The City of Ember

by Jeanne DuPrau

Narrated by Wendy Dillon

270 pages

The City of Ember was built by the builders as a last refuge.  The sky is always black, and there are no stars.  Without electricity, the city would be completely dark.  The builders did not plan for the residents of Ember to stay in this city as long as they have, but the instructions for exit have been lost.  Nobody knows that they are supposed to leave.  Supplies are running low, and the generator is beginning to fail.  Things look bleak for the citizens of Ember, but two 12-year-olds, Lina and Doon, are determined to find an answer to all of Ember's problems.  

I enjoyed this book.  It's definitely a unique idea, and I enjoyed the originality of this story.  The plot was a little predictable in places, but I'm an adult.  I'm guessing the intended audience would not feel this way.  This is definitely a great read for grades 5-7.  The book finished with a cliffhanger that left me anxious to read the next book.

I listened to the audio version, and I must say this is the best audiobook I have listened to so far.  The sound effects made the story come to life, and the narrator really brought the characters to life.  Each character had a distinct voice and manner of speaking.  However, I think I might have enjoyed this book more in print.  I know I almost always say this, but this time I feel it's more true than usual.  There is this document fragment that Lina and Doon are trying to piece together and figure out.  I would have liked to have seen it, so I could try to piece it together with them.  It's really hard to do that with the audio version.  That being said, I'd definitely recommend the audio version to others.