The City of Ember

Ember is a completely self contained town. All of the food comes from giant storerooms and greenhouses. All of the books in the library, aside from the history of Ember, have been written by citizens over the years. All the light comes from lamps and floodlights around town, and when they are turned off, the town is completely dark. The book begins with two of the builders forming a plan for what will happen when the city’s supplies run low. They decide to leave instructions for escape in a special box which will open after 200 years. The box is entrusted to the Mayor of Ember, who does not know what it contains, and is passed to each subsequent Mayor. The box eventually becomes lost after the seventh Mayor tries to prematurely open it and dies before he can pass it on.

It’s the year 241 in Ember and Assignment Day at the school. All of the twelve-year-olds draw a slip of paper which has the job that they will perform indefinitely to keep Ember running. Lina Mayfleet receives a job in the Pipeworks, which is the underground workings of Ember, including the generator. A fellow classmate, Doon, draws the job of Messenger and promptly switches with Lina. Once Doon begins his job, he finds that he likes working in the Pipeworks and he wishes to become an electrician to assist with the generator, which is failing and leaving the town in occasional darkness. Lina enjoys delivering messages, but notices that Ember is falling apart, piece by piece, and the Mayor doesn’t seem concerned about the crumbling of the town.

Lina finds a document in her family’s apartment that has been torn to pieces by her little sister, Poppy. Lina examines the document and believes it to be something valuable, but she’s just not sure what it is or how it would be of use. She shows her friends, who don’t see the value, and finally seeks out Doon, who shows an interest in piecing this mystery together. The two soon realize that the document contains instructions for leaving Ember and exploring the Unknown Regions. The pair know nothing about the Unknown Regions, yet embark on a journey that could not only save themselves, but the entire City of Ember.

Though this book is written for children, it contains adult ideas and concepts that are very interesting. The book has the perfect amount of suspense, drama and character development to keep your attention, along with a plot line that makes you wonder how different our lives would be without many of the luxuries we now enjoy. Jeanne DuPrau wrote three additional books in this series: The People of Sparks, the Prophet of Yonwood and the Diamond of Darkhold. I enjoyed The City of Ember enough to read the entire series and it is my recommendation that you omit the third book from your reading log. It didn’t hold any valuable information and completely veered off the story set forth in the first two books. This book won the Mark Twain Award in 2006 and has recently been made into a feature film starring Bill Murray and Tim Robbins. If you’re looking for a great series for your child or yourself, The City of Ember might be just the ticket.

~Breana- Children's Assistant