The City of Ember

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau is a fantastic novel and apocalyptic in nature. DuPrau's writing style easily drew me in as she described things as simple as the metal band that holds a pencil's eraser or as beautiful and common as a blue sky. Ember is an underground city, though the people who live there don't know this. It is thought to be the last surviving city, created as a safe haven by "the Builders" and was in actuallity created so that mankind wouldn't be wiped out if something did happen, such as nuclear war.

The story focuses on a young girl, Lina Mayfleet, and her friend, Doon Harrow. After Lina finds a mysterious document they decide to look for a way out of the city. They recognize that their city will not last as many supplies are running low, including lightbulbs, food, and medicine. The cliffhanger at the end made me want to run to the library and check out the next book, The People of Spark.

Some authors I find spend too much time on description, going into full detail of each leaf on each tree, DuPrau has mastered description. She knows just how much to give without detracting from the story. She also has a great talent for creating mystery-filled, exciting stories.

This book is listed as a middle grade level, but I would consider it Young Adult level. While the level of reading isn't difficult, it does deal with serious and difficult situations which in my opinion, has carried the book further into the Y.A. readership. It has also won the Mark Twain Award.