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The City Of EmberThe City of Ember is a 2003 post-apocalyptic book by Jeanne DuPrau. It's centered around the underground city of Ember, the one known surviving settlement and "the only light in the dark world" that's slowly dying as supplies run low and the electrical system starts to fail. The main characters are Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, two 12-year-olds who watch as the light of Ember flickers and race to discover a way out. Plot The story opens with an Assignment Day, the day 12-year-olds finish schooling and are assigned jobs, in a bleak time characterized by unexpected black-outs; for an underground settlement, light is nearly as important as air. Lina is given the job of a Pipeworks Laborer, and Doon becomes a Messenger. Disliking their jobs, they switch. The plot begins moving as Lina finds the lost Instructions for exiting Ember. As the duo works to puzzle them out, Doon discovers that the Mayor of Ember is stealing the disappearing resources of Ember. When the Mayor in turn discovers that they know, his Guards go after the pair. After a brief episode with the Guards, Doon, Lina, and Lina's little sister Poppy flee Ember by boat, sailing the River that flows beneath the city. Eventually, they come to a great rock slope. After a long and arduous climb they make it out and find a new world, one where the lamps omnipresent in the city are not needed, and they can easily see. The discovery is followed by another one, their history. The city was founded by a group of one hundred adults and the same number of children as a measure to guarantee the survival of the human race in a disaster that obliterated civilization. The three write a message to Ember, including the Instructions, and wrap it in Doon's shirt. They hurl the bundle down a hole above Ember, and leave. Sequel A sequel to Ember, titled The People of Sparks has been published. Sparks is a small community which survived the Disaster. The story begins as the Emberites emerge from underground. Sample A bit of dialogue from the first chapter of The People: When Mary stepped forward and said, "Who are you?" it was the boy who answered. He spoke in a clear, loud voice that surprised Torren, who had expected a pitiful voice from someone so bedraggled. "We come from the city of Ember," the boy said. "We left there because our city was dying. We need help." Mary, Ben, and Wilmer exchanged glances. Mary frowned. "The city of Ember? Where's that? We've never heard of it. " The boy gestured back the way they had come, to the east. "That way," he said. "It's under the ground." City of Ember, The City of Ember, The City of Ember, The
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