Ken picked this book up at the library for Isabelle. It was in the children's section, and he thought the movie adaptation was interesting (he randomly borrowed it from the library a few years ago), so he figured why not. I had never heard of it. This was Isabelle's first science-fiction read, and I have to admit, given her usual taste in books (e.g., fairies, books about girls who dance or garden or who are just growing up and having adventures), I was surprised - and pleased! - by how much she enjoyed this book.
I was surprised, too, by how much I liked this book myself. The two main characters are Lina (a girl) and Doon (a boy), so it's nice that this book can appeal to both girls and boys. Lina - like many protagonists of children's book - is an orphan, and Doon - like many other protagonists of children's books - has a tendency to not share important information with adults. They realize that Ember, their city, is falling apart, and they look for a solution to help save their people.
It was interesting how, in the city of Ember, everything was old - broken, repaired, faded - or non-existent. Maybe young readers might realize how lucky they are to even have things like colored pencils, and to have new clothes and furniture - not at all stained or torn or dingy.
I liked that Lina and Doon did not just embark on a mission as two exceptionally competent children. When Lina comes upon a mysterious document, she does try to recruit adults to help her. It's not her fault they weren't much help. I do wish, though, that Doon hadn't kept everything secret from his father.
I was also kind of annoyed that when Lina discovered the hidden document, she and Doon didn't spend any time wondering where it came from. We readers know the answer, of course, but it still seemed like Lina and Doon should have been a little curious about how the document came to be found by Lina.
I also thought the idea of having randomly assigned jobs was ridiculous. I would think that in an enclosed city with limited resources, each person would be assigned a job based first on their actual abilities and potential in a given field.
Anyway, the book is a very fast read. Enough information is laid down so that you basically know exactly what is going to happen, but you keep reading because of the suspense in wanting to know how it happens. Still, at the very end, I literally exclaimed to Isabelle, "It ends just like that?!" And Isabelle said, "Yeah, I thought there should be more." I've already started the next book in the series, The People of Sparks, and I really think the second chapter in that book ought to have been included in this book instead.
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