Ultimately though, I thought that The City of Ember was a tale about hope, courage, determination and selflessness in the face of a crisis. I would have liked to learn a little more about them, and perhaps they will play a bigger role in future books in the series. ![]() There is a bit of a spiritual aspect to the story as well in the form of The Believers who are essentially the religious pulse of Ember. I also think there was a morality tale embedded in The City of Ember that explored the idea that there is both light and dark inside each one of us, and which we choose to follow can affect not only ourselves but those around us too. DuPrau stated that the remaining mysteries would be revealed in the next book of the series, The People of Sparks. Some of these details were disclosed by the end of the book and others were not, but Ms. Trying to figure out the mystery of what and where Ember is and why it was created was a lot of fun. I also thought I detected a bit of an environmental message in the story, mainly fueled by Lina and Doon's fascination with the things of nature, which was also something that Jeanne DuPrau said she hoped would be conveyed in her narrative. Having grown up in an older house that had a bomb shelter, I could definitely relate. My sense of this theme was confirmed when I read on the author's website that part of her inspiration for the novel was her experiences growing up in the 1950's when many people were concerned about a possible nuclear war and were building bomb shelters just in case. It has a rather post-apocalyptic feel to it with a little government conspiracy on the side, although since this is a children's book, it wasn't nearly as dark as most stories of that type. It is essentially part science fiction, part fantasy with healthy doses of adventure, suspense, and mystery thrown in for good measure. I found The City of Ember to be a very entertaining read that is somewhat difficult to categorize. But when the pair discover incriminating things about the mayor of Ember that he doesn't want anyone to know, they find themselves in a race against time to solve the riddle and save the entire city before disaster strikes. Lina turns to her old friend, Doon, for help, and the two begin to piece together the puzzle which may bring the answers everyone has been seeking. Lina is left with the scrambled bits of a message that she feels could be very important to the survival of Ember's citizens, but without knowing what it says, she cannot be certain. When Lina's elderly Granny starts rambling about something she's forgotten and frantically rummaging through the closet, Lina discovers an old box with a note inside, but before she can get to it, her baby sister, Poppy, tries to eat the paper. In the meantime, Lina, in her new job as a messenger, is beginning to learn the frightening truth of the supply situation in Ember. ![]() Doon is proficient with mechanical things and thinks that if he can just get a look at the generator, he might be able to fix it and stop the terrifying blackouts that one day are sure to become permanent. ![]() Doon asks Lina to trade jobs, and she happily does so, giving Doon the opportunity to work far underground in the Pipeworks where the generator is located. When Assignment Day comes for Doon, Lina Mayfleet and all their former school classmates who are now graduating into the workforce, Doon and Lina both draw jobs that are the opposite of what they wanted. No one really knows what to do, but young Doon Harrow knows that he must do something. Along the way, the instructions for leaving the city were lost, and now the generator is wearing out and supplies are running low. It is run entirely by electricity produced by a huge generator, but the city was only intended to operate for 200 years. The Builders created the city of Ember as a last bastion for humankind. Evernight Teen Summer Kick-off Blog Hop. ![]()
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