Mono Mutante: A Satirical Eco-Fiction Novella of Food Justice, Friendship, and Recovery

"An exuberant dirt-splattered food adventure with a conscience."

What if saving the planet starts with what's on your plate-and who's at your table? In Mono Mutante, the sixth book in the beloved Pedro the Water Dog Saves the Planet series, Tilly and her best friend Camas bikepack into the soy-soaked heart of Iowa to MC the Slow Earth Food Festival. Tilly is pregnant, the scenery is saturated with monoculture and factory farming, and Camas... is drinking too much.

When a surprise inheritance leads them to a crumbling farmhouse, the ride becomes a riotous, eye-opening road trip through the hidden fault lines of Big Ag. Along the way, they meet a rogue cast of characters: a 102-year-old poet-farmer who speaks fluent compost, a young agrochemical crusader, and a food scientist mom with zero tolerance for empty calories.

But beneath the farm-fresh satire and seed sovereignty chaos lies a deeper reckoning-with sobriety, self-worth, and the roots of regenerative love. With humor and heart, Mono Mutante also explores our relationship with the animals in our food system, inviting readers to imagine more compassionate, sustainable choices.

Irreverent, heartfelt, and hilarious, Mono Mutante is a love letter to real food, chosen family, and the messiness of recovery. For fans of environmental fiction, social satire, and unforgettable female friendships.

"In these wonderful stories, Kalfsbeek addresses important environmental issues through the loving, gentle hands of a cast of characters that are easy to connect with. One wants to be part of this healthy gang; it is easy to fall in love with one or two of them. She has found an avenue to address these critical issues that must be talked about but without a heavy hammer. A delightful read that will fill you with hope and a forgotten bounce in your step or pedal."

-Chris White, author of Wind, Waves and a Suicidal Boat

About the Author

Avis Kalfsbeek is the author of One More Year, Plastic Plankton, Bike Rock, Copper Cobra, and Planeteering-Books 1 through 5 of the Pedro the Water Dog Saves the Planet series, a collection of sharp, heartfelt environmental climate adventures. With Mono Mutante, she continues her signature blend of activism, satire, and best friend fiction.

Avis has an immense love of nature and storytelling that wades into the messy, hopeful intersections of food justice, friendship, and ecological rebellion. She can usually be found with her own water dog, Teo Panadero Pescadero, swimming, hiking, or biking wherever their paws and pedals take them-especially along farmland backroads and winding river trails.