The City of Ember

The First Book of Ember

By: Jeanne DuPrau

Narrated by: Wendy Dillon

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

ALA Notable Children's Book

Ember is the only light in a dark world. But when its lamps begin to flicker, two friends must race to escape the dark. This highly acclaimed adventure series is a modern-day classic—with over 4 MILLION copies sold!

The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to dim. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. Now, she and her friend Doon must race to figure out the clues to keep the lights on. If they succeed, they will have to convince everyone to follow them into danger. But if they fail? The lights will burn out and the darkness will close in forever.

Nominated to 28 State Award Lists!

An American Library Association Notable Children’s Book

A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection

A Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice

A Child Magazine Best Children’s Book

A Mark Twain Award Winner

A William Allen White Children’s Book Award Winner

“A realistic post-apocalyptic world. DuPrau’s book leaves Doon and Lina on the verge of undiscovered country and readers wanting more.”—USA Today

“An electric debut.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

“While Ember is colorless and dark, the book itself is rich with description.”—VOYA, Starred

“A harrowing journey into the unknown, and cryptic messages for readers to decipher.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

Don't miss Lina and Doon's other adventures in The City of Ember.

©2003 Jeanne DuPrau (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

A Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice

A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection

USA Today "DuPrau’s first foray into fiction creates a realistic post-apocalyptic world. Reminiscent of Robert O'Brien's Z for Zachariah, DuPrau’s book leaves Doon and Lina on the verge of the undiscovered country and readers wanting more."

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly"Thanks to full-blooded characters every bit as compelling as the plot, Lina and Doon’s search parallels the universal adolescent quest for answers. An electric debut!"

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews "Well-paced, this contains a satisfying mystery, a breathtaking escape over rooftops in darkness, a harrowing journey into the unknown, and cryptic messages for readers to decipher. The likeable protagonists are not only courageous but also believably flawed by human pride. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers clamoring for the next installment."

Love this story, not the performance

One of my favorites but the performance made it hard to listen to at times. The annoying breathing and lip smacking made me want to throw my phone and I’d have to stop listening for a while. Terrible choices by the performer.

Nice

I think the city of ember was really nice and cool and fun🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 the coolest!!!

I have always loved this book.

I fell in love with it all over again listening to this performance with my children. Thank you!

A City I'd Like to Visit

What made the experience of listening to The City of Ember the most enjoyable?

I love to read stories, but have found recently that listening to the stories adds to my enjoyment. I like hearing the various voices of the characters.

What did you like best about this story?

My favorite part is solving the mystery of the document found in the box in Lina's closet. The story holds my interest.

What about Wendy Dillon’s performance did you like?

Wendy is very good doing dialog between Lina and Doon. I think her voice for Clary is quite interesting, it fits the written description of her character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Will the city go dark forever?

Any additional comments?

I did find the lip smacking of the guard and the Mayor's voice to be rather annoying, but maybe that was Wendy's point.I thought Lina's name should be pronounced Leena, not Lina like Carolina. Also I think there was a character named Sage which I would pronounce like the spice. Not sure about that though.Doon's voice reminds me of Rudolph the reindeer in the Christmas special. Not that I have a problem with that really.

I'm a Sucker For YA Books

Although it might be obvious, I would say first and foremost that this is a book that was written for a young audience. For kids it's okay that the characters take their time figuring things out, because they are learning with them. At times I got a little impatient with the pacing for this reason, otherwise it was fun. I don't have much to say about the performance. I think the reader went a little over the top occasionally, but I was never annoyed. Also, I honestly really enjoyed the sound effects.

Neat Idea

This book was a fun and unique idea compared to a lot of adolescent books out there. It is completely non-sci-fi (in this book) and completely clean. Neat idea to think of growing up not knowing you're underground. You will need a bit of suspension of belief to imagine they could survive underground that long but it's all do-able. Enjoyed the whole puzzle that kids go through too. Definitely recommend this book to adolescent readers and I think some adults will enjoy it as a fun distraction.

Amazing audio version

Perfect for audio listening in our classroom. Nice sound effects and enhancements that add to the experience.

I Couldn't Forget It

A Post-Apocalyptic MG book that refused to disappear into the back of my brain.

BOOK DETAILS:
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, read by Wendy Dillon, published by Listening Library (2004) / Length: 7 hrs 6 min

SERIES INFO:
This is Book #1 in the completed "Book of Ember" trilogy, all of which are available on audio.

SUMMARY:
The first time I listened to this book, I enjoyed it but wasn't really that impressed. I did not add it to the list of books I was considering buying. However, after the second time I re-borrowed it from the library and listened again, I realized that there was just something about the characters and their story that appealed to me. The next time a deal was available, I snapped it up.

CHARACTERS:
Lina: She is bright and active. She tries to get adult help when she believes she has found a way out of their predicament. And she doesn't give up the first time it doesn't work. I also like how she takes care of her grandmother & little sister.

Doon: He is moody and active. He doesn't understand why more people aren't trying to fix their problems. However, he has a deep need to be special & to receive recognition. This causes him to avoid opportunities to share what they've found.

I like that they used to be friends but, after a childhood incident, had drifted apart. So there is a sense of something new here, despite the very narrow nature of their world.

WORLDBUILDING:
Ms DuPrau did a good job of painting a picture of a dreary run down city and it's hand-me down wearing citizens. And I was very struck by the fact that outside the city, there is only darkness.

And we got a clear picture as we went along of how their society worked as well. It is sad that such young children are sent out into the work place, but I guess there isn't any need for additional education in their situation.

PLOT:
The Prologue seemed a bit awkward at first, with two people sort of telling each other things they probably already should have known. I really liked the stuff about the mayors and what happened to the box though.

Note: You really have to suspend disbelief that all the canned good and other supplies would last more than 200 years. (Maybe the "storage rooms" were vacumn sealed.)

The ending is somewhat of a cliffhanger, since the fate of the citizens of Ember is not resolved.

HIGHLIGHTS:
--Doon finds Poppy
--Lina sits with her ailing grandmother in the dark
--There are some adults who are helpful

CONTENT NOTES: There is a character with a disability who is also described as very unattractive and who is up to no good.

NARRATION:
Character voices differentiated = Yes, I wasn't fond of several of them though / Opposite sex voices acceptable = Yes, I actually liked some of them better than some of the females / Phrasing, Pacing & Pronunciation = / Emoting = / Speed = listened on 1.25, my usual

Ms Dillon did a superb job of reading "The Instructions," despite what happened to them.

I'm not really a fan of music in audiobooks, and this wasn't an exception. And the sounds effects were occasionally too loud. (The noises were supposed to be loud, but I want to hear the narrator.)

Good Start

GREAT Book. Read very well. Mayor's voice character was a little grating, but awesome story.

Listened to this with my son, 6 th grade. would recommend it.

It's a "Good Start" because we want to listen to the series now.

Amazing

An amazing book.💖I love it so much.I want to read the next few books. 💖