The City of Ember (The City of Ember Book 1)

The City of Ember is a rule-bound place, where all the lights go out at 9 each night, everyone rises early for breakfast, and careful recycling is a way of life. Lately, though, the lights have begun flickering. Supplies are shorter each year, and some foods are no longer available. Until their 12th year, the children of the City of Ember go to school. But at the end of that year, they are assigned the jobs they will do for years after, perhaps to the end of their lives. Lina yearns to be a Messenger, running free in the streets, learning the secrets of the city. Doon wants desperately to be an electrician's assistant or a pipeworker, because he dreams of fixing the ancient, failing generators of the city. When each receives the assignment the other wants, they switch jobs, and begin a conspiracy that will not end until they learn how to save the entire city. Along the way, they solve an ancient puzzle, defeat the greed and subterfuge of the Mayor and his minions, and discover a much wider world than either had ever dreamed existed. When I read children's literature, I look for more than a tale well told. Juvenile science fiction is not hard to come by, especially today in the age of Harry Potter. But fiction that lauds heroism (particularly the kind of courage which every child will have an opportunity to demonstrate), extolls the value of friendship, and shows when adult precepts and rules are worthwhile, and how to tell when they are not - that is uncommon. (Those qualities form the foundation of the Harry Potter stories, too, and explain the widespread appeal of the boy wizard and his friends.) The City of Ember has that same appeal. Doon and Lina are courageous; they do things children would do, yet also show judgement, persistence and intelligence. These are kids who love their parents, and still see that they must take extraordinary steps outside the regimented life they have led. In the end, they do save their city, and if they do not battle great evil, they do encounter and overcome the kind of petty nastiness that is far more common in the world. On Kindle, the book loses none of its original charm, with the possible exception of the maps and notes. Where these extend across the page, they are difficult to enjoy, even in Zoom mode. The book works best in tandem with its sequel, The People of Sparks: The Second Book of Ember (Books of Ember) . Together, they are an interesting story - even for an adult. I recommend it highly for boys and girls who want something better than comic-book heroes and video-game battles, and for readers who are no longer children, but still yearn toward the hero we can each become.

Loved reading this book with my 10 year old daughter for our book club. We both found it engaging and loved the authors attention to detail.

(Reviewed by my 9 year old daughter) SPOILER ALERT! I would rate this book four and a half stars, but I can't so I give this book four stars. The setting is underground in the city of Ember, which is believed to be the only city existing. You do not know city of Ember is actually underground until the end of the book. You do know that there is no sun and the lights come on at 6:00AM and turn off at 9:00PM. The story takes place during the time the main characters are twelve years old. You also get jobs when you're twelve years old and you do not go to school. The characters visit the greenhouse, pipes works, there house, the supply store, and around the city during the book. This book does not remind me of anything I have ever seen or read. I had many feelings about the book as I read it such as, happy, sad, and suspenseful also surprised. I was sad when Lena’s grandma died. I was happy throughout the book. The book was suspenseful and surprising. When I finished I felt let down,because I wanted to know what was going to come next in the story. The main characters in the book feel scared, curious, and brave. The author wanted to show the characters curious because she wanted for the readers to feel the same way. The main supporting characters are Lena’s grandma,Doon’s dad,the Mayor,the Guards,and Lean’s baby sister Poppy. Lena’s family is her grandma and baby sister. Doons family is his dad. Lena is smart and focused. Doon is serious and kind. Lena is 12 years old and Doon is the same age. Lena has blonde hair. Doon has black hair. Lena likes running and Doon likes science.Lena and Doon are both the Main characters. Lena finds an important piece of paper in her closet. Her and Doon start figuring out clues that lead them into a cave where they sail to a new city. The major problem in this story is the lights going out forever. The steps that lead to the problem is the Mayor taking all the supplies, including taking light bulbs. Believe it or not they never solve the problem that’s for the next book. I enjoyed both of the characters. I loved the book. My favorite part is when the chapters leave off with cliff hanger. I do not want to change any part of the book, it is a great book. I recommend this book to everyone!

The City of Ember By: Jeanne DuPrau Warning: it tells about the end of the book. In the City of Ember it is told upon creation that no one can leave for at least two hundred years or two hundred twenty. On assignment day it is 241. Doon and Lina are trying to get out of Ember and the light does not come from the sky, the light comes from the street in the ground and it goes out every now and then. The time that passes is not even a year. The setting reminds me of real life a little bit. When I read the book, I felt excited and happy. I felt the feeling of being sad, happy, and scared. The author used this approach in feelings because he wanted to change it up throughout the book. Lina and Doon are the main characters. Lina is white with blond hair. Her mom and dad died so she had just her grandmother. Her Grandmother died too! Lina has a sister named Poppy and another person named Mrs. Modo. Lina is twelve. She is nice and she likes to make friends. Doon is white with black hair. Then author didn’t talk much about his parents. He does not have any brothers nor sisters. Doon is usually with Lina. He is also really friendly and likes to make friends too. He is twelve too. Doon works as a pipeworker and Lina works as messenger. I enjoyed all the characters. Doon and Lina would like to find another safe place. Doon and Lina try to get out of Ember. Lina and Doom travel through a journey of pipes that became the escape from Embers. I did like the book from beginning to the end. I would not change any part. I would recommend it to friends, and I look forward to reading the next three books. This report is by Bennett Keagan Porter

I remember reading this book in middle school .I am now 25 years old and I enjoyed this book even more then I did back then . its very easy to read if you aren't good at reading great story line too !

I love this book series. The concept is outside the box for a dystopian universe. The characters a well Developed for the age range of this book. It’s easy to read and understand .

Great school book

I had seen the movie on cable not long ago, so bought the Kindle version of the book to see if it added any more world-enrichment, character development, or backstory, as I expected the movie had had to leave out quite a bit. In that hope, I was disappointed. The book adds little to the movie, the movie being quite true to the book, but in the book the logical world-building problems stand out more vividly. There were many points in the book where I was taken out of the story completely by the ridiculous problems of improbabilities and impossibilities in the creation of the city of Ember itself. Hard-wired electrical only? Really? No batteries? Batteries are a very old idea. No concept of fire as a light source or how to sustain a fire? These people are isolated and ignorant, certainly, but in the book they were presented as being incredibly stupid. I really felt the author had not done sufficient research into what would be needed to sustain and power an underground city of this type. That doesn't mean the nut-and-bolts of the science need to be spelled out in the story, but the author thinking them through and figuring out what works and what can't work are critical to having believability. Where did fresh air come from? How did other things not fall through that painfully convenient, easy-to-find hole in the roof? Being a book aimed at children doesn't mean it ought to be exempt from making sense. If anything, it ought to hold to higher standards. Young readers should not be treated as if they're stupid. That said, the basic scenario is intriguing, though not particularly original. The isolated population who has forgotten, or never knew, its origin is a very old tale done many times better than this. Just the original Star Trek episode from the 1960s, "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," does this same 'Ember' scenario much better and more believably in a one-hour episode. The main character is compelling and is the strongest feature in the story. A few of the peripheral characters are also interesting. But this is one of those rare cases where the movie really is better than the book.

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Good shipping, book undamaged and great book Reccomend

Jeanne’s engaging style and ability to create believable characters will make every reader long for the chance to be involved in something just as exciting. The City of Ember will make your heart stop, run, hide, and even bounce around. This is the best single back to back novel. It is equipped with all the excitement and tension that strings together a great book. Lina and Doon are relatable characters to many young children who wish to be like them when they grow up. I enjoyed The City of Ember in the way I enjoy a good dream. The simplicity yet complicated and graceful way the book attaches the reader gives them the feeling of immense wonder. I would highly recommend reading it as a child, teenager, or even an adult. This book is wonderful.

Ainda não li mas parece ter um vocabulário bem facil para quem tá iniciando leituras em inglês

Es wird abenteuerlich und schmutzig! Das wird nicht nur schon beim Betrachten des Buches selber klar, wo eine altmodisch gezeichnete Stadtkarte für den nötigen Überblick sorgt und vergilbtes Papier den Hauch von Alter vermittelt. The City of Ember (Lauf gegen die Dunkelheit) ist das Debüt der Autorin Jeanne DuPrau, die eine Welt unterhalb der Erdoberfläche erschaffen hat, als letzte Hoffnung für das Überleben der Menschheit. Den Emberanern ist die Bedeutung ihrer Heimat dabei nicht bewusst. Für sie ist die Stadt die einzige Form der Existenz, die sie kennen, sozusagen das ganze Universum. So wie man einst glaubte, das Meer fließe am Ende der Welt über den Rand der Erdscheibe hinaus, so glauben die Bewohner Embers, hinter dem Licht der Stadt läge nur ein weites Nichts. In gigantischen Lagerräumen haben die Erbauer den Emberanern einst Unmengen von allem hinterlassen, was man zum Überleben braucht: Lebensmittelkonserven, Medizin, Vitamin-Präparate, Kleidung, Glühbirnen … doch nach beinahe 250 Jahren ist von diesen einstigen Reichtümern nicht mehr viel geblieben. Der Leser bewegt sich durch eine rostige Welt des Zerfalls, durch eine reine Nutzgesellschaft, die keine Herstellungsprozesse kennt. Embers Bewohner wissen nicht einmal mehr, wie man Elektrizität oder Feuer erzeugt und somit auch nicht, wie man den Generator reparieren, transportable Lichtquellen oder neue Energiequellen schaffen könnte. Sie sind gerade noch in der Lage, die Dinge am Laufen zu halten. Dabei ist es unheimlich spannend zu erleben, wie der eigene Kosmos und das wenige Wissen um unser Universum in Ember zu einer Art Mikrokosmos wird. Für die Emberaner existieren weder Sonne noch Mond, doch elektrisches Licht und Dunkelheit treten hier als stellvertretende Pendants auf. Die Dunkelheit wird zur Weite des Universums, die Erbauer zur Schöpfungskraft … alles, was man als Leser erkennt, entdeckt man gleichzeitig völlig neu, weil es in Ember eine ganz andere Bedeutungsschwere bekommt. Unweigerlich schleicht sich da der Gedanke ein, ob nicht auch unsere Erde eine Art Ember sein könnte. Doch genug der Meta-Ebene und des Philosophierens! Man schreibt vermutlich das Jahr 241 – “vermutlich” weil das regelmäßige Aufziehen der großen Uhr oder die Einhaltung der Tages- und Nachtzeiten gelegentlich auch mal vergessen wurde –, als die Schüler Lina und Doon ihren Abschluss machen. Wie alle Emberaner beenden auch sie ihre Schulzeit im Alter von zwölf Jahren und treten sofort in das Berufsleben ein. Wer nun denkt, ein Kinderbuch präsentiert zu bekommen, darf gleich wieder aufatmen. Die beiden Helden dieser Geschichte sind für ihr Alter überraschend erwachsen, verantwortungsbewusst und clever, nur in seltenen Momenten erhält man einen Hinweis darauf, dass es tatsächlich noch Kinder sind. Dadurch fällt es auch erwachsenen Lesern nicht schwer sich mit Lina und Doon, den beiden Hauptfiguren, zu identifizieren und ihrem Abenteuer zu folgen. Doon, ein rebellischer und hitziger Junge, der manchmal mit unbedachtem Eifer nach der rettenden Lösung für Embers Probleme sucht, und Lina, ein Mädchen voller Energie und Tatendrang, kommen durch den Fund eines alten Dokuments der Erbauer möglicherweise zu genau dieser Lösung. Angespornt von ihrem gemeinsamen Ziel, Embers Bewohner zu retten, entziffern Lina und Doon nach und nach die Überreste der Anweisungen. Mit diesen beiden lebendig gezeichneten Charakteren bewegt sich der Leser nun durch eine klassische Queste mit Hinweisen und Entdeckungen, zwischen tropfenden Rohren, verborgenen Türen, neu entdeckten und gleichzeitig unbekannten Gebrauchsgegenständen, die Lina und Doon zunächst Rätsel aufgeben. Es beginnt ein Reise, die an Jules Vernes Abenteuer erinnert, mit vielen Fragen im Hinterkopf. Wie lange noch kann Ember überleben? Wird das Licht der Stadt eines Tages für immer erlöschen? Gibt es eine Stadt außerhalb Embers und damit eine Hoffnung für das Überleben der Bewohner? Die Suche nach Antworten wird von einem stimmigen Weltenbau begleitet und vielen sozialkritischen Aspekten, die man in einem Jugendbuch nicht unbedingt erwarten würde. Vertraute Details sorgen außerdem dafür, dass der Roman ein heimeliges Gefühl vermittelt. Da sind z.B. Konserven mit den Etiketten unserer vergangenen Gesellschaft oder Redewendungen, von Generation zu Generation weitergetragen, die in Ember weiter benutzt werden, deren Worte aber oft sinnlos erscheinen. So wird “im selben Boot sitzen” zwar sinngemäß verstanden als “in der selben Situation sein”, doch was ein “Boot” ist und was es bedeutet, das kann niemand mehr sagen. Dieses Zusammenspiel von Alt und Neu, Wissen und Unwissen, Gewohnt und Ungewohnt, macht The City of Ember zu einem nahezu romantischen Lesegenuss für Jung und Alt. Nichts ist so spannend wie die Suche nach unseren Wurzeln, und das findet man in diesem Roman, während man sich mit Lina und Doon auf die Spuren der Erbauer begibt. Viele dystopische Romane schildern so ein Szenario auf wenig erfreuliche, schon gar nicht wünschenswerte Weise. Doch Ember ist anders. Trotz ihres inzwischen kläglichen Zustands ist sie voller Leben und erfüllt von dem Geist eines Neuanfangs. Die Stadt wurde erbaut, um die Menschheit zu retten und dieser Plan geht auf. The City of Ember begleitet unsere glückliche Rückkehr in die Welt und bietet ein nostalgisches Leseerlebnis mit einem wehmütigen Blick zurück auf das Verlorene. Die Konstruktion der Stadt wirkt dabei solide durchdacht. Nur selten fragt man sich, ob dieses oder jenes in der Realität wirklich funktionieren kann oder ob es sich die Autorin nicht gerade doch zu einfach macht. Das halboffene Ende des Romans klärt nicht alle Fragen, es kann aber getrost so stehen gelassen werden und wer auf den Geschmack gekommen ist, darf sich über zwei Fortsetzungen und ein Prequel freuen. (Sprachlich ist The City of Ember übrigens leicht verständlich gehalten und damit auch für Englisch-Einsteiger im Original zu empfehlen.) Verfilmung: Das Buch wurde 2008 stimmungsvoll verfilmt. Neben der aufstrebenden Schauspielerin Saoirse Ronan in der weiblichen Hauptrolle treten u.a. Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau und Marianne Jean-Baptiste auf.