AnnA H. (stormchaserblue) reviewed on 1/6/2010 + 43 more book reviews

The City of Ember is a 2003 post-apocalyptic book by Jeanne DuPrau. It revolves around the City of Ember which is the only light in the dark world. Beyond Ember, the darkness goes on forever in all directions. When the children of the city of Ember finish school, they begin work at 12 years of age. . . .
The protagonist, Lina Mayfleet desperately wants to be a messenger. Messengers spend their days outside, running from one corner of the city to the other. Instead, she draws the dreaded job of Pipeworks laborer, which means she'll be stuck in tunnels deep underground. But as luck would have it Doon Harrow draws messenger and asks to trade with Lina! Doon wants to be underground. That's where the generator is, and Doon has ideas about how to fix it. For as long as anyone can remember, the great lights of Ember have kept the endless darkness that surrounds the city at bay. But now the lights are starting to flicker.
When Lina finds fragments of an ancient parchment, she and Doon put the pieces together to discover a message that seems to be directions out of the city.
This is actually the second in chronicle order of the four books of Ember, The Prophet of Yonwood is about the decent into Ember. There are also two other books about what happens after the escape from Ember, The People of Sparks and
The Diamond of Darkhold are the final installments as of now. I hope to find and read all four with my children before my year is out.

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