The City of Ember: By Jeanne DuPrau

It is time for the truth. The truth is I saw the movie, The City of Ember, before I read the books. I think if I had read the books first, I may not have liked the movie very much. However, I loved the movie. I thought it was so good that I raced out and bought all the books in the series.

Now, I know that this series received lots of awards and recommendations but, I did not love it. It was good enough to keep reading, but there were small details in it that stuck out with and made me less than excited to keep on reading. For example, there is a part in the book where they are supposed to have never done things that you or I take for granted, like light a match, and get it right away. It bothered me because it did not seem authentic. I remember saying to myself, “How could they do that so quickly?”

Yet, DuPrau is a really good writer in spite of missing the details I found significant. She has a way for keeping her text clear and uncluttered- a task that I find difficult as a writer. In all honesty, the style in which she writes is a pleasure to read.

The City of Ember is about two kids named Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. They live in Ember, an underground city that was formed by a group of men and women everyone refers to as The Builders when life on the surface was coming to an end. The Builders thought of everything from electricity, schools, a governmental system, and anything else that the citizens of Ember might need when they founded the city over 200 years ago. Unfortunately, they only expected the citizens to live there 200 years and did not plan for an extended stay, so the city is very nearly falling apart, and the citizens are running out of all life’s essentials like food and electricity.

The story begins on assignment day- the day where each child is given an important job. Doon wants to work underground so he can be near the generator. He is sure he knows a way to fix it and keep the city of Ember from being engulfed in darkness forever. Lina on the other hand has always wanted to be a messenger and deliver messages from person to person. She loves to run- fast! On assignment day, Doon draws messenger- and wants to switch with Lina, who got a job in the pipe works. So they switch, but their adventure does not end there. Lina and Doon stumble upon a map that could lead them and everyone else out of Ember and back onto the surface where they can live free in the light and the air. But can they uncover the exit before it is too late?

This book has all the right things- good story line, adventure, unusual characters, and an interesting plot- but it really did not do it for me. I wish I had not seen the movie first, because if I had not, I might have liked it more. As it is, I read the rest of the series because I bought them, certain I would love them after seeing the movie, but I was disappointed. Had it been the other way around, I would have liked them more…I think.