The City of Ember

By Jeanne DuPrau
Rating: 4 1/4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

The underground city of Ember is in trouble. Its generator seems to be failing, supplies are running out, and the water system is breaking down. No one has ever found anything in the dark reaches beyond the lights of Ember, but young Lina dreams of finding other places that are bright and different. When Lina finds fragments of an ancient parchment, she and an unlikely old friend named Doon, start putting the pieces together to find out that they seem to be instructions for leaving the city. But as they puzzle out the clues, Lina and Doon find that some people don't want things to change, and will do anything to keep them from finding out the truth. Soon Lina and Doon must make a choice--should they try and follow the instructions on their own and save the city of Ember? Readers will snap up this adventure, and be interested to read the sequels, The People of Sparks and The Prophet of Yonwood.