The City of Ember

*The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau. ISBN: 0385736282*

Reading The City of Ember, I could never shake the feeling that I was reading a Giver rip-off. It was a well-done copy, to be sure; but the story seemed pretty redundant. The story begins some time in the future, though we're never told when. It takes place in Ember--a city that seems to be the only human civilization on Earth. At least, no one in Ember has ever been outside the city, and the founders stated that "Ember is the only light in a world of darkness." The city depends completely on an old generator, and it's obviously beginning to break down. The sky is black, and the world is completely dark unless the floodlights are on. If the generator goes out, the lights go out, and the world would end. Or so we're led to believe. No on in Ember knows how to make "a moveable light," so the reader must assume that flashlights and candles don't exist. Whoever created the city 200 years ago (the people known as The Builders) made the city dependent on electricity, and made no stipulations for the electricity failing.

...Or did they?

Thanks to the introduction, readers understand that The Builders left a message for the people of Ember and locked it in a box. It was meant to open 200-or-so years later and provide the people with instructions for leaving the city. Assuming the Earth was still healthy, the people from Ember would be able to start over. Somewhere. But the box got lost, and when it finally opened, the instructions were chewed up by an infant named Poppy. The City of Ember is the story of Poppy's sister Lina, and Lina's friend Doon. The two twelve-year-olds must decipher the instructions and save Ember before the generator completely dies.

Like I said, things about this book reminded me a lot of The Giver. People in Ember decide their careers by pulling jobs out of a hat when they're 12. In the Giver, they're assigned jobs when they turn 12. Family sizes appear limited in both books. Both cities have rituals, but no real religion. Etcetera. But, like I also said, The City of Ember feels like a well-done copy. It made for an enjoyable read. It could be easily read and understood by a smart 9 or 10 year old, and could still be enjoyed by a 15-year-old. Trying to decipher the instructions with Lina and Doon can be frustrating (since I figured them out long before they did), but also kind of fun. There's plenty of suspense to keep the reader intrigued, and the writing is clever and not dumbed-down. I'd recommend this book to smart younger readers, fans of puzzle books (like the first Redwall), and people who enjoyed The Giver.