The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau (BOOK REVIEW)

 

"Wouldn't it be strange, she thought, to have a blue sky? But she liked the way it looked. It would be beautiful- a blue sky."

Hundreds of years ago, The Builders created a city underground, called the city of Ember. It would last only a few hundred years and the generator would stop working and food would run out. Because this would happen, the Builders left secret Instructions of how to escape Ember and go to the Upper World.

When Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow turn 12 they draw the name of the job that they will preform for the next three years. Lina draws The Pipeworks and Doon draws Messenger. Lina wanted to be messenger and Doon wanted a job that was important, so they decide to trade jobs.When Doon starts his job, he sneaks into the generator room and becomes horrified when he discovers that the generator is slowly dying. 

The only lights of Ember are starting to flicker, and soon the city will be swallowed into darkness. When Lina discovers the Instructions the Builders left, she and Doon are determined to figure out how to escape Ember. But the path to light and freedom has a price. 

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau was a great read. I finished it in very quickly and found it to be very similar to The Giver. I did find the plot to be a little underwhelming, due to the the main fear being darkness. There wasn't a lot of character development, and I found things a little rushed. Although it was an easier read, and enjoyable story. This is a book that younger ages can definitely read. It was a lot like a version of The Giver for younger ages.

I give this book a 7 out of 10 and recommend it for ages 9+

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Happy Reading!

-Ariana :)