Jeanne DuPrau

Ember — (2003-2008) Ages 9-12. This series is finished and has been made into a movie. Publisher: The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.

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The City of Ember

I have literally just finished Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember and I am still trembling with anticipation and literally KICKING myself for not buying the entire Ember series at once. It is 1 AM and I might just have to go out to an all-night store and buy myself the next book —I want to see what is going to happen THAT badly!

In the city of Ember, light is more precious than water. The electricity comes on only during the "day" and is turned off from 9 PM until 6 AM leaving the city in complete and utter darkness...this is the way it has been for as long as any of the residents can remember. But something is wrong. Something is very wrong. The lights are going off not just at night now. True there have been power outages before, but never like this one. This one lasts for SEVEN MINUTES, the longest blackout in recorded history. There are also rumors. Rumors that the generator under the city is failing. Rumors that the stores of canned food and light bulbs are running out. And things are indeed running out. Stores have empty shelves, blank paper is a rarity, and the food rations are becoming more and more limited.

Doon knows the city is failing and can't figure out why. If only he could understand the generator and what makes electricity, maybe he could save the city from its inevitable destruction. Lina doesn't want to believe what Doon is saying. The city of Ember is dying? How can that be possible? But the blackouts have been coming more and more frequently and one day Lina comes across torn up strips of paper that clearly have some sort of instructions on them...instructions that could possibly save them all...if she and Doon can figure them out.

The City of Ember would make a great movie! It is geared for younger kids, so Harry Potter lovers will adore it! It was a fast read, but had a surprisingly adult theme that left my mouth watering for more! This was the best book I have read in a long time — so good it gave me chills. Once you pick up The City of Ember, you won't be able to put it down, so don't say I didn't warn you! Five stars — six if I could give it that many. —Julie Waineo

The City of Ember: Ingenious invention

Julie has described the plot (above), so I'll offer my commentary.

The (barely) three page prologue of Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember sets a splendid dramatic tension for the story. We know that something is afoot, that there is more to Ember than Ember, and that empowers us, to a certain extent — like when you're watching a movie and you know something that the characters don't.

We see the development of this through the eyes of two twelve year olds, both very different children. Doon has a temper and is rather sullen, and Lina is a bundle of hope and joy. But their depth goes beyond that. These are three-dimensional characters — a rarity in children's books.

Also rare is the sturdy, clear writing. It never felt rushed, always felt poised. The only thing that wasn't handled with perfection was humor. I should have laughed when Doon threw a shoe heel and it hit his father in the ear, but I didn't. But that's OK. Eoin Colfer can be funny, and Ms. DuPrau can simply be a better writer.

I found a few plot points strained: 1) Lina being the great-great-great whatever of one of the mayor's mentioned in the prologue; 2) Her own grandmother's mad search for something that now, in her dotage, she remembers is of the utmost importance; and 3) Poppy getting her hands on the thing that is important and rendering it nearly indecipherable.

But those are minor points. They exist to move the story from one point to another, and the story isn't really about the discovery of the Instructions for Egress, it's about the city of Ember itself, how its inhabitants have adjusted to living in a city where there is no light after nine (because the only light the city has is electricity and it knows nothing of the Sun), deciphering the Instructions for Egress, and the action of egress itself. I felt that the city of Ember, with its surprisingly complex social order was an ingenious invention, and the handling of all other points mentioned above was done masterfully.

When I finished reading this I couldn't help but think to myself: what a shame that more children will have read Shadowmancer than The City of Ember. The latter is a far superior book, in every way.

I found myself, more than once, wanting to walk the streets of Ember, just to see what it felt like. Jeanne DuPrau did a terrific job of making this imaginative city real and tangible.
—Todd Burger Adapted from a review originally published 8/2004

The People of Sparks

The People of Sparks is the sequel to Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember, a book that I reviewed exceptionally favorably. The People of Sparks...well, I was disappointed. Not to say that it wasn't good, it was just...different than the first, I suppose.

I will not be putting in a synopsis of the book as I did the last one because of the extreme possibility of spoilers. That being said, I just felt that The People of Sparks moved slower than The City of Ember. I was not on the edge of my seat the way I was with the first, and therefore, this book lost a lot of its spark (no pun intended).

The overall message of the book was phenomenal: "Make love not war," and considering the audience it was written for (pre-teens), it is exceptionally deep and thought-provoking with many incidents leading up to the final conflict that make the reader stop and think.

The bottom line is... it was ok. I expected more after the first book, however. —Julie Waineo

The People of Sparks: Lightning strikes again

Although The People of Sparks is a very different book than The City of Ember, it is a perfect sequel, and not disappointing in the least. While The City of Ember may have been more inventive, in terms of an underground city that was on its last leg, this is infinitely more profound.

It's still inventive, though. A terrible Disaster has befallen the Earth, and the Emberites learn that they were sent to live below the Earth, in the event that the Disaster did, in fact, occur, and so that one day they could return to the surface and repopulate the world. If that isn't a terrific idea, I'm not sure what is.

The Emberites luckily find themselves in one of the more prosperous towns. As most in the town of Sparks are good and decent people, they agree to feed these strange newcomers for a certain amount of time, and while doing so teach them basic survival skills. As one can imagine, no Emberite possesses the skills to survive on the surface. All they knew was Ember, and the simple rules that governed survival in that city.

Sparks has its own governing rules, and Jeanne DuPrau shows a deft hand at creating intriguing cultures. It's obvious that she gave considerable thought to a post-apocalyptic world, and her vision of it is refreshing and true.

Sadly, greed raises its ugly head on both sides, and the cultures have a terrible clash. But an important lesson is learned. It may seem trite to some, but it really is a powerful message. Paraphrased, it goes something like this: If someone does something mean to you, instead of doing something mean in return, try and do something good for them. The opportunity for such a deed presents itself, and we see this good faith effort in action. If I say more, it will be too revealing.

The ending of The People of Sparks caused odd salty drops to fall from my eyes because it brought the entire sequence full circle. The Emberites, we see, had something to teach the people of Sparks — and perhaps the whole world. Together, they are stronger than they are apart.

It's a heartwarming and beautiful story. I look forward to her next book with immense anticipation.
—Todd Burger