by Simran Jayasinghe
We could not live in the dark. We could not live on canned food for our whole lives. We wouldn’t think it was fair to be assigned jobs. But the people living in the city of Ember live without a sun. They’ve all been living on canned food. They think it’s normal to be assigned jobs – when they’re twelve.
When Lina Mayfleet, the main character, turns twelve, she is assigned a job. She is assigned the job “Pipeworks”. To Lina, this is the worst job she could have gotten – working underground fixing pipes wasn’t her kind of thing. Luckily, Doon Harrow wants to work in the Pipeworks, and he doesn’t want to be a “Messenger” – but Lina does. They trade.
Lina is curious. Why would Doon want to work in the Pipeworks? He says he wants to fix the generator, which provides energy for all the lights that light up Ember. The generator has stopped working from time to time recently, leaving the city in complete darkness. But that’s not the only problem. The canned food that the people have been living on for 200 years is running out. Supplies like light bulbs, pencils, and paper, are also running low. Lina and Doon work together to find out how to fix these problems.
Eventually, Lina and Doon realize they need to leave Ember. They spread the news, but the mayor is unhappy with it. He orders them to be chased by the guards. Lina and Doon decide to escape on their own. Will they escape safely? If they do, what will happen? What will they do, and where will they go? Read the book to find out!
The City of Ember is the first book in a series of four. The series is written by Jeanne DuPrau. The plot was really easy to follow and understand, and I think the book has just the right amount of suspense, just enough to keep the reader interested. I like how the Lina and Doon don’t give up, even when people put them down. I also liked how they don’t just accept the jobs they are assigned, while other people just accept their jobs, even though they may have no interest in doing them. This shows that if you put your mind to it you can accomplish many things. The story ends with a cliff hanger, so I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to the next book!