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Seed Savers #4
Keeper
Lily has reunited with her father only to be hidden in an underground bunker away from the growing revolution.
Clare and Dante finish their training in Canada but are not allowed to return home.
Dissension breaks out within the Seed Savers Movement as the populace revolt increases, and Trinia Nelson intensifies her search for the escaped James Gardener in this fast-paced fourth book of the Seed Savers series.
Available for preorder.
Clare and Dante finish their training in Canada but are not allowed to return home.
Dissension breaks out within the Seed Savers Movement as the populace revolt increases, and Trinia Nelson intensifies her search for the escaped James Gardener in this fast-paced fourth book of the Seed Savers series.
Available for preorder.
178 pages, ebook
First published November 7, 2015
12 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
S. Smith
7 books158 followersThis author also writes under the pen name Sandra Smith.
S. Smith grew up on a farm with a tremendously large garden. Though she lives in the city now, her love of growing vegetables and flowers endures. Her first published series, Seed Savers, was born from this desire to plant each spring.
A licensed ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, Ms. Smith has enjoyed teaching students from around the world.
She gardens and writes at her home in the beautiful and green Pacific Northwest.
The first four books of the Seed Savers series are currently available: Treasure, Lily, Heirloom, and Keeper, as well a Christmas short story featuring Lily and Arturo.
S. Smith grew up on a farm with a tremendously large garden. Though she lives in the city now, her love of growing vegetables and flowers endures. Her first published series, Seed Savers, was born from this desire to plant each spring.
A licensed ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, Ms. Smith has enjoyed teaching students from around the world.
She gardens and writes at her home in the beautiful and green Pacific Northwest.
The first four books of the Seed Savers series are currently available: Treasure, Lily, Heirloom, and Keeper, as well a Christmas short story featuring Lily and Arturo.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 7, 2015
Many moons ago, it seems like forever now, S. Smith sent me a copy of Seed Savers, the first of her young adult series set in an America where growing your own food has become illegal. Children were being taught about seeds and produce gardens in whispers; collecting, saving, and planting seeds a prison-worthy offense.
The story couldn’t have come at a better time for me. It was the summer of 2012, I had a small daughter at home, my husband was out of work, and I had just started spending more time and care actively growing more of our groceries. On top of that, I was beginning to learn how to forage and was focusing my daughter’s future education on as much regarding sustainability and self-sufficiency as possible. I wanted taking care of ourselves to come as naturally as literature does for me. I wanted finding edible grapes in the forest to be as simple as knowing that 2+2 = 4. Then Seed Savers happened and it felt like the stars had begun to align.
Several books later (Seed Savers, Heirloom, and Lily), we finally have the fourth installment of S. Smith’s world. The girls, Lily and Clare, have done a lot of growing up. Siblings Dante and Clare have received a lot more education during their stay in Canada. Rose is being indoctrinated… bad guys are getting closer and closer to turning everything upside down as rebels have begun starting riots in the street. Soon, all four kids find themselves in Portland, Oregon, where Seed Savers headquarters has been stationed under a forested park in the city for years.
More and more, the series is resembling the fast paced action political drama of the Divergent series – without the killing, and with the added fun of things like Dandelion syrup being discussed.
Although I was sent an advanced reader’s copy of Keeper, I still made a point to pre-order a final copy for my kindle. The book is a keeper in every format, and it’s just worth it to be as supportive as possible of this story, help it get told. I’m looking forward to the day Smith gets a movie or mini-series deal. Better yet, the homeschool mom in me votes for it to be a Netflix original.
The story couldn’t have come at a better time for me. It was the summer of 2012, I had a small daughter at home, my husband was out of work, and I had just started spending more time and care actively growing more of our groceries. On top of that, I was beginning to learn how to forage and was focusing my daughter’s future education on as much regarding sustainability and self-sufficiency as possible. I wanted taking care of ourselves to come as naturally as literature does for me. I wanted finding edible grapes in the forest to be as simple as knowing that 2+2 = 4. Then Seed Savers happened and it felt like the stars had begun to align.
Several books later (Seed Savers, Heirloom, and Lily), we finally have the fourth installment of S. Smith’s world. The girls, Lily and Clare, have done a lot of growing up. Siblings Dante and Clare have received a lot more education during their stay in Canada. Rose is being indoctrinated… bad guys are getting closer and closer to turning everything upside down as rebels have begun starting riots in the street. Soon, all four kids find themselves in Portland, Oregon, where Seed Savers headquarters has been stationed under a forested park in the city for years.
More and more, the series is resembling the fast paced action political drama of the Divergent series – without the killing, and with the added fun of things like Dandelion syrup being discussed.
Although I was sent an advanced reader’s copy of Keeper, I still made a point to pre-order a final copy for my kindle. The book is a keeper in every format, and it’s just worth it to be as supportive as possible of this story, help it get told. I’m looking forward to the day Smith gets a movie or mini-series deal. Better yet, the homeschool mom in me votes for it to be a Netflix original.
December 31, 2015
Synopsis- Keeper is the fourth book in the Seed Savers series. The series starts off in a world where government controlled food processing in the law and it is illegal to grow your own food. The story centers on siblings Clare and Dante and their friend Lily who all seek ways to learn about growing their own food and trying to save a mislead world. Lily had found her dad, who just so happened to be the leader of the Seed Savers Resistance. They were hiding in the Smoky Mountains, waiting to be able to visit Seed Savers Headquarters. Clare and Dante are finishing up their training in Canada and plan on returning to their mother. With GRIM at the verge of falling, and Seed Savers getting into government positions, it looks like the US may be heading for a change. But when someone starts leaking federal information, the citizens start rioting, and it looks as if all of the work of the Seed Savers is for naught.
What I Thought- The next book in the Seed Savers series is here! It is a well-written story, and one I whole-heartedly recommend. Just one thing I would like to say – the first chapter of the book was somewhat confusing, as it didn’t refresh the previous book much, but I think the reader can catch on and enjoy the story. From the end of book 3 and into book 4, there is a lot of tension building, and Ms. Smith does a great job of escalating the story while keeping it believable. I like the fact that the characters (and the reader by extension) are uncovering/figuring out the conspiracy as the story goes along. This keeps you involved in the story. Ms. Smith has a great writing style that has a way of making it all seem real and possible. Plus it ties into some of the things going on in the world today, which kind of makes it a bit frightening. The different perspectives of Lily, Clare (and Rose) in the story make it an interesting read and lets you see a bigger picture (but not all of it, of course). The plot was compelling, and rather unique. The US is almost having a revolution over government control of food supplies – very cool and pretty scary!
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
What I Thought- The next book in the Seed Savers series is here! It is a well-written story, and one I whole-heartedly recommend. Just one thing I would like to say – the first chapter of the book was somewhat confusing, as it didn’t refresh the previous book much, but I think the reader can catch on and enjoy the story. From the end of book 3 and into book 4, there is a lot of tension building, and Ms. Smith does a great job of escalating the story while keeping it believable. I like the fact that the characters (and the reader by extension) are uncovering/figuring out the conspiracy as the story goes along. This keeps you involved in the story. Ms. Smith has a great writing style that has a way of making it all seem real and possible. Plus it ties into some of the things going on in the world today, which kind of makes it a bit frightening. The different perspectives of Lily, Clare (and Rose) in the story make it an interesting read and lets you see a bigger picture (but not all of it, of course). The plot was compelling, and rather unique. The US is almost having a revolution over government control of food supplies – very cool and pretty scary!
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
August 19, 2019
Having been blown away by Treasure, Lily and Heirloom, Keeper has a lot to live up to. There is a change of pace as we enter this one, and I struggled to remember who Trinia and Rose were - I certainly didn't like what was going on with them. Then the scene changed to Lily, and then to Clare and Dante, and I felt on more familiar ground. That ground was soon swept away as changes upset their lives and locations, with the story shifting from one to the other and feeding in information about the wider world, which we are unused to. It builds a big picture which is rich in detail and extremely well imagined politics, based largely on interpolation of what is happening NOW in agriculture and governance. This really is a valid scenario of the path we are on, and my only concern is that the books are set too far in the future!
In a way this book seems to me to move out of Middle Grade territory into full-blown dystopia. But older Middle Graders read sterner stuff than this, and those already engaged with the series will enjoy the developments, and the combination of mistakes and danger that our brave, sometimes foolhardy, protagonists engage in. It ends on more of a cliffhanger than the others, although revelations near the end give a tantalising view of the next book. I can't wait!
In a way this book seems to me to move out of Middle Grade territory into full-blown dystopia. But older Middle Graders read sterner stuff than this, and those already engaged with the series will enjoy the developments, and the combination of mistakes and danger that our brave, sometimes foolhardy, protagonists engage in. It ends on more of a cliffhanger than the others, although revelations near the end give a tantalising view of the next book. I can't wait!
June 6, 2017
What will happen next?
I have enjoyed reading this Seed Savers series. The "Keeper: book four" ended as I expected. But the building of the characters was interesting, And a part of the end revealed a secret that had me say, I should have figured that out! Can't wait for book five!
I have enjoyed reading this Seed Savers series. The "Keeper: book four" ended as I expected. But the building of the characters was interesting, And a part of the end revealed a secret that had me say, I should have figured that out! Can't wait for book five!
July 27, 2019
The fourth installment of the Seed Saver series by Sandra Smith begins with Lily, Arturo, and James hiding out in a Pacific Islander camp in the mountains of North Carolina. The world is safe and protected, but James knows that he cannot stay in hiding for long. Eventually the team relocates to the city of Portland, Oregon and rejoins the Seed Saver revolution. In the meantime, Clare and Dante are finishing their Seed Saver training in Canada, but discover they cannot safely go home to their mother. Eventually they are spirited away and reunited with Lily in Oregon.
As the story progresses, so does the action in the story. Rose has been recruited to be a member trained by the GRIM, and her adoptive guardians follow Trinia out west; tensions escalate, along with political unrest; an unknown source has begun leaking political information from the past creating more dissension for all factions. Between the Seed Saver movement, the mysterious Jalil, GRIM, and the political unrest chaos is beginning to seem eminent. It is this 4th novel in the series in which the tone becomes increasingly more dystopian, although less violently so than the Divergent or Hunger Games series. Where will it all lead?
Eerily reflective of so many things in our current society, this series can create great discussions for students; about political control, cover-up of harmful information, and about political unrest, the topic of food preservation, or even as basic as how seeds can be genetically modified in the name of good health and profit.
As the story progresses, so does the action in the story. Rose has been recruited to be a member trained by the GRIM, and her adoptive guardians follow Trinia out west; tensions escalate, along with political unrest; an unknown source has begun leaking political information from the past creating more dissension for all factions. Between the Seed Saver movement, the mysterious Jalil, GRIM, and the political unrest chaos is beginning to seem eminent. It is this 4th novel in the series in which the tone becomes increasingly more dystopian, although less violently so than the Divergent or Hunger Games series. Where will it all lead?
Eerily reflective of so many things in our current society, this series can create great discussions for students; about political control, cover-up of harmful information, and about political unrest, the topic of food preservation, or even as basic as how seeds can be genetically modified in the name of good health and profit.
February 21, 2016
Interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews