Jeanne DuPrau

Following "The City of Ember" and "The People of Sparks," Yonwood is actually a prequel to the adventures of Lina and Doon, recounted in Ember and Sparks.

In my opinion, DuPrau has maintained the quality and qualities of Ember throughout the series, while bringing freshness to each installment. And while the stories may be dealing with ethical and philosophical questions, especially about society and governance, the plots are fun and compelling reads.

In fact, I'd make the claim that DuPrau is show more one of the best writers of science fiction (real science fiction--not fantasy--in that this series is set in the future and deals with challenges of technology and society) for teens today. The actual, underlying challenges that her characters face are classic dilemmas from science fiction literature.

Ember deals with a society dependent upon technology it doesn't understand, compounded by a corrupt government. Sparks considers the challenges when two wholly diverse societies must suddenly learn to live together, focusing on the nature of courage. And Yonwood explores the affects of fear on individuals and society, as well as the question of doing right when you don't know what right is--or who to believe.
The books are timely, philosophical, and compelling--but never preachy. Excellent reads. show less

I found The City of Ember to be a very entertaining read that is somewhat difficult to categorize. It is essentially part science fiction, part fantasy with healthy doses of adventure, suspense, and mystery thrown in for good measure. 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. My sense of this theme was confirmed when I read on the author's show more 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. Having grown up in an older house that had a bomb shelter, I could definitely relate. 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. Trying to figure out the mystery of what and where Ember is and why it was created was a lot of fun. Some of these details were disclosed by the end of the book and others were not, but Ms. DuPrau stated that the remaining mysteries would be revealed in the next book of the series, The People of Sparks. 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. 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 would have liked to learn a little more about them, and perhaps they will play a bigger role in future books in the series. 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 really liked the two protagonists, Lina and Doon. They are only twelve years old when the book begins, but not unlike their counterparts in similar stories, they take on semi-adult roles. Lina is a very energetic, determined and strong girl who is a survivor and very responsible for her age, having taken on a lot of the care-giving duties for her baby sister after the deaths of the adults in her life. I think I was particularly taken by Doon, a very curious boy who is fascinated by all thing, both natural and mechanical. He loves to study the few living creatures he can find in Ember, mostly insects, and is equally eager and adept at taking things apart to figure out how they work and putting them back together again. Doon has a bit of a temper problem, but underneath it all he has a good and kind heart. I loved the advice his father gave him, “The trouble with anger is, it gets hold of you. And then you aren't the master of yourself anymore. Anger is..... And when anger is the boss, you get....unintended consequences." I thought it was a great adage for kids and adults alike who might struggle with anger issues. I also think that Doon has an underlying desire to "be somebody" or “do something important,” because he always seems to be waiting for that "big moment" to reveal the things he learns about Ember and admits later that it was probably the wrong thing to do. Maybe he even has a little bit of a hero complex. Overall though, Doon and Lina both were very likable characters. I was impressed with how the author shows them sometimes being tempted to do something that would be unethical, but in the end, they make the right decisions for the good of everyone in Ember and not just themselves.

This book is highly character driven, and Jeanne DuPrau has a talent for vividly describing the sights, sounds and environment of Ember as well as the way certain things make Doon and Lina feel. In fact, I found it interesting (and difficult) to imagine what absolute darkness feels like, since Ember has no light whatsoever during the blackouts and nighttime hours. While the plot of The City of Ember moves steadily forward, the lush portraits the author paints sometimes gives it a rather languid pace. It also starts out a little slow, taking a while to build the action and suspense. I personally like the rich descriptions and am well aware of the challenges in establishing the characters and setting for a fantasy world, so these things didn't really bother me. However, I could see how kids with shorter attention spans might get bored at times. If given a chance though, the story can definitely grab both the adult and child imagination. My daughter was not entirely pleased when I announced The City of Ember as my choice for our next book to read together, but about halfway in she was enjoying it, and by the end, she was begging for the sequel. I too am very eager to read the next book of the series, since The City of Ember did have what I would characterize as a cliffhanger ending. It is followed by The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, and The Diamond of Darkhold. For a children's book that is aimed at tweens in the 9-12 year age range, The City of Ember certainly caught my adult attention and in doing so, has earned a spot on my keeper shelf. show less

I read the graphic novel adaptation first, and think it was significantly better. The graphic novel glosses over a few details that killed the novel for me. It is YA and also seems to be a Christian allegory. Though, if my cultural reference were different, would it be a Zoroastrian, Hindu, or Islamic allegory?

The thing that bothered me most was that the residents of this underground city are so troubled by the dark. They have lived underground for generations, but can't come up with show more flashlights, torches, or candles? I known that is part of the allegory, but its dumb. It may be that it only works because of the allegory. If the residents are such wretched, apathetic clods that they can't come up with a stone age solution to their lighting problem, how can the reader feel any sympathy for them?

I'm not a fan. show less

I loved this even more than City of Ember. Most of the people of Ember have now escaped, and joined Doon and Lina in the outside world. But they have no skills needed to survive, and winter is coming...

One of the things I loved most about this book is how much empathy you feel for everyone. The people of Sparks have really worked so hard to scratch a home in the barren post apocalyptic wilderness, you can just feel how amazingly unfair it is to suddenly have twice as many people to feed, and show more the new people as inexperienced as children. But you also feel the blazing unfairness of the treatment of the Emberites, given small rations, forced to sleep on the floor in a ruined hotel while the people of Sparks have houses, given all the worst jobs and unfairly blamed for things they didn't do. It's a situation with no easy answers. Even the Bad Folk TM are well motivated - Torren ignored with little love from anyone, even the brother he cares most about, and even Tick, who comes closest to being an Evil Caricature, is trying to work out how to make things better for his people (idiot!)

It is also a book full of hope, but gritty realistic hope. Yes, it might be all doomed, but you work together, against the cold and the hunger and the fire. You tell the truth, because it heals, and you listen to each other. And in the darkest night, the light shines a promise. show less