Week 5: The City of Ember

• Week: 5
• Book Title: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
• Book Cover Image:

Copyright (2003).  Random House Children's Books.

• Book Summary: Ember was built when humans feared no one on the planet's surface would survive.  Lina and Doon live underground in a dark place where electricity often fails.  There is little food, and some of the people in charge are corrupt.  When kids turn twelve they choose jobs out of a jar.  Lina wants to be a messenger but draws Pipeworks laborer.  Doon draws messenger and asks Lina to trade.  Doon wants to try his ideas for fixing the generator underground.  As their friendship grows so does their adventure.
• APA Reference: DuPrau, J. (2003). The city of Ember. New York, NY:  Random House Children's Books.
• My Impressions:  This is a dark, post-Apocalypse story that gives me the creeps.  I hate the idea of being trapped underground without light.  Even though pitch blackness makes me panic, I couldn't put the book down.  All of the little details that come with living underground come alive with DuPrau's writing style.  Damp rock outcroppings, climbing through tunnels, darkness, uncertainty, all come through the writing loud and clear.  The problems that come with a corrupt government add more spice to the storyline.  There are so many interesting characters, too.  The greenhouse worker, Clary, and the neighbor, Mrs. Murdo, give Lina the courage she needs.  Doon is calm and rational, solving problems and helping Lina find her way.  The ending brought tears to my eyes. The warmth and light, the dog and flowers; all signs of hope for their future.
• Professional Review:

Booklist ( April 15, 2003; 9780375922749 )

Gr. 5^-7. Ember, a 241-year-old, ruined domed city surrounded by a dark unknown, was built to ensure that humans would continue to exist on Earth, and the instructions for getting out have been lost and forgotten. On Assignment Day, 12-year-olds leave school and receive their lifetime job assignments. Lina Mayfleet becomes a messenger, and her friend Doon Harrow ends up in the Pipeworks beneath the city, where the failing electric generator has been ineffectually patched together. Both Lina and Doon are convinced that their survival means finding a way out of the city, and after Lina discovers pieces of the instructions, she and Doon work together to interpret the fragmented document. Life in this postholocaust city is well limned--the frequent blackouts, the food shortage, the public panic, the search for answers, and the actions of the powerful, who are taking selfish advantage of the situation. Readers will relate to Lina and Doon's resourcefulness and courage in the face of ominous odds. --Sally Estes

From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Estes, S.  (2003, April 15).  [Review of the book The City of Ember, by J. DuPrau].  Booklist, American Library Association.  Retrieved from Bowker booksinprint.com.

• Library Uses:  Around Halloween I would set aside time to do a post-Apocalypse themed display.  I would have students make posters of their favorite fantasy/sci-fi books for hanging.  This would fit right in with the zombies, vampires, and witches of Halloween.