The People of Sparks: The Second Book of Ember (Books of Ember) (edition 2005)

Great exploration of the positive and negative roles of community and leadership, and how quickly the pendulum can swing. Simple enough for the age range, but complicated enough to actually have something to say. If you're reading more than one book in the series, this is worth it. I think it's really a two book series though, the rest have less to recommend. ( )

For some reason I really like this series. Not that it should be surprising.
It's a fast read, easy language, interesting world, understandable conflict, and happy ending, while still mostly believable. New characters were introduced - the people of Sparks and some new Emberites we didn't meet in the first book. Some were kind of one-dimensional, in order to push forward the plot, but other are interesting. Torren, though annoying and mean, is a believable character and I hope to see him grow a bit. Maddy is a GREAT character that I really look forward to reading more about. Next! ( )

Lina, Doon and the people of Ember came up from their dying underground city at the end of the first book, The City of Ember. The People of Sparks takes place immediately afterward. The people of Ember find a nearby settlement, called Sparks. The people of Sparks try to take in the Emberites and help them survive and learn to navigate the above-ground world, but it doesn't take long for tempers to flare, distrust to arise, and resentment to abound on both sides. The Emberites are weak and ignorant of how to survive above ground, and the people of Sparks lose patience with them quickly. One thing leads to another (and another, and another) until the two peoples are on the brink of all out war.
The theme is grander and deeper and more moral-centric than what most YA books offer, and it is worth noting that the primary plot line can be discussed without mention of Lina and Doon, the two primary characters. Each has a vital role to play, and each is involved in some sub-plots, but the overall theme of this book is how enemies are made and how war begins. ( )

Now freed from the slowly darkening City of Ember, Lina and Doon lead about 400 citizens across the war ravaged wasteland until they stumble upon Sparks. Faced with abandoning these people to the wastes or taking them in, the Town Council votes to adopt of the people of Ember for six months, until they can learn to fend for themselves.

Fear of food shortages and rising tempers lead to traded worlds and animosity between the two peoples, and soon, there's the threat of violence. Doon, wanting to see justice served, find himself conflicted at the idea of fighting back... but it's only fair, right? And Lina takes an unexpected adventure that leads her to understand how the world ended before.

My actual review for this is 3.5 stars. It's not bad, and I think that there are a couple aspects of my specific experience that made me enjoy it less. For starters, Wendy Dillon's narration is hit-or-miss. She does a few voices that really annoy me, and ruin the scenes those characters who are in. Secondly, I'm way older than the intended audience, so that's a factor too.

I think that for the right audience, and in print, The People of Sparks is a good response to The City of Ember. Jeanne DuPrau is true to her characters and the message of greed and the importance of empathy is strong. I still believe she does an incredible job balancing storytelling for middle grade readers and weaving a successful dystopia. The overall storytelling is still enough to make me push forward, but this isn't one I'll be adding to my hardcopy collection. ( )

I found this book a bit too simplistic to keep my interest, though I do give the author credit for exploring the reasons for war in a way that is accessible to the younger end of the young adult spectrum. I'm still curious about the history of the disaster that struck this version of earth, but not quite enough to keep going on this series. ( )