Front Matter

What Readers Are Saying About Seed Savers: Treasure

“ . . . engagingly written to provoke thought among today’s youth, while providing a backdrop of a very entertaining literary experience. This book is ‘right on’ in presenting children with the wonders of agriculture and food production and how it should be a focus in understanding everyday living. Additionally, young readers can identify with the children in the story as they become empowered to effect change through what they have studied. There is much to like about this book, and I personally look forward to reading the next books of the series.”

—Carol Leffler, UF/IFAS Master Gardener

“Sandra Smith’s Seed Savers books are great reads for young people on many levels. The action is packed with secret acts of civil disobedience, escape from evil GRIM thugs and independent cross-country treks. Plus, teens will both recognize and learn about issues surrounding food sources. Seed Savers books have something for everyone: diverse characters, themes of empowerment, revolution, and even a little romance.”

—Joyce Yoder, former educator and administrator,
Salem-Keizer School District

“Here’s a great piece of ‘juvenile’ literature that doesn’t lose sight of one key fact: kids can think! Seed Savers stands tall as a great summer read, but I can easily imagine it as part of the curriculum for a Sunday school class, 4-H club, or any group that brings kids together to talk about things that matter. I wish this book would’ve been around when I was homeschooling—it would’ve been high on our reading list.”

—William Jolliff, Professor of English, George Fox University

“With our food in jeopardy from those who only see it as profit, Seed Savers takes the reader on a quest in the future to regain what we may lose in our lifetime—the right to grow our own food. Clare, Dante and Lily remind me of the precocious and activist-minded students I have taught. The fact that children are making a difference is all the more commendable . . . If you or your kids/students like fiction based on a possible future with kids as the heroes, this series is for you. Along the way, they will also learn a bit about gardening, the fragile security surrounding our food, and be entertained at the same time.”

—Sally White, former science and gardening teacher, Green Apple Award Winner, and Straub Environmental Learning Center All-Star Volunteer

“I read Seed Savers aloud to my Community Garden class of seventh and eighth graders. Both my students and I enjoyed the plot and identified with the characters. The themes of the story dovetailed with current event issues we were learning about, making the story very relevant!”

—Rachel Saltalmachia, middle school teacher

“I bought one copy for my sixth grade classroom this past year. First, the teachers passed it around, and when I finally got it back, the students started passing it around. There is nothing a teacher wants more than for students to recommend a book to his/her peers. Both my students and I enjoyed this book very much.”

—Rita Nelson, teacher/librarian

“It’s fast-moving and interesting, with a zippy and action-filled plot. There’s also a lot of good information presented in a clear and nonpreachy fashion. It’s a great way to open up discussions with your kids, and you’ll come away learning something, too.”

—Willamette Woman Magazine

“Seed Savers was really good . . . This was a good reading level for me. The story was involved and it read well. The plot was pretty unique. I like how the setting seemed to be somewhat in the future. I also liked reading about the types of food they have (like ‘Sweeties’). I recommend this book to kids 9+.”

—Erik Weibel, This Kid Reviews Books

“I haven’t been this in love with a young adult series since Harry Potter. I haven’t been this in love with an individual young adult book since Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Book one was 221 pages of exciting young adult goodness! I devoured it, and it was delicious. The title of the first book in the series, Treasure, is no misnomer. This book is truly a treasure. Author Sandra Smith has written the latest and greatest of young adult dystopian society novels. She has given us a solid middle grade tale featuring a new (and somewhat real) futuristic threat—illegal gardening. Educators everywhere should be aware of this rising star in children’s literature.”

—Andi Klemm, Anakalian Whims

“It is an excellent adventure shared by two siblings. I found them to be very endearing and courageous. I also liked the educational aspect . . . 4 stars!”

—Kathryn Svendsen, Shelf Full of Books

BOOK 1

SANDRA SMITH

SALEM, OREGON

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Flying Books House
2514 Hazel Avenue Northeast
Salem, Oregon 97301

FlyingBooksHouse.com
SeedSaversSeries.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Titles of cookbooks used in the story are actual cookbooks. Bible quotations are New International Version.

ISBN 978-1-943345-05-2 paperback
ISBN 978-1-943345-06-9 ebook
ISBN 978-1-943345-07-6 hardcover

Book Design by Shannon Bodie, BookWise Design
Cover Art by Alan Baker

An earlier edition of this book was first published by Sandra L. Smith in 2012.

Publisher’s Cataloging-In-Publication Data

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Smith, Sandra (Sandra Louise), 1962-

Title: Seed savers. Book 1, Treasure / Sandra Smith.

Description: Salem, Oregon : Flying Books House, [2018] | Originally published: [Oregon] : Sandra Smith, 2012. | Includes bibliographical references and list of resources for further reading. | Interest age level: 009-012. | Summary: In 2077, blueberry is just a flavor, apples are found only in fairy tales, and all food comes from packages. One day 12-year-old Clare meets a woman who teaches her about seeds and real food. When authorities arrest Clare’s mother because she and her brother were growing a tomato plant, they flee to the “Garden State” in hopes of finding a place of food freedom.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781943345052 (paperback) | ISBN 9781943345076 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781943345069 (ebook)

Classification: LCC PZ7.1.S6557 See 2018 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.S6557 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]--dc23

Printed in the United States of America

For all the people who plant seeds every spring.