A review by mollysmith1313
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

5.0

Updated Review: I have now revisited this book as an adult in my 30s thanks to the audiobook selection at my local library—and I’m happy to share, it really holds up! Yes, it’s a kids book, and that’s probably why overall I didn’t super love that everything in the book was from the perspective of two 12-year-olds. But that being said, I found myself wanting to know more and more about the adults and the way of life in Ember. Having lived through the 2020+ COVID-19 pandemic, parts of this book hit differently now than it did when I was a kid. The descriptions of supply shortages, sick people with little options, and corrupt individuals taking advantage of what they can while others suffer….it’s not terribly far off from the reality many of us became aware of in the lockdowns of 2020. And I think this book generally does a great job of touching on difficult situations, and different people’s responses to them. When the blackouts become more frequent, the book shows how some people react by ignoring the issue, while others react by protesting the government to take direct action. I’m not sure how many more times I might revisit this book in my life, but I’m glad I did this time, and recommend you do the same.

Original Review: I think I read this book for the first time in middle school (2007?). But I really liked it then. I enjoyed it so much, I think I read it twice and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the second book.