Seed Savers Series by S. Smith

Two kids, two bikes, and an idea they can change their world.It’s 2077. There’s no apocalypse, but some things are different. Things like the weather, the internet, and food. In twelve-year-old Clare’s world, blueberry is just a flavor and apples are found only in fairy tales.Then one day Clare meets an old woman who teaches her about seeds and real food. The woman (Ana) tempts Clare with the notion that food exists other than the square, processed, packaged food she has always known... moreTwo kids, two bikes, and an idea they can change their world.It’s 2077. There’s no apocalypse, but some things are different. Things like the weather, the internet, and food. In twelve-year-old Clare’s world, blueberry is just a flavor and apples are found only in fairy tales.Then one day Clare meets an old woman who teaches her about seeds and real food. The woman (Ana) tempts Clare with the notion that food exists other than the square, processed, packaged food she has always known. Under Ana’s tutelage, Clare and her friends learn about seeds and gardening despite suspicions that such actions are illegal.When the authorities discover the children’s forbidden tomato plant and arrest their mother, Clare and her brother flee. Clare has heard of a place called "The Garden State," and with their bikes, a little money, and backpacks, the children begin a lonely cross-country journey that tests them both physically and spiritually. Will they succeed in their quest to find a place of food freedom?  And can they, only children, help change the world?Treasure is a gentle dystopian, frightening only is the possibility that we may not be far from the future it paints. less

It’s definitely not what she had in mind for summer vacation.When her friends disappear under mysterious circumstances, thirteen-year-old Lily sets out to discover more about the secret organization with which they had become involved. Her investigation unearths a disturbing secret from her own past, unsettling her world even more. In the meantime, Lily makes a new friend and falls for a mysterious young man even as she remains unsure about whom she should trust... moreIt’s definitely not what she had in mind for summer vacation.When her friends disappear under mysterious circumstances, thirteen-year-old Lily sets out to discover more about the secret organization with which they had become involved. Her investigation unearths a disturbing secret from her own past, unsettling her world even more. In the meantime, Lily makes a new friend and falls for a mysterious young man even as she remains unsure about whom she should trust. As her world crashes down around her, Lily struggles to decide what to do next.Lily is volume two of the Seed Savers series but can easily be read out of order. It is is a suspenseful and reflective book with themes of self-empowerment, trust, acceptance of diversity, gardening, and politics. less

Jason might go all Edward Snowden on us. He’s ticked that the government put him in foster care and locked up his parents.Arturo’s inconsistent English and penchant for mysteriously showing up might seem suspicious if he wasn’t so darn charming.Clare and Dante just want to garden.Lily, well Lily gets braver by the minute.It’s late in the twenty-first century and large corporations have merged with U.S. government agencies to control the nation’s food supply... moreJason might go all Edward Snowden on us. He’s ticked that the government put him in foster care and locked up his parents.Arturo’s inconsistent English and penchant for mysteriously showing up might seem suspicious if he wasn’t so darn charming.Clare and Dante just want to garden.Lily, well Lily gets braver by the minute.It’s late in the twenty-first century and large corporations have merged with U.S. government agencies to control the nation’s food supply. Not only is gardening and seed ownership illegal, but fresh food is unheard of by the masses who are fed the processed food groups of Vitees, Proteins, Carbos, Snacks, and Sweeties. Thirteen-year-old Clare and her brother Dante have escaped to Canada where the old ways still exist. It is there that they make friends with the roguish Jason and learn the political history of their own country’s decline of freedoms.Meanwhile, Lily, the friend who was left behind, begins her own journey to find the father she never met—a former leader in the ill-fated Seed Savers rebellion of fifteen years earlier. From Florida to the Smoky Mountains, Lily follows the signs in search of her father and is helped along the way by the quirky characters she meets. Not to mention the attractive Arturo who shows up midway to “protect” her.Heirloom seamlessly weaves the gentle agrarian story of Clare and Dante together with the swiftly-paced adventure of Lily and Arturo. Themes of family, empowerment, and politics meet in this futuristic tale nostalgic for the past. Heirloom is a hopeful dystopia in today’s current sea of post-apocalyptic literature. less

Beginning in a village of climate refugees deep in the Smoky Mountains and ending in an underground bunker in Portland’s Forest Park, Keeper is the fast-paced fourth installment in the Seed Savers series. GRIM appears to be crumbling, only to be replaced by FRND (the Food Resources & Nutrition Department), a corporate sponsored program with a more friendly public face... moreBeginning in a village of climate refugees deep in the Smoky Mountains and ending in an underground bunker in Portland’s Forest Park, Keeper is the fast-paced fourth installment in the Seed Savers series. GRIM appears to be crumbling, only to be replaced by FRND (the Food Resources & Nutrition Department), a corporate sponsored program with a more friendly public face.The Seed Savers Movement is on the verge of splintering as James Gardener’s fugitive status is viewed by some as a liability, while others don’t trust the mysterious JALIL. Trinia Nelson is bent on finding James and will stop at nothing. Meanwhile, the children, shut up in the bunker, become restless and careless. Will the Keeper be able to keep it all together? less