 READERSBEWARE.com
Name________________________________________________Date______________

My Grandma Gave Me A Plant – Short Answer

Directions: Answer the questions that follow using complete sentences.

1. Why does the Grandma buy the narrator a plant instead the hamster at the
beginning?

So that he could prove that he was able to take care of a pet

2. What was the first odd thing that the narrator noticed about the plant?

The leaves were beginning to look like arms/ the stem was beginning to resemble a

body

3. How does the narrator know that the plant was involved in Floyd’s death?

A red pedal was left in the cage

4. Why doesn’t the narrator tell his Grandma what he suspects about the plant?

He knew that he would not be believed.

©2018 READERSBEWARE.com
Name________________________________________________Date______________

My Grandma Gave Me A Plant – Personal Response

Directions: Answer the questions that follow using complete sentences.

*ANSWERS WILL VARY*

1. Do you believe that taking care of a pet helps kids to be more responsible? Why or
why not?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. The narrator didn’t tell his Grandma about the plant because he didn’t think she
would believe him. Do you think he should have told her? Why or why not?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

©2018 READERSBEWARE.com