The People of Sparks

Book 2 in the Ember series

By: Jeanne DuPrau

Libby audiobook 8 hours

Read by: Wendy Dillon

Published: 2004

Genre: YA dystopian, adventure

I'm surprised I don't have a blog entry for this. In fact, looking back at my blog makes me realize I've not been as diligent as I thought I was . . . 

The City of Ember blog entry was first published in 2017 and added to recently when I listened to the audiobook.

I KNOW I read The People of Sparks long ago when it was "new." I cannot, however, find my review of it.

I didn't remember reading The Diamond of Darkhold at all (it's technically book 4, but it logically follows People of Sparks.) But I blogged about it in 2009!

I DO remember reading book 3 - the "prequel" The Prophet of Yonwood, but I can't find an entry for it. I remember feeling disappointed in it. It seemed as though the author was more interested in making a sociological statement than in helping readers understand why the City of Ember was initially created. (It's kind of a WWIII scenario, I think.) 

In any case, Lina and Doon are happy when the rest of the people of Ember join them above ground. The Mayor and his ne'er-do-wells came to a bad end down in the river, so there is no leadership. Over 400 people walk until they come to Sparks, a settlement of 300+ people. Conflict ensues - will there be enough food for everyone? Where will the newcomers live? 

There was a lot of "us vs. them" that humans are so susceptible to. I'm not a huge fan of this reader's vocal work. Yes, Torren (?) is an awful brat, but her whiny interpretation made him completely unbearable. Dr. Hester and her herbal remedies, the guy from Ember who was "too old" to work and so set out to organize the room of books, Maddie the trader who walked away from Casper and his schemes, . . . lots of good characters and conflicts.

The City of Ember

by Jeanne DuPrau
Scott County Library audiobook 6 CDs
read by Wendy Dillon
genre: YA dystopian

I looked for my "previous" entry on this book (knowing that I had read it before) and only found book four in this series that I blogged about in 2009! So clearly, I read this book a long, long time ago. The "re-read" was interesting. There were details I had not noticed or remembered. Having seen the movie sometime within the last few years, I knew that it was extremely different than the book.

Here are some of my car notes:

• This takes place in the year "241" . . . and the builders / planners made the instructions to be accessible in 200-220 years. Uh-oh!
• A class of 24 twelve year-olds . . . would estimate an overall population of ??? Just curious. And at the end of the book, we learn that 100 elderly men and women went into Ember with 100 babies. 
• two years earlier, Lina's dad died from coughing sickness and "a few months later," her mother died in childbirth. Poppy is 1 1/2 years old and is referred to as a "baby," but nothing about diapers . . . 
• Doon - super serious, with anger issues / Lina - light hearted, but responsible (for toddler sister and aging grandma with memory issues)
• Doon's dad is wise about anger and its mastery of you bringing unintended consequences. (Like later, when Doon accidentally crushed the snail.)

I enjoyed this book and almost wish I'd saved it for when we were driving up north!

The narrator did a fine job, though the wheezing sound effects for the mayor and some of the other vocal characterizations got a bit irritating. I didn't realize the author's name was pronounced "Dee-Pro" and not "Dee-Prow" . . . I've always said it with the "ow" as in "owie" sound.

 

<Above published  6.22.17. Below added 12.12.24>

Libby audiobook. Read by Wendy Dillon.

 I listened to it again and my biggest takeaway was irritation with the narrator. Her mayor and his wheezing, the chief guard's vocal mannerisms, Doon's tone . . . I know she was trying to create distinct, vivid character voices, but they were too over the top and distracting! 

 

I think it's interesting that I focused on the timeline and math last time. Finishing it this time (with the lovely neighbor getting the message wrapped in Doon's shirt) made me want to read City of Sparks again. But I recall not being very impressed with it . . .

The Diamond of Darkhold

by Jeanne DuPrau
PRMS hardcover 285 pages

For the most part, I really enjoyed this fourth installment in the Ember series. Doon and Lina head off to Ember to see if they can get at any supplies that will help them stave off starvation in Sparks. Adventure, danger, mystery - there's a little of everything.

I'm baffled by the ending, though. Other than the requisite happy-ever-after, the author's tie-in to Yonwood left me confused. It doesn't help that book three felt like a disconnected pre-prequel to me. I should go online and play detective. Or maybe I'll ask kids who've read it what they think the ending was about. The connection feels tenuous to me, but I'm glad that Doon's and Lina's story resolved.

 

<Above posted 11.10.2009. Below added 1.28.2025.>

 

Libby audiobook / read by Katherine Kellgren

Libby eBook 

 

I listened to this book to "finish" the series. I don't plan to re-read the prequel . . . I vaguely remember disliking it and feeling that it didn't set up the City of Ember trilogy very well. (Also, why is Book 3 the prequel and Book 4 the storyline that follows Book 2?)

 

After I had listened to almost half of this, I had to get an ecopy to finish reading. Why? 

 

Because the part where Doon was forced to help Trogg and his family find things in the deserted city made me so frustrated. I understand that for people who can't read, books just seem like handy fuel for fires. But to smash things and trash rooms is so very short-sighted. You're already living in a post-disaster world where resources are scarce. Why wouldn't you be careful in case something is needed in the future? 

 

Chapter 16: "He's old, and it's hard to be happy when you're old."

 

Maggs answers Lina's comment about the horse Happy not looking very happy with this comment after saying "he used to be happy." Ouch! I want to grow old AND be joyful.

Chapter  26: "Edward became known to the roamers in the area as someone who would buy books of almost any kind. After a roamer's visit, the library was sometimes actually crowded with people stopping in to see what was new."

Yay for libraries and the people who curate them!

Chapter 27: "'You know, son, I don't think there's such a thing as an easy life. There's always going to be hard work, and there will always be misfortunes we can't control lurking out at the edges - storms, sickness, wolves. But there is such a thing as a good life, and I think we have one here.'"

I really liked Doon's father, Loris Harrow, and wished he'd been a more prominent character throughout the stories.