The People of Sparks (The Books of Ember #2) by Jeanne DuPrau

★★★★★

I'm surprising myself by giving this book 5 stars. I keep trying to think of reasons to downgrade my rating, but I just can't think of any. Maybe if I had more extensive post-apocalyptic reading under my belt, I would be less impressed by this book, but as it is, I just really liked it.

This book starts with a couple chapters that I really think should have been in the first book. The people of Ember have come out of from underground, and they now need to somehow put together a new life for themselves in this big, open world they have discovered.

Mostly, this book is a discourse on war. There's nothing new in it for me, but considering the target audience, I think this book would be a really valuable read for kids in elementary and middle school. I think the author did a remarkable job crafting the two communities - the people of Ember and the people of Sparks - and exploring the emotions and thought processes of various characters. Young readers will get a glimpse into the dark side of human nature, but hopefully be left with the idea that goodness can prevail despite injustices - it just might involve making hard choices and finding solutions where there seem to be none. The book examines questions of morality versus survival, and charisma versus actual leadership. I especially liked the way the book delves into Doon's uncertain fascination with Tick, and Torren's angry outbursts.

Maddy quickly became one of my favorite characters, and I only wished that her role was bigger.

I was a little annoyed, at first, that in Sparks - as in Ember - jobs for Emberites seemed to be assigned randomly, whereas a much more effective plan would have been to divide labor according to people's talents and interests. Luckily, the book redeemed itself on this point at the very end.

I am happy with this book's ending, and I actually don't feel compelled to read the next book in the series, but I probably will. Meanwhile, Isabelle has read the first chapter or so of this book, but she keep stalling and I wonder if she'll finish it.