Wednesday, October 9, 2013

What is Going on in the City of Ember?


For as long as Lina Mayfleet has been alive the city lights go on and off at the same time each day, and when they do the city is enveloped in darkness. There is no moon, no sun, and no stars to light up the night sky. All of the city members are sure to be home when the lights will be off. The areas beyond the city don’t have light either, but considering that everyone in the town knows there is nothing important out there, no one really cares. Now that Lina is 12 she gets assigned her life job in the town. After some quick job switching with her old friend, Doon, she is right where she wants to be. She is a messenger and gets to run down the streets of Ember carrying important letters from one place to the next, while Doon gets to work in the Pipeworks. Starting their new life jobs should be exciting, but for a while now, things haven’t been working so well in the City of Ember. The lights seem to go off at odd times and people are starting to panic. Adding to the growing fear is the fact that food seems to be becoming scarce and the storerooms aren’t overflowing with food anymore. When Lina finds a weird document in her apartment she thinks could be a clue to what is going on, she needs to talk to someone. After sharing what she learned with Doon the two decide that something is wrong in Ember, and they won’t stop until they solve the problem. Their discoveries lead them to some amazing places and what they discover in the cave blows their minds. What would you do if you found a strange document with missing clues? Will Doon and Lina be able to figure out what is going on in Ember? Will what they uncover be able to help the people of Ember? Adventure along with Doon and Lina as they search for the light at the end of the tunnel.

I wanted to read The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau as soon as I saw the cover. I simply loved it, and it made me curious right away. As I started to get to know Lina I could connect to her right away. She is responsible, but she still has a tendency to head towards adventure. I also liked Doon because he is smart, and I like the way he is able to solve problems. Both of them are people that I would want to be friends with because they are kind and they have flaws, too. I had a lot of fun picturing Ember and what the town and its people were like. I was hooked from the prologue because it sets up the whole story with information the characters don’t know. I was curious about the document that Lina found and what was happening in the city. It was interesting to try and solve the mystery with Lina and Doon and to put the pieces of the puzzle together with them. I did a pretty good job figuring out what was going on, but I still needed to learn why everything was happening. This book would be great for kids from fourth-eigth grade who like fantasy and adventure. Since Ember is a different type of city than the ones we live in- I think it will really appeal to kids and adults who like reading about different worlds (dystopian books). This is the first in a series of books. I look forward to reading more about Lina, Doon, and their city.

Has anyone else read any The City of Ember? Or have you read another book by Jeanne Duprau? We would love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading-
~L

34 comments:

  1. It's been on my to-read pile for a long time--your post makes me want to get to it right away... Good to be reminded of a classic!

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    1. F.T. Bradley- I hope you enjoy it! It was a fun read! :) ~L

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  2. I've had this one on my shelf for ages! I need more reading hours in the day :)

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    1. Meradeth- I need more reading hours, too! :) ~L

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  3. This sounds like a really intersting book. It is on the TBR list now.

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  4. Love this book- one of my favorites!

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    1. Donna- So nice to hear from another fan of the book. Glad you liked it, too! :) ~L

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  5. This is an older one...isn't it...I read it a while ago!

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    1. It is an older one, Patty! I think it is about 9 or 10 years old. :) ~L

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  6. Didn't they make a movie out of this? I think it sounds like a wonderful read. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Heidi- They did make a movie out of this book. I haven't seen it yet, but I am curious about it. I enjoyed the book! :) ~L

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  7. Not heard of this book before, but it sounds awesome :D I am glad you enjoyed it. <3 the cover is pretty, yes :) Thank you for sharing. <3

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    1. Carina- There is something so pretty about the cover. :) It was a great read and I enjoyed the characters. Thanks for stopping by! ~L

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  8. I really liked this book. I like the twist. :)

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  9. The City of Ember sounds like a wonderful read. Interesting too.

    Nas

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    1. Nas- I liked the dystopian world and the thought of living a different type of life. :) ~L

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  10. I loved this one and so have many of my students - the twist/surprise is awesome!!

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    1. Jemi- Glad to hear that you and your students enjoyed this book. I know my friends loved this one, too. It is a great book and the twist/surprise is great. :) ~L

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  11. I think I've watched the film version because the title and the setting sound familiar. Would love to read the story and refresh my memory. (That is a great cover.)

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    1. Claudine- I guess the movie has been around for a few years. I haven't seen it yet. I look forward to seeing it and finding out if it is like the book. :) ~L

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  12. I want to read this it sounds excellent. Yet another for my TBR list me thinks!

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    1. Barbara- My TBR list is constantly growing, too! :) ~L

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  13. I had this in my classroom library years ago, but didn't read it. It doesl ook interesting.

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    1. Medeia- I enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by! :) ~L

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  14. +JMJ+

    I read The City of Ember a few years ago and was a trifle underwhelmed--which made me sad because so many others love this book. =( I found too much of the plot to be driven by lucky coincidence, and the end left me with too many unanswered questions. While I agree that a sense of mystery and ambiguity can sometimes suit a story really well, I didn't think that that was the case with this novel.

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    1. Enbrethiliel- I am sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy this one as much as you had hoped you would. That has happened to me before with books. Thanks for stopping by! ~L

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  15. Wow -- this sounds incredible! We really love the cover, too. We'll definitely be adding this one to the TBR pile. Dystopian novels are the best! Awesome review!

    ~Michele & Katertot @ A Belle's Tales

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    1. Michele and Katertot- I love a good dystopian book too and this one is great for MG readers. :) I hope you enjoy it! ~L

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  16. I've seen the movie and listened to the soundtrack many times, but I'm ashamed to say I haven't read the book yet.
    I'm glad it didn't disappoint and I REALLY should read it soon.

    Thanks for the review.

    ~Akoss

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    1. Hi Akoss- I haven't seen the movie, but I think it is great that you have seen the movie and listened to the soundtrack many times. I look forward to seeing the movie! I hope you get to read it soon! :) ~L

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  17. I haven't read The City of Ember yet but I know I really should! It's a dystopian I assume and I love all dystopians so right off the bat I'm sure I'm going to love it. I really like that it has a female POV. For some reason I thought it was going to be based on a boy's perspective probably because of the movie trailer I once saw... The mystery sounds great. I think I would be on edge thinking that she was bound to get caught. Thanks for the review! I must remember to see if it's at my library (:

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    1. Adriana- It is dystopian and Lina is a great MC. I really liked her! I hope your library has The City of Ember and you can read it soon. :) Enjoy! ~L

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