Treasure

Seed Savers, Book 1

By: Sandra Smith

Narrated by: Julia Farmer

Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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 12-year-old Clare's world, blueberry is just a flavor and apples are found only in fairy tales.

Then one day Clare meets Ana, an older 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 is the possibility that we may not be far from the future it paints. First in a five book series.

©2012 Sandra L. Smith (P)2017 Sandra L. Smith

Unique

In 2077, Clare is living her life as normal. She is as happy with her life and her family and friend as any normal twelve-year-old girl would be. Then she meets an elderly lady who tells her about a truth that many people are kept in the dark on. There was a time when food was not genetically modified. What's even more shocking is it's believed that that time could happen again. I didn't give this a five star rating because I feel like it had a lot of potential that just wasn't met. I really did enjoy the story. I enjoyed the characters. I loved the idea of the story and the underlying message behind it. As I said, it has a lot of great potential. I'd love to see where the rest of the story goes. The narrator did a fantastic job. There's nothing in the narration that I can really critique or harp on. They gave each character their own personality. They added tone and mood to the story. They did a pretty great job. I love listening to narrators who are genuinely enjoying the story they are narrating. I do fully recommend this book. I feel like it might be more suited for the younger generations. Which, I'm sure that the younger generation is who this book is targeted at to begin with. It's a very short and easy read. I adored it. I may even have to contemplate going and finding out how the rest of the series goes.

If you're looking for your next favorite series, here it is!

Treasure is the first book in the Seed Savers series by S. Smith. I listened to it with my kids and we were quickly hooked. The story is set in a not too distant time where food is distilled in to categories of prepackaged edibles controlled by the government and people have lost the knowledge about where real food comes from. Well almost everyone. A few old-timers are sharing their knowledge about gardening and how to grow real food with some interested and endearing kids. When the kids learn about what's been going on with the food supply and how it used to be so different, they are determined to do something about it. They jump on their bikes and set off on a harrowing yet exciting journey that you will definitely want to be along for the ride!

A Story about Nutritious & Healthy Foods

Treasure is a wonderful educational story of learning about healthy food and where they came from. In a distant future, Claire and Dante have lived on processed foods labeled as carbs, protein, sweet, and snack. There are no such things as real foods to the disadvantaged and poor. Every food products are man-made and regulated by the government and corporations. Growing fruits and vegetables are illegal.

When Claire and Dante are tutored by an old woman, Ana, they learned about real food such as tomatoes, carrots, peaches, and so many produces. They even learned to grow them. When their mother is arrested by the police on the discovery of the plants, Claire and Dante fled to the "Garden State" (New Jersey) with the help of the underground known as "Seed Saver".

The narrator, Julia Farmer does a wonderful job for the children's voices. The listeners are able to make a distinction between the children and adult's voices. I hope the original narrator continues for the rest of the Seed Saver series.

This story is educational and a perfect tool to teach young children the value of nutrition of healthy eating.

I was given this audiobook by the author and I have volunteered to write an honest review. I was not compensated or influenced in any way for writing this review.

marvelous dystopian story

I was gifted this audio ARC for a honest and unbiased review from the author/narrator.
S Smith author of Treasure:Seed Savers Bk1 did an outstanding job writing this marvelous dystopian story.
In a world in which real food has become replaced with squares of processed foods and it is illegal to grow plants.
The book was made even better with the narration done by Julia Farmer. Julia outdid herself with this 4 hour book.
I highly recommend this audio book to anyone who loves a good book. I know it's rated for pree teens but I feel anyone could listen to it.

Left me wanting more

This is a great book for kids. I love how it brings back the importance of eating healthy fresh food, and does it in an entertaining way. I love to garden and am trying to pass the love on to my kids. I will definitely be recommending this book to them. I look forward to the next book. I wasn't ready for the book to end when it did.
I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review threw Audiobook boom.

Ever read a book and didn't have an opinion?

Julia Farmer is brilliant as a children's book narrator.
For the most part, this is more of a MG book than a YA.
A subtle and innocent dystopian book.
Interesting, but not gripping or attention hunger.
And if I had a penny for every time "seed" was spoken.... better yet- this book would half the length if you removed the word. To this, I think a good editing or brainstorming to alter it could significantly increase its appeal.
A very quick listen and easy to follow.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

MG Dystopia

Summary: Two siblings, Dante and Claire, go on a journey to find a place where they can be safe from an overbearing government, a place where people can grow real food without fear.

Additional Comments:
- The premise – that genetically altered, government sanctioned plants and processes have taken over America – is well-handled but still not very believable. The idea that all knowledge of gardening and farming is pretty much gone from the world except for some books and a few brave souls, is hard to accept, especially given the ending. I believe the part where the gov’t wants to control everything, but I just don’t buy that these kids have 0 knowledge of things like apple trees and chickens. The internet would have to be completely gone. It’s been renamed the monitor, so it’s still there.
- Claire and Dante are believable.
- Dialogue’s good.
- Plot’s okay. It’s a little slow for my tastes, but that could be because of the recent stuff I’ve been listening to.
- I don’t get much of a sense of danger or fear for the young travelers. It unfolds like that “Everything is Awesome” song from the Lego movie. By extension, that means it will be exactly what some people are looking for, but just wasn’t “my thing.”

Conclusion: An intriguing look at a future where processing food has reached uncharted heights.
*I received a copy of the audiobook. I chose to review it.

Great story for all school age children and up.

Would you listen to Treasure again? Why?

I would love to listen to it again with my grandchildren.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Two children going off across the country alone with such determination.Least interesting is a lot of repetition at the beginning of the audiobook.

Which character – as performed by Julia Farmer – was your favorite?

I liked Anna , but Gruff was my favorite.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Is this what our country is headed toward? Corporate/government taking control of all food resources and making growing food illegal.

Any additional comments?

A good lesson for our youth. I also liked the references to the Bible and prayer.

Thought provoking.

Would you listen to Treasure again? Why?

Yes, it was so inspiring.

What other book might you compare Treasure to and why?

I just finished watching The Martian and this book reminds me of that.

What does Julia Farmer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brings the characters life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Loved the Christian theme.

Great Read

Any additional comments?

Treasure by S. smith was a great Read. The year is 2077 and the world is much different than we know today. Food is not like we know today and a young girl named Clare finds seed savers. Although it's against the law to grow your own food, Clare decides to. I really enjoyed this book