Module 5 - The City of Ember

Book Cover

Book Summary
The City of Ember tells the story of an underground city that doesn't know it is underground.  The people have no idea where they came from, and no idea how long they have been there.  The instructions for leaving were lost long ago and things are starting to fall apart and run out.  Lina and Doon have just left school and started their first jobs and discover a secret that they think will help, but they don't know who to tell.  They have to try to find out the best way to do what they can to save their city before it is too late.

APA Reference of Book
DuPrau, J. (2003). The city of Ember. New York, NY: Yearling.

Impressions
I really enjoyed this book.  It is a distopian setting which I usually find too dark to really enjoy, but this book remains hopeful throughout and shows more good than bad in society.  The characters all feel real and even though they are very young, it is easy to imagine Lina and Doon actually doing the things they do.  They have no special skills, just a natural curiosity and desire to help that propels them forward.

Professional Review
"This truly superb audio recording of the novel by Jeane DuPrau (Random, 2003) takes place in the dark city of Ember, a decaying place with no natural light surrounded by the vast Unknown. Although ancestors had arranged for information on leaving Ember to be made available after the inhabitants have spent 200 years there, a corrupt mayor lost the information many years before the novel begins. Two hundred and forty-one years later, Ember's electrical lighting frequently fails, supplies are dwindling, and the populace is growing increasingly frightened. Twelve-year-old Doon and his acquaintance Lina are intent on finding a way to save Ember. After Lina finds a mysterious and fragmented paper titled "Instructions for Egress," they think they have a way out. Can they escape from the villainous mayor and his soldiers? Can they figure out the missing letters and words in the message? Do they find their way out of Ember and up to a post-apocalyptic Earth? Wendy Dillon, one of the most talented readers of audiobooks, does an amazing job of creating different voices for each character, has absolutely perfect diction, and skillfully conveys the building suspense. Exceptional care has been taken to faithfully convey the author's excellent tale through a combination of a superior narrator and evocative sound effects. This engaging novel is an exceptional audiobook."

Mandell, P. L., & Gray, B. A. (2004). [Review of The city of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau]. School Library Journal, 50(10), 84.  Retrieved from:  http://www.slj.com/

Library Uses
This book would be a good book for a read aloud or book club with discussion about how the city works civically and how it differs from ours.  There are similarities and differences that can be discussed as well as discussions about how the city developed from where it likely started.