Seed Savers-Treasure

Solid 4 stars
Seed Savers is part science-fiction, part reality. The picture the story depicts could easily become the reality. A time when people no longer know where food comes from and the food sources are all managed by government.
The story centers around two children, sister and brother, Claire and Dante They are introduced to the concept of seeds and gardening by Ana who Claire meets at church. They have to meet and be taught in secrecy because the government agency, GRIM, monitors and controls the seeds and their production.
Ana is part of the secret movement, Seed Savers, who are the keepers of the old knowledge of gardening and planting and who protect the seeds that have not been controlled or genetically altered by the government.
Eventually, GRIM tracks down what is going on and imprisons their mother after confiscating a tomato plant the children were growing in their bedroom. Claire and Dante decide to escape and start a journey that eventually leads them to cross into Canada where seeds, gardening and the knowledge to grow one’s own food is not illegal.
A little slow in the beginning, but a very interesting read. Hits very close to home. The story is appropriate for younger readers. Even though the story is intense, nothing scary ever happens to Claire and Dante.
Would highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Flying Books House, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A book with a cast of diverse characters importing real life lessons for children! Yes! Sign me up for the whole series please! A dystopian novel featuring teens that doesn't require romance to stand up on it's own two feet, sign me up twice.

It's the future but an uncomfortably near future. Growing your own food is banned and it only took a generation for people to forget how to plant things and to convince children that food only comes from a store but... There is a gentle rebellion happening though, no not a bunch of teenagers fighting to the death or dragons descending from the sky... but a rebellion of knowledge and in knowing your history. There are many parallels to present day here for readers but as each person might see or feel a different one, I'll leave those to be discovered by you.

In the very near future nearly everything is GMO, comes from a can and no one would know what to do with a sunflower seed if you spit it at them. Flavors don't exist as much more than a superfluous title for food colored mush. A few children have a chance encounter and their lives change. The story follows Clare, her brother and their friend Lily as they are allowed into an underground insurgence of seed savers and plant growers. It is a crime to have seeds in this world and Clare has been given a small envelope full of them and the knowledge needed to make them blossom into something world changing.

The children learn about plants, how to grow them, the patience and skill it takes for some and lack of skill for others. When the government agents come knocking Clare takes her brother on the run, where they learn the strength they have in themselves and show remarkable independence.

This is a great book series for middle age readers and garden lovers alike. There is diverse cast of children included, race, religion, socioeconomic backgrounds... and it's just like that, the characters exist as themselves without beating you over the head with "look this character is Christian and this one is Jewish" and I think the soft subtle differences help encourage young minds (subliminally) to be accepting - because people are different.

I will seek out the other books in this series and read 'em even if they aren't here for review, that's how much I like 'em. I'll go out and buy them.

Scary. But with all that's going on in the world today, seems like it just might be probable... I think it could be used as a classroom book for kids 4th grade up, particularly schools with botany or garden programs. Food worries and baffles me a good deal these days. I have noticed for about 30 years that kids are getting disconnected from the farm. Maybe more community gardens are needed. Anyway, briefly, I liked the characters of Clare, Dante, Lily, and Ana. They were likable and well developed. The plot sounds somewhat like what we are beginning to live- at least to me. Foods are become a source of conflict- gluten free, almond milk, artificial stuff, whole-grain, processed foods on one hand, heirloom veggies on the other... soaring obesity rate and food allergies...So much conflicting information... This story is set in the not too distant future, so kids reading it today, may well be living it someday. Read it and maybe get educated in preventing this future. Thoughtful and well written dystopian story.

What a great idea - how do you teach children about “real food” when all they have grown up with is prepackaged, processed chunks of food that does not need refrigeration or preparation?
This is the world that Lisa, Clare and Dante lived in, they had never eaten a real fruit or vegetable! In their world there were laws against growing any kind of food plant, you could be arrested for growing or having real food by the organization known as GRIM.
Then Clara meets a nice old woman named Ana at church who gives her some small seed packets and tells her about the fruits and vegetables people used to eat before growing your own food was outlawed. Lisa, Dante, and Clara are then given private tutoring from Ana. Ana teaches them about seeds, growing cycles, plant care and how to camouflage their plant growing activities. A man from GRIM follows the children around their neighborhood every couple of weeks, but the children pretend they are playing and not growing plants.
One day, Ana is gone, and a week later their mother is arrested and the kids have to decide to turn themselves in or hide.
What will they do - you will have to read the book to find out if they stop growing and learning about food or if they hide from GRIM!