Seed Savers-Treasure (Paperback or Softback)

"What a fun-to-read series that teaches the importance of growing our own food. It leaves young readers excited to read the next one!" Midwest Book Review

Mom's Choice Gold Award
Benjamin Franklin Silver Award

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 a woman who teaches her about seeds and real food. Ana tempts Clare with the notion that food exists other than the square, packaged food she has always known. With Ana's guidance, 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 in the possibility that we may not be far from the future it paints. First in a five-book series.

"...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 & 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