Casting the Clear Bead is a coming-of-age novel for anyone intrigued by dystopian fantasies. Life in the Cave is predictable and safe. The Warming is over and the fate of the planet decided. With the elders in charge, all Muzz and her friends need to do is listen to Whitford's Wisdom and help the Cave survive. Why is it, then, that when Muzz turns fifteen she rebels against her community's plans for her? Where will her resistance lead, and what will she learn about herself and her world on the journey? Most of all, how will the clear bead she inherited at birth change more than just one life as it propels her forward?