Ember

(Return to BOB page) =//The City of Ember// by Jeanne DuPrau=

Summary
The city of Ember is in a world of darkness where the only light sources are lightbulbs. The city is running out everything: lightbulbs, food, etc. And the power generator is falling apart along with the pipes which deliver water from the river to houses. Will Lina and Doon be able to save the city?

Characters

 * Lina: A girl with a lot imagination and hope who always dreams of another city. She loves to run, so she's very disappointed when she draws the job of working in the Pipeworks very deep under the city. She cheers up when her friend Doon who got the job of Messenger trades with her.
 * Doon: A boy who is Lina's very serious friend. He is very good at building and fixing things, so he wants a job in the Pipeworks. He is very worried about the condition of the city and doesn't understand why no one else seems to be.
 * The Mayor:

Setting

 * An underground city (although the citizens do not realize they are underground).
 * About 250 years after a major disaster on the Earth's surface that causes the Builders to create the city of Ember as a safe place. They intended for people to return to the surface after it was safe again.

Events

 * Lina, Doon, and their classmates draw jobs from a bag. Lina and Doon end up trading jobs.
 * Lina starts her job as Messenger and Doon starts his job in the Pipeworks. Lina loves her job, but Doon is disappointed because he can't see immediately how to fix the city's problems.
 * Lina finds a beautiful box in the closet in her apartment. Her little sister opens the box and tears the message inside. Lina and Doon do their best to decipher it.
 * Doon sees the Mayor with items that noone else in Ember has because they thought they had run out. Doon discovers that the Mayor has a secret stash of food and lightbulbs in the Pipeworks.
 * Lina and Doon follow the instructions in the message to escape the city by way of the river using boats. They take Lina's little sister with them.
 * Once out on the surface, they discover things they had seen before: the sun, the moon, stars, birds, and animals. This helps them realize that Ember is actually underground.