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Description edit
The City of Ember is a city hidden underground; way beneath the earth. The city's only sources of light are slowly beginning to fade. Now it all depends on two children, Lina and Doon. They know they must find an elusive exit to the city, but how? Where? If they fail, the whole city will be... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
The City of Ember is about 2 kids named Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. Doon and Lina are determined to save there city which is running out of everything. Even lights. They go on an adventure down to the Pipeworks to find a new city and save everyone City of Ember. Can they save their city? I... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Doon Harrow: Old friend of Lina's. They grew apart because of a minor childhood incident, but re-build their friendship when they realize they share a common belief that there is a world beyond Ember and has a knack for taking things apart and putting them together.
- Evaleen Murdo: A family friend and neighbor of Lina's. A very nice woman who is organized.
- Granny Mayfleet: She is forgetful but still loves herself and others. Grandmother of Lina.
- Looper Windly: Lizzie's "boyfriend" who works in the Ember storerooms. A slightly suspicious character. Working for the mayor.
- Poppy: Poppy is Lina's little sister who is very curious and it often gets her in trouble. Lina sometimes has problems with her because she wanders and chews on things that are important. Although she loves Poppy, she can become irritated with her!
- Mayor Cole: The mayor of the City of Ember. He is very greedy and could really care less about Ember.
- Lizzie Bisco: Lina's long time best friend and champion fast talker.
- Clary Laine: A close friend to the Mayfleet family who comforts Lina when Lina needs it. Works in the Green Houses.
- Barton Snode: The assistant guard of Ember.
- Sadge Merrall: Went through the dark to find an exit.
- Allis Fleery AKA Captain Fleery: Head of messenger station.
- Arlin Froll: Expert at the Pipeworks.
- Arbin Swinn: Worked at Callay Street Vegetable Market.
- Nammy Proggs: 80 year old woman in the City of Ember.
- Mrs. Polster: The teacher of the 4th year class in the school of Ember.
- Miss Thorn: Teacher of the last year in the school of Ember.
- Lister Munk: The director of the Pipeworks.
- The Builders: The people who made the City of Ember and the City of Sparks and the instructions to getting out of ember. Not really mentioned in the book.
Quotes edit
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“Father," said Doon as they hurried along, "the mayor is a fool, don't you think?" For a moment his father didn't answer. Then he said, "He's in a tough spot, son. What would you have him do?" "Not lie, at least," Doon said. "If he really has a solution, he should have told us. He shouldn't pretend he has solutions when he doesn't." Doon's father smiled. "That would be a good start," he agreed.”
Doon and his father -
“Lina felt a smooth, hard surface. There was a round metal knob, and below the knob, a keyhole. It seemed an ordinary door—not at all like the entrance to a new world. But that was what made things so exciting—nothing was ever how you expected it to be.”
Narrator -
“Lina didn't really feel cold but she did feel sad, which was in a way the same. The blanket felt good, like someone holding her.”
Narrator -
“The day had a strange but comforting feel to it, like a rest between the end of one time and the beginning of another.”
Narrator
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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The trouble with anger is, it gets hold of you. And then you aren’t the master of yourself any-more. Anger is.”
Highlighted by 241 Kindle customers -
The main thing is to pay attention. Pay close attention to everything, notice what no one else notices. Then you’ll know what no one else knows, and that’s always useful.”
Highlighted by 173 Kindle customers -
“There is so much darkness in Ember, Lina. It’s not just outside, it’s inside us, too. Everyone has some darkness inside. It’s like a hungry creature. It wants and wants and wants with a terrible power. And the more you give it, the bigger and hungrier it gets.”
Highlighted by 151 Kindle customers -
What you get is what you get. What you do with what you get, though . . . that’s more the point, wouldn’t you say?”
Highlighted by 134 Kindle customers -
“And when anger is the boss, you get—” “I know,” said Doon. “Unintended consequences.”
Highlighted by 125 Kindle customers -
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.
Highlighted by 109 Kindle customers -
“Black as sleep and deep as dreaming, Darkness like an endless night. Yet within the streets of Ember Bright and bravely shines our light.”
Highlighted by 101 Kindle customers -
“What you need to learn, children,” she always said, in her resonant, precise voice, “is the difference between right and wrong in every area of life. And once you learn the difference—” Here she would stop and point to the class, and the class would finish the sentence: “You must always choose the right.”
Highlighted by 99 Kindle customers -
“The citizens of Ember may not have luxuries, but the foresight of the Builders, who filled the storerooms at the beginning of time, has ensured that they will always have enough, and enough is all that a person of wisdom needs.”
Highlighted by 93 Kindle customers -
“The mayor of the city will keep the instructions,” said the chief builder. “We’ll put them in a box with a timed lock, set to open on the proper date.”
Highlighted by 72 Kindle customers
Setting & Locations edit
The City of Ember
- City of Ember
- The School
- Lina's apartment
- The Greenhouses: Where Lina's friend Clary works, where her father used to work
- Gathering Hall
- Harken Square: The Main Meeting Place of Ember. Where City Hall is located.
- Prison Room
- The Unknown Regions: The dark areas around Ember
- City of Sparks
First Sentence edit
When the city of Ember was just built and not yet inhabited, the chief builder and the assistant builder, both of them weary, sat down to speak of the future.
Table of Contents edit
The Instructions
1. Assignment Day
2. A Message to the Mayor
3. Under Ember
4. Something Lost, Nothing Found
5. On Night Street
6. The Box in the Closet
7. A Message Full of Holes
8. Explorations
9. The Door in the Roped-Off Tunnel
10. Blue Sky and Goodbye
11. Lizzie's Groceries
12. A Dreadful Discovery
13. Deciphering the Message
14. The Way Out
15. A Desperate Run
16. The Singing
17. Away
18. Where the River Goes
19. A World of Light
20. The Last Message
Glossary edit
- The Singing: When the citizens of Ember come together once a year to sing songs about the city of Ember.
- Pipeworks: A maze of tunnels that contains the city's water and sewer pipes. It runs along an underground river. The Generator is also in the pipeworks.
- Generator: In the Pipeworks. It uses the river to power the city of Ember.
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Dreaming wont solve your problems, taking action will: Describe this theme.
- "Believe in youself": Doon and Lina are going by a paper that they just found. There have been times in the book where they don't know if they can do it. They go anyway in make it out of Ember because they belived in themselves.
- Never give up: Lina and Doon find a door, and they are sure that it is the way out of Ember. However, when Doon opens the door, he finds the mayor sleeping with a bunch of food around him, and no way out. After they found the door, they lost a little hope and they thought there was no way out. However, they kept their spirits up and they found another way out.
- Anything is possible: In the story everyone in ember thought there is no way out of ember but Lina and doon proved them wrong
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 4 in Book of Ember. (standard series)
Followed by The People of Sparks.
This book is in Mi Mi's Favorites. (community list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Jeanne DuPrau (Author) - Lives in New York.
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: 13 May 2003
ISBN: 0375822739
Page Count: 270
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: 13 May 2003
ISBN: 0375822739
Page Count: 270
Awards edit
- Mark Twain Award (Missouri) (2006)
- An ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book
- Land of Enchantment Book Award (New Mexico) (2007, #1)
- Beehive Award (Utah) (2005)
- Kirkus Editor's Choice (2003)
- Judy Lopez Memorial Award (2004, Honor)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PZ7.D927 Ci 2003
- Dewey: 813.6
Subjects edit
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