The City of Ember

The City of Ember

By Jeanne DuPrau
Jeanne DuPrau’s book, The City of Ember, is a great book about a city in crisis. Ember faces a major food shortage and is running out of all their supplies, but they can’t find a solution. Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow are two kids who have an idea to save Ember. What the people of Ember do not realize is that they live in an underground city.

The book starts with the two main characters, Doon and Lina, graduating from school. In Ember, twelve year old kids pick career assignments out of a hat. Lina draws the piece of paper with pike works; she thinks it’s the most horrid job in the city. Doon pulls the messenger job, which is the job Lina wants. Everyone soon leaves, Doon asks Lina to switch jobs, because Doon needs the pike works job to help the city’s electric generator. Lina accepts his offer and both are happy with their new jobs.

A few days later, Lina’s comes home to find her baby sister, Poppy, eating a piece of paper. Lina believes the piece of paper is important but she can’t understand all of the instructions because of the torn missing words in the paper. Lina asks several people to try and decode the instructions, but no one can fill in the blanks. Finally, Lina asks for Doon’s help, and he was able to realize it leads to the pipe works. Along the way, Lina and Doon find a hidden stash of food and supplies. They realize the Mayor was stealing from the city. Lina and Doon were going to expose him to the city, but the Mayor stopped them and tried to lock them up.

Lina and Doon’s plan has failed so now they decide to run away with Poppy. They escape and follow the clues which lead to the exit. When Lina, Doon, and Poppy find the exit they had no choice but to go. At the end of the exit they realize the city of Ember was actually an underground city. They could not go back, and they had to let everyone know it was safe and they were above ground. They drop a message tied to a rock, in a hole and hoped for the best.

The City of Ember appeals to me in a few ways. I like books, and it’s a fantasy story that’s covers mystery and deceit. The author tells a great story, and vivid details make it believable. The main characters are my age and the author writes each chapter through Lina and Doon’s eyes.

I like the book very much and would recommend the book to anyone. The book is fiction and full of mystery about a world that makes you wonder. The book is better than the movie and I would still recommend reading the book. Jeanne DuPrau is writing a sequel to The City of Ember book, and I will be sure to read it.