'Books of Ember' SERIES REVIEW
The Books of Ember consist of 4 young adult novels.
The Books of Ember consist of 4 young adult novels.
The City Of Ember
Published:
First published in 2003 by Yearling
Literary Awards:
Kirkus Editor's Choice (2003)
Best Children's Book of the Year selection (2003)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award Nominee (2006)
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
Sunshoine State Young Readers Award for Grades 3-5 and 6-8 (2004)
New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award for Young Adult (2007)
The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Honor (2004)
Chapman Award for Shared Reading Nominee for Fiction (2004
ALA Notable Book
Literary Awards:
Kirkus Editor's Choice (2003)
Best Children's Book of the Year selection (2003)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award Nominee (2006)
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
Sunshoine State Young Readers Award for Grades 3-5 and 6-8 (2004)
New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award for Young Adult (2007)
The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Honor (2004)
Chapman Award for Shared Reading Nominee for Fiction (2004
ALA Notable Book
My Rating:
☆☆☆
(3.5)
(3.5)
SYNOPSIS:
Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked…but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all—the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness….
But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?
But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?
MY THOUGHTS:
Lina lives in a city far underground. Life is hard, things are running out, and the city's generator is starting to fail. Will they be plunged into darkness forever? Lina finds a chewed up piece of paper that she hopes are instructions on how to help the failing city and she, with the help of her friend Doon, set out to fix the problems.
Lina lives in a city far underground. Life is hard, things are running out, and the city's generator is starting to fail. Will they be plunged into darkness forever? Lina finds a chewed up piece of paper that she hopes are instructions on how to help the failing city and she, with the help of her friend Doon, set out to fix the problems.
City of Ember is a re-read for me. It's been four years since the last time I read it and I wanted to finally finish the series so I decided to just start all over. I also watched the movie a few years ago so now I'm wondering how my view has changed. What did I imagine it to be like before watching the movie? Am I remembering the movie or am I remembering what I imagined before I watched the movie? I am seeing Saorise Ronan as Lina but I keep imagining Josh Hutchinson as Doon even though he was not in the movie.
I remember that this book was quite adventurous and the idea of a city underground was very new and therefore I really liked the story. This time around I still enjoyed it just as much.
I remember that this book was quite adventurous and the idea of a city underground was very new and therefore I really liked the story. This time around I still enjoyed it just as much.
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The People of Sparks
Published:
first published in 2004 by Yearling
My Rating:
☆☆☆
SYNOPSIS:
When Lina and Doon lead their people up from the underground city of Ember, they discover a surface world of color and life. The people of a small village called Sparks agree to help the Emberites, but the villagers have never had to share their world before. Soon differences between the two groups escalate, and it's up to Lina and Doon to find a way to avoid war!
In the riveting sequel to the highly acclaimed The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau explores the nature of conflict and the strength and courage necessary to overcome it.
In the riveting sequel to the highly acclaimed The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau explores the nature of conflict and the strength and courage necessary to overcome it.
MY THOUGHTS:
Lina, Doon, and the people of Ember have come out into the bright and sunny world. They are taken in by the people of the town of Sparks where they learn about things they didn't know existed, including disaster and war.
While I liked 'The People of Sparks', I was a little disappointed that the story didn't have the same feel of adventure as the first book. Ember was new and exciting and Sparks was just the 'same old, same old' post-apocalyptic village of people trying to scrape together a living. There were a few times that my blood started to boil over the confrontations mentioned. And of course, it had a happy ending. :)
While I liked 'The People of Sparks', I was a little disappointed that the story didn't have the same feel of adventure as the first book. Ember was new and exciting and Sparks was just the 'same old, same old' post-apocalyptic village of people trying to scrape together a living. There were a few times that my blood started to boil over the confrontations mentioned. And of course, it had a happy ending. :)
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The Prophet of Yonwood
Published:
first published in 2006 by Yearling
My Rating:
☆☆
SYNOPSIS:
It’s 50 years before the settlement of the city of Ember, and the world is in crisis. War looms on the horizon as 11-year-old Nickie and her aunt travel to the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina. There, one of the town’s respected citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction. Her garbled words are taken as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming disaster. If only they can be interpreted correctly. . . .
As the people of Yonwood scramble to make sense of the woman’s mysterious utterances, Nickie explores the oddities she finds around town—her great-grandfather’s peculiar journals and papers, a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes—all while keeping an eye out for ways to help the world. Is this vision her chance? Or is it already too late to avoid a devastating war?
In this prequel to the acclaimed The City of Ember and The People of Sparks, Jeanne DuPrau investigates how, in a world that seems out of control, hope and comfort can be found in the strangest of places.
As the people of Yonwood scramble to make sense of the woman’s mysterious utterances, Nickie explores the oddities she finds around town—her great-grandfather’s peculiar journals and papers, a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes—all while keeping an eye out for ways to help the world. Is this vision her chance? Or is it already too late to avoid a devastating war?
In this prequel to the acclaimed The City of Ember and The People of Sparks, Jeanne DuPrau investigates how, in a world that seems out of control, hope and comfort can be found in the strangest of places.
MY THOUGHTS:
Young Nickie travels with her aunt to a small town in North Carolina called Yonwood to oversee the sale of their deceased grandfather's home. A citizen of this town had a 'vision' of the end of the world and the whole God-fearing town took it as a sign to change. But when does 'change' get out of hand? And when does the 'word of God' conflict with what is truly right or wrong?
Young Nickie travels with her aunt to a small town in North Carolina called Yonwood to oversee the sale of their deceased grandfather's home. A citizen of this town had a 'vision' of the end of the world and the whole God-fearing town took it as a sign to change. But when does 'change' get out of hand? And when does the 'word of God' conflict with what is truly right or wrong?
I was really expecting the prequel to be more exciting but it was basically a story of it's own with a mention of the future of Ember at the very end. I liked the idea that there was someone who 'saw' the disaster before it happened and the little clues about something being built to 'save the world'. Other than that, I don't think this added to the overall story very much.
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THE DIAMOND OF DARKHOLD
Published:
2008 by Random House
My Rating:
☆☆☆
(3.5)
(3.5)
SYNOPSIS:
It’s been several months since Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and, along with the rest of their people, joined the town of Sparks. Now, struggling through the harsh winter aboveground, they find an unusual book. Torn up and missing most of its pages, it alludes to a mysterious device from before the Disaster, which they believe is still in Ember. Together, Lina and Doon must go back underground to retrieve what was lost and bring light to a dark world.
In the fourth Book of Ember, bestselling author Jeanne DuPrau juxtaposes yet another action-packed adventure with powerful themes about hope, learning, and the search for truth.
In the fourth Book of Ember, bestselling author Jeanne DuPrau juxtaposes yet another action-packed adventure with powerful themes about hope, learning, and the search for truth.
MY THOUGHTS:
It's Lina and Doon's first winter in Sparks and things are becoming increasingly difficult for the townspeople. People are getting sick and dying and Lina and Doon only want to make things better so after a roamer sells them a book mentioning the city of Ember, they sneak off back to the underground city in search of something to save them all.
This was very much like City of Ember in that it has adventure and new and exciting things to discover about the city of Ember that we didn't previously know. I also thought it was a really happy ending to the series.
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OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THE SERIES
The first book was my favorite. I liked that the second and fourth book continued on with the main characters and showed us how the world would be after a grand-scale disaster and how the surviving people would eck out a living. The overall feel of the series was adventurous and fun; perfect for middle-grade readers. Despite all the hardships that the characters in these books went through, they were always trying to be good, decent people and look for the best in others and help wherever they could. They were also always inquisitive which fit really well in a story where almost everything that we are used to overlooking on a daily basis (running water, electricity, appliances, etc) had to be rediscovered. I think that is what I liked most about these books; that all of the children were so curious and at least tried to figure out things that no one had any inkling about. It really gives you an idea that knowledge is precious and should be hoarded. I can't help but imagine living in this post-apocalyptic world where everything seems pretty friendly (especially since it's a children's book). I'm glad that there was such a happy ending.
The first book was my favorite. I liked that the second and fourth book continued on with the main characters and showed us how the world would be after a grand-scale disaster and how the surviving people would eck out a living. The overall feel of the series was adventurous and fun; perfect for middle-grade readers. Despite all the hardships that the characters in these books went through, they were always trying to be good, decent people and look for the best in others and help wherever they could. They were also always inquisitive which fit really well in a story where almost everything that we are used to overlooking on a daily basis (running water, electricity, appliances, etc) had to be rediscovered. I think that is what I liked most about these books; that all of the children were so curious and at least tried to figure out things that no one had any inkling about. It really gives you an idea that knowledge is precious and should be hoarded. I can't help but imagine living in this post-apocalyptic world where everything seems pretty friendly (especially since it's a children's book). I'm glad that there was such a happy ending.
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