This series was recommended to me by my daughter (12) and is well worth taking the time to read. The setting is deep underground in the "City of Ember". The main characters, Lina and Doon have finished with their schooling at the age of 12 and are being randomly assigned their life jobs. Lina is a messenger who travels throughout the city and Doon is a Pipeworker, repairing the plumbing in the tunnels under the city. For the past 250 years there have been plenty of lightbulbs and food, but now more and more shelves are empty and the lights flicker and go out. The inhabitants of Ember become anxious, since they don't understand how electricity is generated. Their only light during the 12 hours of "day" comes from floodlights. What will happen if the lights never come back on? They have no portable light sources. Lina discovers a very old paper with "Instructions for Egress" With Doon's help in deciphering the instructions, they set out on their mission. 
The second book in the series is entitled "The People of Sparks". Lina and Doon lead the 400 inhabitants of Ember up out of the earth. The Emberites meet the citizens of Sparks, one of the few towns on Earth that has survived The Disaster. The people of Sparks begin to feed and house the Emberites but resent the drain on their resources at a time when they have just begun to be able to feed themselves comfortably. Lina has seen the devastation left by the disaster. Mistrust and false accusations between both groups lead them to the verge of bloodshed. Doon and Lina make brave moves of reconciliation.
The third book in the series "Prophet of Yonwood" is actually a prequel, but I would leave it to the end of the series. It demonstrates how easily prophets can be misinterpreted.
2 comments:
Best series that I've ever read. More of an adult level book. It teaches what may soon happen to our childern and our children's children. :)
I was just looking at Elizabethtown's college website as a prospective student and couldn't help checking out this book blog. I was really excited to see The City of Ember on it! I love that book and am always telling people it's great and is more than just a kid's book. I still have't gotten to reading the third one because I have school books to read but I am eager to!
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