Seed Savers: Treasure by S. Smith

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers....grab a seat and prepare for a bookish flight of fancy.

Today, we’re staying in the Middle Grade arena as promised and delving into the first book of a series that we first featured yesterday on the site...you remember, the excerpt?  (*crosses fingers*)  If not, feel free to click back for a refresher.  Anywho, the cool part about it, besides the story itself, is the eco push behind the message because though it may seem fantastical to a degree, to me…it was an all too realistic future.  Ready to join the fun and READ ALL ABOUT IT?  Grab your gardening gloves and prepare to get your hands dirty, it’s time to meet today’s book of choice…

Seed Savers, Book 1:

Treasure

By

S. Smith

9780615630069

About the book…

They say you should remember the past…but sometimes you need to remember the future.

 

Clare, Dante, and Lily live in a future where growing vegetables is against the law.

Some, however, encourage the children to change the future, and instruct them in the olds ways.

Can the children learn enough before being stopped by GRIM, the government agency controlling the nation’s food?

And can children really change the future?

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Scary right?

Now I don’t mean jump-out-of-dark-places-wielding-a-machete kinda scary; I mean hits-close-to-home-because-it’s-so-real scary.  The two are very different scenarios and yet equally goose bump inducing. 

The three kiddos brought into this secret organization (the Seed Savers) of sorts are very brave and courageous…but as the story progresses they grow to be even more so.  It’s not enough to defy the powers that be, you have to affect a change.  Through their efforts, their sacrifices, their hard work and determination even at their young age, they are ushering in change.  Even though this is only book 1 and there is much more to come, the simple acts and choices made here are bringing hope to those who’ve been waiting for a turn around for a very long time. 

Can children change the future…you ask?

YOU BET.

The young, the old, the somewhere-in-between, we all have an impact on the world that surrounds us, but it’s up to us what that lasting impression is.

Whether you’re a big supporter of ecological causes or usually a passenger on the ride of life, this is a book with a message you can get behind.  Let it empower you.  Let it remind you of your own innate power.  Let it encourage you to make meal time family time with a home cooked meal utilizing all the fresh goodness available to you, when the opportunity presents itself…or better still, MAKE an opportunity; life is only so long you know, gotta make it count.  Pass your cooking know how on to the next generation and if you’re lacking in that department, learn it together.  After all, a world where the food groups are simply labeled as Sweeties, Carbos, and Vitees…  ~shudders~  They may be convenient options when needing things that will last a considerable length of time, but imagine never tasting the sweetness of a peach, the crisp tartness of a green apple, a choice cut of steak or the summertime pleasure of a juicy slice of watermelon.

The horror for our health and our hearts indeed…

So, the conclusion to my rambling train of thought, a book aimed at Middle Grade readers that’s good for one and all.  It does feature some scripture as Ana utilizes the “good book” to help train the kiddos up in the facts of life (nature’s abundance and what not) and as a diversion for any GRIM folks lurking about.  Gotta love the acronym for this agency though (and the trouble the kids give them)…definitely describes the outlook on life should this future come to pass.

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Author S. Smith

Review copy received courtesy of author S. Smith.  (THANKS!)  For more on this title as well as the series as it grows, be sure to stop by the official site.  To connect with author S. Smith, stop by her site, like her Facebook and follow along on Twitter.  Books 1, 2 AND 3 are available now, so be on the lookout for them on a bookstore shelf near you.  Oh, and don't forget about the blog tour running now through the beginning of December!  Lots of fun to be had….

Until next time…happy reading!

BLOG TOUR: Seed Savers: Heirloom by S. Smith - EXCERPT!

Hi guys!

Welcome back to the site that aims to please the bookish side of you EVERY day of the week…Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we’re jumping into the Middle Grade arena as we host a stop on author S. Smith’s blog tour celebration.  What are we celebrating exactly?  Why, the third book in her kid friendly eco series, that’s what!  Curious?  You should be.  I recently had the chance to read the first installment (check back tomorrow for the review!) and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I'm JUST as curious as all of you as to what's transpired since I last left the characters.

First....a little about this installment....

Seed Savers, Book 3:

Heirloom

by

S. Smith

In a futuristic U.S.A. where gardening is illegal, siblings Clare and Dante have escaped to Canada and are living with a host family, enjoying farm life and learning to grow their own food. Attending Garden Guardian class, they meet other refugees and unearth the  history of how they lost their choices about food.

Their friend Lily continues the quest to find her father, a former leader in the Seed Savers movement who was arrested and jailed before she was born. Along the way she meets a host of interesting characters and more surprisingly, herself.

PAPERBACK   |   KINDLE

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There now, we've been properly introduced.

Ready to sneak a peek inside the cover?

HERE.  WE.  GO!

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 EXCERPT

Seed Savers, Book 3:  Heirloom

CHAPTER 14

 When it was completely dark, I slipped like a phantom into the night. I crossed the simple
yard and made my way down the long lane surrounded by hydroponic green houses,
turning my flashlight on only when I was out of sight of the farm. It was then, walking
along the road in the black and humid night, that the stupidity of my actions caught up
with me. Tears trickled down my face. What was I thinking? I didn’t even know if I was
going in the right direction to reach town. And then what? The tears became a stream and
my chest tightened so that I could barely breathe. I might have turned around right then,
had those thoughts not been interrupted by a light from behind and the racket of a gas-
powered engine. Startled into action, I ran to the other side of the road, turned off my light,
and stayed still. From behind, I heard the vehicle approach and stop. Voices. A car door
slammed.
It couldn’t be! I recalled the truck I’d seen a few times before. Was it them? Could this
vehicle be following me? Looking for me? I began creeping away from the road, blind in
the darkness. Had GRIM tracked me all this way? Or could it just be Aaron? Did he own an
old truck? I stopped, listening. An unfamiliar voice froze my blood. It was a man’s voice,
closer now, more audible. And it wasn’t Aaron.
“Do you see her?”
“No.”
The second voice was muffled and low. I ran visionless into the night. My foot caught
on something, sending me sprawling across the ground, my chin hitting hard. It hurt. I
choked down my emotions, making small animal noises, a baby’s sob. They heard it.
“Over there!” The deep voice shouted. The sound of running footsteps echoed in the
night as the other man drew near.
I sucked in my pain and lay frozen and silent on the warm ground.
 

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 Eek!

So CURIOUS!

I did a Science Fair project once on hydroponics so there's a personal draw.  Then of course I simply MUST know who is chasing after our dear friend Lily.  Are they friend or foe?  What will happen when they catch her?  Where was she heading to or away from?

So many questions...looks like another one for the old wish list.

^_^

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Tour invite received courtesy of author S. Smith.  (THANKS!)  For more on this title as well as the series as it grows, be sure to stop by the official site.  To connect with the author, pay her a visit online, friend her on Facebook or follow along on Twitter (send a nice warm welcome, she's a newbie!  ^_^).  Book 1, 2, and 3 are available now, so be on the lookout for them on a bookstore shelf near you.  

Seeing as this IS a blog tour after all, be sure to check out the other sites hosting this great series including, yesterday's stop over at Mother Daughter Book Reviews, and tomorrow's stop at Valerie Corner.

Until next time…happy reading!