The City of Ember is a mysterious place, where all the lights go out at 9 each night, everyone rises early for breakfast. Lately, the lights have been flickering. Supplies are shorter each year, and many supplies and foods are no longer available in Ember.
Until the age of 12, the children of Ember have to go to school. But at the end of their schooling years, they are assigned a job that they will do for many years – even to the end of their lives. Lina desires to be a Messenger, running freely in the streets, delivering messages and learning the secrets of the Ember. Doon wants frantically to be an electrician’s assistant or a pipeworker so he can uncover the power source of ember and save everyone from the impounding darkness.
When each receives the assignment the other wants, they switch jobs, and begin a search of how to save the entire city. Along the way, they unravel an ancient document, defeat the greed of the Mayor, and discover a much wider world than either had ever dreamed existed.
I love this book. It’s mysterious and you won’t want to put it down, as everything that happens in Ember is exciting. The sequel to ‘the City of Ember’, ‘The People of The Spark’ is just as thrilling and interesting. I recommend that people 10+ read this book as it’s really intriguing – even for an adult.
Note: You can visit the author’s web site, where you can find out more about her writing, and the books which follow ‘the City of Ember’. You could even contact Jeanne DuPrau and ask her questions!