City of Ember/ People of Sparks, by Jeanne DuPrau

I read these books per recommendation of Librarian Lorrie. We were talking books and she said it was her favorite. I started reading it and enjoyed the concept – a people secluded and orderly, where jobs are pulled out of a hat and school ends at adolescence. The city is lit by a huge generator, nothing more, and power goes off from 9 to 6 every night. The generator is dying, food supplies are running out and the city needs a plan. Lina and Doon are the main characters, new to their jobs of Messenger and Pipeworker. They discover their mayor is shady and they eventually discover the instructions to deliver their city to safety, and a new life – above ground. We learn that they had been underground for hundreds of years.

It is definitely young adults’ book, though well-written. A good, stimulating plot, too. It is good for a teen to read and think about things – the future, the nature of people, our environment. Reminds me of The Giver and Anthem. The mystery in the book (deciphering a destroyed paper with instructions out of the city) was intriguing and the kids were good characters.

The second book tells about what happens after the City is led out of the ground. Due to the Three Disasters – war, disease and animosity - the population had greatly dwindled on Earth. They come to learn Ember is the product of a movement to ensure the continuation of the human race, before all the destruction happened. People HAD survived, though, and the people of Sparks tries to accommodate the City of Ember, though with much friction and problems to work out. Again, a good message to send to kids about our relationships with each other, and the struggles to do the right thing. There were more conflicts than happy parts in the story – the characters were always on edge – but the resolution was good.

It is a mature topic, but I think overall, it was expressed well for young adults. There is a third book Prophet of Yonwood, but I haven’t read it yet.