Jeanne Duprau’s The City of Ember, about a post-apocalyptic world filled with hope and innocence, is a story after my own heart. I had actually seen the movie first, which usually would make reading the book a whole lot less attractive to me. However, I was entranced by the movie, with our young heroes Lina and Doon trying to find their way out of their underground city, whose faulty generator and dwindling supply of light bulbs threaten to plunge them a terrifying darkness for good. Duprau renders this story of tenacious survival through the wide-eyed and determined eyes of her young protagonists, making it a compelling story of hope. There are three other books in the series, which I haven’t read, but Dark Omen tells me are worth the time.
RL: 5.0 CSM: 8+ Rating: PG Content: Death of Grandmother
Duprau’s lovely prose makes this a delightful read as well, with gems like this: “The boots were so ancient that their green rubber was cracked all over, as if covered with spiderwebs.”
During the course of the book, Lina’s grandmother passes away in her sleep, and Lina and Doon have the underpinnings of some puppy love, which never comes close to being expressed as they scramble to find an escape from their dying city. With a reading level of 5.0, The City of Ember is not a terribly challenging read, but it is a wonderful tale of hope and determination for readers 8+.
You can find more about Duprau’s books here, and find some fun City of Ember games at the movie website.
This series is one of our favorites. We didn't like the movie AT ALL though. We were waiting for it for so long after I saw that it was going to be made, and then it was such a disappointment. I wish they would have done a better job so that the other books might be made into movies too. I have to say that The Prophet of Yonwood, book three, is almost totally useless in my opinion. That is the one book that Neal ever bailed on. I finished it myself, but didn't see any reason he needed to read it. I just told him the main point of it as it related to the other books. Oh, and my daughter, the picky reader, loved the series too (but also skipped #3).
Just thought I'd tag you, since you mentioned the software on Nathan's forums.
What I was talking about is called "Liquid Story Binder" (you can try it for free for like 30 days to see if you like it or not).
If you have a Mac, I'm told "Scrivener" blows everything else out of the water, but sadly, I can only use PC compatible software.
I loved this book, but I felt it could have moved a little faster (solving the mystery). The second book was good, too. The third was a departure for me, though I've happily recommended this series to kids.
Rhonda – Dark Omen had the same reaction to the third book (Yonwood) although he finished it. He said it didn't belong with the others, because it was set before the cataclysm. These kids, just can't get anything past 'em . . .
Josie – thanks for the rec! I'm totes going to check that out. I've been shopping for writing software, but delaying until I can get a shiny, new computer not run on gerbil power (I'm a PC girl too). Thanks!
Caroline – I think you're right about the slow reveal. I had the benefit of the movie first (and so did the kids), so it didn't stand out to me. I might have to go read People of Sparks, just to see what happens next.
I quite enjoyed this series, though I had the same issues with book 3. The first book is the best, both in writing and in plot, but the latter satisfy the need to know what happened. I think the books could be a great jumping off point to discuss what our world would look like to outsiders, what is really necessary to live, and what could happen after a world-wide catastrophic event.
teachergirl – I love it when teachers pop by! You make a good point about using the books for instruction, something I have in the back of my mind for my own post-apocalyptic MG SF book. And you reminded me that I forgot to put the author website on this post, so I've amended it above.
Thanks for stopping by!
我對自己的信心已超越別人對我的評價........................................