Return to Sender

In “Return to Sender Farm,” Tyler looks forward to spring and enjoys the return of the swallows. May grows consistently warm, but the rain makes the replanting of the farm difficult. Tyler notices how sad Mr. Cruz and Mari are, and he knows that Mari’s mother’s return is complicated by sadness and guilt. Grandma announces she plans to go to Mexico in the summer with Alyssa’s church youth group. Mr. Rossetti decides he must go along to keep Grandma safe. Mari asks for a diary for her birthday. Tyler uses a free website he finds to name a star after Mari. He plans to show her the star and other springtime constellations, but the night of her birthday is too rainy for viewing. Tyler brings the certificate announcing the named star to Mari’s trailer, but as the two talk on the porch, Mari’s father roughly tells Tyler to leave, thinking Tyler has come to ask for the $500 loan to be repaid. On the next clear night, Ofie and Luby are at Grandma’s while Tyler takes Mari to the telescope to see the named star. While all three girls are out of the house, the trailer is swarmed with immigration agents who arrive to apprehend Mari’s parents.