The City of Ember

DuPrau, Jeanne. (2003) New York: Yearling. 978-0-385-73628-2

PLOT SUMMARY

Ember is a city that is falling apart. Power outages, food shortage, lack of supplies, all work to bring down morale. Children are forced to work once they reach the age of twelve. The mayor says everything is allright, but two friends discover that he is hording food and supplies in a secret area under the city. Luckily, Lina and her friend Doon have an ancient set of instructions that they piece together which they hope will lead them to something better.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

The story is fast paced as we follow the two friends through the city so they can solve the mystery of the chewed up set of instructions. There is much that they do not know having lived in the underground city all their lives, but because they are young, full of adventure, and ready for change, as most tweens are, they tackle their problems with enthusiasm and cleverness.

Lina and Doon are likeable characters. Lina is somewhat free spirited, while Doon is easy to anger, but knows when he's gone too far. Their personalities complement each other as they work together to unravel the mystery.

READER'S ANNOTATION

The first in the Ember series, we find people living in a city without light. Lina and Doon have lived all twelve of their years in this city, and then are assigned to work for the benefit of the city. But it's hard to expect a person to be content to continue living the same way, especially when their way of life is falling apart. Things have to change. If it doesn't, who knows how much longer they'll be able to survive. Lina and Doon think they have found a way for the city to contine to survive, but it involves an ancient map, and finding a way out of the darkness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeanne DuPrau has had many jobs before her current one as a writer of children's books. Previously she was a high school teacher, a technical writer, and a freelance writer. The Books of Ember are her most famous works.

GENRE

Mystery/Adventure

CURRICULUM TIES

Social Studies

Discuss the corruption in government present in the book. How does a society avoid this type of corruption? What could have been done by Lina and Doon to expose the corruption? Research the child labor laws and how things are different now from before they existed.

BOOKTALKING IDEAS

Challenge students to live without electricity for at least a day.

READING LEVEL/INTEREST AGE

12-16

CHALLENGE ISSUES

Kids rebelling; challenging the norm of society

WHY INCLUDE THIS BOOK?

For the exact reason why it might be challenged (see above.) Kids should be able to think freely and discover solutions to situations that pose a threat to them.