Seed Savers-Lily in the Classroom

In a previous post I explained how Seed Savers-Treasure could be used in the classroom. Today’s post will feature Seed Savers-Lily, the second book in the series and currently available in paperback and ebook. The Seed Savers series take place in a future where gardening is illegal and real food virtually unknown.

It should be noted that although Lily is the second book in the series, books one and two can be read in either order.

Paperback: 182 pages
Publisher: Flying Books House (August 30, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1943345090
ISBN-13: 978-1943345090
Also available digitally
Available through Ingram or purchase online from your favorite retailer

It’s definitely not what she had in mind for summer vacation.

When her friends disappear under mysterious circumstances, thirteen-year-old Lily sets out to discover more about the secret organization with which they were involved. Her investigation unearths a disturbing secret from her own past, unsettling her world even more.

In the meantime, Lily makes a new friend and falls for a mysterious young man even as she remains unsure whom to trust. As her world crashes down around her, Lily struggles to decide what to do next.

Lily is volume two of the Seed Savers series but can easily be read out of order. It is is a suspenseful and reflective book with themes of self-empowerment, trust, acceptance of diversity, gardening, and politics.

“In Lily, young people continue to secretly grow vegetables, an illegal act in their world. They form diverse friendships across ethnic lines as they search for truth behind unanswered questions. Lily encourages readers to bravely work for a better world!”

–Joyce Yoder, middle school teacher and principal

Themes: coming of age, friendship, trust & betrayal

Gardening topics:

guerilla gardening

preserving food, i.e. drying, canning, freezing the harvest

making tea from herbs

indoor gardening

edible landscaping

Possible Subject Area Tie-Ins beyond Gardening and Language Arts:

Science: How can photosynthesis work in a basement greenhouse? Canning, drying as ways of preserving.

Math: measuring to plot a garden space; calculations for using drip irrigation for indoor gardening

Social Studies: food politics, culture and religion, sustainability, ethics (keeping secrets), climate change, racism, sanctuary

Art: depicting characters, setting, garden; designing seed packets

Technology: create a book trailer; create a video game; powerpoint book report

Sandra Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade/YA series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter!

Sandra Smith, author