**On the eve of Zera Green’s fifteenth birthday, she’s finding little to celebrate. Her guardian, Uncle Theodore (whom she’s nicknamed “the Toad”), and his frilly girlfriend, Tiffany, are dragging her to the opening of a fast-food restaurant. There they’ll celebrate The Toad’s latest GMO creation—“beefy fries”—fries made from a combination of cow and potato. (They are said to be delicious, but the potatoes bleed when they're sliced.)

As if that weren’t bad enough, Zera’s in trouble at school for mysterious events in biology class that she neither caused nor understands—and her classmates think she is a freak.

The single light in her birthday is a gift from her grandmother; a gift that awakens Zera’s passion for plants and unlocks her family's magical connection to the green world.

As Zera uncovers her heritage a battle begins—between those who would violate nature in the name of greed and those who would protect it. Zera finds herself in the center of this battle and facing an uncertain destiny, a destiny that will change the world.
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### Review

"An ambitious sci-fi novel that will charm eco-champions." --*Kirkus Reviews*
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". . . Knauf's powers of description are marvelous, as is her ability to create original, funny characters and terrific, punchy dialogue. . . . will leave readers hoping for a sequel." --*BlueInk Review*
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"The minor characters are exquisite: lively, entertaining, and complex." --*San Francisco Book Review*
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(Five Star Review) ". . . definitely one of those books that you'll want to pass on to your friends." --Samantha Rivera for *Readers' Favorite*
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"A highly original, well-written, exciting YA novel that blends fantasy, spirituality, and coming-of-age story with a righteous call to action to save our beleaguered Earth."--*Brainiac Books

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"A plant whisperer who kicks butt . . ." --D'Arcy Fallon, author of *So Late, So Soon*

### From the Author

Award-winning author Sandra Knauf was born in California and grew up in Missouri. She moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado as a teen and now lives there with her family, dogs, and a very large garden and library. She's the publisher and editor of *Greenwoman*, a garden writing journal, which she started in 2010. Her work has appeared in *The Denver Post*, *GreenPrints*, *MaryJanesFarm*, *Colorado Gardener*, and other publications. She currently has a weekly column in *US Represented* and is working on the sequel to *Zera and the Green Man*.