The People of Sparks: The Second Book of Ember (Books of Ember) by Jeanne DuPrau
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Book Reviews of The People of Sparks: The Second Book of Ember (Books of Ember)
Book Review: People Of Sparks
Summary: 5 Stars
Dottie
Book Review
"The People Of Sparks"
"The People Of Sparks" (sequel to "The City Of Ember"), had descriptive details about Lina and Doon's adventure from their old city, The City Of Ember, to their new home, The City Of Sparks, where they have to find a way to get by in this big world. Learning new things there was so exciting for all the Emberittes. Trouble and conflict arise in both the people of Ember and the people of Sparks with people making trouble, people being blamed, and mean names are called out. Lina goes on an adventure of her own, and Doon gets into trouble with the wrong crowed. Everyone blames the people of Ember for all the wrong that occurs. The worst of Doon's and Lina's expectations have occurred, which has caused so much disaster in their eyes.
The theme of this book is really an amazing thing. The hidden message is "Instead of getting back at the other side with something just as bad as they did to you-or something worse-you do something good or at least keep yourself form doing something bad." "One bad thing after another leads to worse things. So you do a good thing, and that turns it around." That message is such an important message that it would be silly to let it go.
Jeanne DuPrau did a wonderful job on describing the characters: Doon, and Lina. Doon, the one who always is interested in learning, and Lina, the one who is always up for a good adventure. She also did a great job on the structure of the story and its plot. Although this is Jeanne DuPrau's second novel she sure can capture the readers attention. She first wrote "The City Of Ember" then the sequel "The People Of Sparks".
"The People Of Sparks" was wonderful, and the book was a total edge-of-your-seat kind of book. The whole time you couldn't put down the book, and surely of course others in the future will enjoy the book as much as others who have loved it so much they read it about four times! Truly this is a book to recommend to friends and family of any age. They will and would love it and won't be able to put down the book! This book deserves two thumbs up!
Book Review: A Great Sequel
Summary: 5 Stars
Upon finishing the City of Ember, the first amazing book of the series, I was curious to learn what would happen next. I had high hopes considering how wonderful The City of Ember was. I was not disappointed - it included all the aspects I enjoyed about the first book.
The book covers the struggle to exist peacefully together and avoid war. The Emberites leave their home and enter the city of Sparks, where they meet many challenges with a huge group of over four-hundred people. The reluctant Sparks come to their aid, providing shelter and food for the new people. However, tensions soon arise, beginning with food and then shifting to a wider range of problems. Soon their is a lurking hostility between the Emberites and the people of Sparks, led on by unknown attacks to both sides. Soon the two groups are on the edge of war - and again, it is up to Lina and Doon to save the day.
We also meet a wide variety of new and interesting characters. The city's three mayors - the kind Mary Waters, the harsh and cold Ben Barlow, and the undecided Wilmer Dent struggle to decide what to do about the people of Ember in the hard times between them. We meet the city's one and only doctor, the busy and absent-minded Dr. Hester, and her nephew who lives with her, the mean and destructive Torren. We learn more about old characters as well, and meet a new Emberite, a boy called Tick who is the leader in the soon-to-be war between the Emberites and the People of Sparks.
This book is fantasy and adventure themed, but also teaches lessons about how war is destructive, and destroys things. We find more out about Ember and what protection it served, as well as what destroyed so much hundreds of years before. All in all, it is a great addition to the series, and a great book.
Book Review: THE PEOPLE OF SPARKS
Summary: 5 Stars
What if you didn't have the word "war" in your vocabulary? Would war even exist? How would one go about creating a war? Is it better to be ignorant of war than to have first-hand (or even second-hand) knowledge of the concept of it?
These questions are relevant in approaching THE PEOPLE OF SPARKS, the follow-up to the brilliant THE CITY OF EMBER.
I'll pull no punches here -- this is an excellent YA novel to discuss some very topical subjects: war, immigration, negativity versus positivity in achieving goals, problem solving, survival, hate, and what it means to be civilized.
There will be those that dismiss this book because it is not the same bizarre place as Ember was; there are some who lack the sense of adventure and mystery that THE CITY OF EMBER brought to the reader -- well, this isn't meant to be Ember, it is meant to take the people of Ember and throw them into the most bizarre of worlds: ours. Set in a post-apocalyptic America, the Emberites become alien immigrants in a town that can't handle such an influx. Not understanding trees, the sun, animals, and the concept of war, the Emberites have to change their concept of the world by trying to understand things that we take for granted.
The dichotomy of these two distinct cultures trying to survive together is at the heart of this fascinating tale of Civilization.
Jeanne DuPrau has done well again and I heartily recommend this book for anyone who dares to think about what they would do as a member of either of these cultures as they clash in a world that has already suffered from too much destruction.
Book Review: The People of Sparks
Summary: 5 Stars
The People of Sparks is a worthy sucessor to The City of Ember. We begin with Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, two young children who managed to bring the 400 residents of Ember, a crumbling, underground city, up from the ground. The Embrites soon meet the people of Sparks, who reluctantly let the Embrites into their city of 322 people. At first, things are moderatley pleasant even though the Embrites, who have never seen such things, are terrified of cows, chickens, and other animals. Weather is another thing that the Embrites have never experienced. Being underground, they have never seen heat waves, rain, snow, etc. Eventually, it is dicovered that the Builders of Embrites had created the City of Ember so that should a Diaster strike, there would be survivors underground. Just as the Builders feared, a Diaster did strike, destroying many towns. Sparks is one of the fortunate towns that managed to survive. As the Embrites continue to stay in Sparks, tensions rise. Since there are more Embrites than Sparkans, the food supply is decreasing. Many angered Sparkans complain that the Embrites, who should be taking care of themselves they say, are taking up too much food and other supplies. The Embrites fight back, saying that they are still adaptating to this new life and that they are doing their best. More strain evolves between the two cities, resulting to a terrible event. However, things do get a little better. The People of Sparks is a really great book, when I got it, I kept on reading until I finished it. It truly is a page turner.Book Review: The City of Ember's " second explores the nature of conflict and the strength and courage necessary to overcome it.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second book of Ember, a collection of children books.
When Lina Mayfleet and her friend Doon Harrow lead the people of Ember out to the outside world, they are adopted by a town that survived the atomic holocaust ("Four Wars and Three Plagues").
Unfortunate the survivors of Ember outnumber the people of Sparks. The Sparks' town leaders decide to adopt them and to share their food in exchange for work.
Lina and Doon learn, through two different pathways, that the war that destroyed the world occurred because people got angry with each other and started doing evil things to their fellow men. They learn that the only way to stop the destruction is to eradicate the hate from the beginning. Lina goes on an adventure and gets to see first hand the destruction from an atomic attack.
Which is good, because the people from Ember and the People from Sparks start bickering about how food and work should be divided. Doon gets accused falsely of wasting food and a person from Ember foments the hatred.
In this second installment of the highly acclaimed "The City of Ember," Jeanne Duprau explores the nature of conflict and the strength and courage necessary to overcome it.
Even though it was written for children, the themes are so universal and the writing is so good that they will be enjoyed by anyone who loves science fiction.