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The People of Sparks

DuPrau, Jeanne. Book - 2004 Teen Book / Fiction / Dystopian / DuPrau, Jeanne None on shelf 6 requests on 1 copy Community Rating: 3.8 out of 5

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Westgate Teen Books
4-week checkout
Teen Book / Fiction / Dystopian / DuPrau, Jeanne 4-week checkout Due 02-14-2024

Having escaped to the Unknown Regions, Lina and the others seek help from the village people of Sparks.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

good, but kind of simplistically moralistic submitted by camelsamba on July 12, 2011, 9:24am I noticed that the back cover lists this book as reading level 5.5. Presumably that is a grade level. Now that I know that, I can forgive some of the seemingly simplistic presentations of deep concepts. I'm not saying that 5th graders can't grasp complex concepts!

I really did like the story, even though parts of it verge on hit-you-over-the-head-with-the-moral obvious. Because hey, we're talking about 10 year olds. Although in my family, the 10 year olds were way above 5th grade reading level; however, they didn't always get the deeper meaning of stories written at that higher level. They didn't have enough experience in the world to understand subtle symbolism. Heck, I don't understand subtle symbolism half the time and I'm [forty-mumble-something:], but I chalk that up to having placed out of freshman comp... So in other words, if it's really 8 year olds reading this book - or having this book read to them - then it seems reasonable. It's not a "dumbed down" message. It's just a message that hits you square between the eyes - and it's a good message. Fix problems, not blame. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. Choose peace.

The People of Sparks submitted by halofriendly on July 23, 2011, 5:53pm As much as I yearned to love these books and add them to my bookshelves at home, I just couldn’t. While the storyline was intriguing enough and the characters likeable (especially Lina), what bothered me the most was the lack of a climax in all three of the stories. And when the story line began driving toward a climax, the author chose instead to veer away from it and let our imaginations do the work (which I normally wouldn't be opposed to, but there were a number of chances to make the plot exciting which the author skipped over).

All in all, I wanted this story to have more punch than it ever did. I found myself skimming through The Prophet of Yonwood pages at a time in the hope that I’d come across a more interesting passage. And although I agree with the author when it comes to the dangers of religious intolerance and fanaticism, I felt dragged down by the constant harping on how these two things make the world bad. The not-so-underlying message throughout The Prophet of Yonwood that the Disaster that led to Ember being built underground was caused by religious wars was its own character and I wish she hadn’t been so heavy-handed with it.

Okay, what did I like?
The storyline (Honestly! Aside from my aforementioned disappointments with it, the story arc was fantastic)….I love dystopic literature and this one sucked me in: underground city, adventure, demolished cities above ground, people living off the land and creating civilization again, etc.

The characters…Lina, a strong female who really carried the story, is 12 years old, a newly christened Messenger in Ember, and incredibly devoted to her baby sister, Poppy. Doon, a 12 year old radical who stands up to authority and joins with Lina to save his city, is incredibly inspiring, even as he struggles with what is right and what is wrong.

not so good submitted by ferdoble on August 2, 2011, 4:55pm This book was tolerable, but not as goods as the first, that being said it was not nearly so bad as the 3rd book. if your still attached to the characters of the first book that will likely carry you through this one.

Okay submitted by Motomori on August 1, 2012, 3:24pm It was okay but it wasn't as good as the first one.

The People of Sparks submitted by yaldah on August 27, 2013, 9:58am While I have to agree with a couple of reviewers that the Books of Ember aren't written very well, to me the stories were very absorbing.
In my own opinion, the three books get better and better as you go along (although I notice that ferdoble has the exact opposite opinion). The first book (The City of Ember) is all right. The second book (The People of Sparks - this one that I'm reviewing right now!) is better, and the third book (The Prophet of Yonwood) is even better. I don't want to discourage you from reading all three books by saying the first one isn't very good, though. If you're going to read the second or third book, you really should read the first book... well, first.
So go ahead, read The City of Ember, like it, read The People of Sparks, like it a lot, read The Prophet of Yonwood... and be really annoyed 'cause it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the other two. Consider stopping reading it, but decide to finish it, then start really liking the story before you are halfway through it, and by the time you reach the end/beginning (I won't tell you what I mean until you read it! :D), love the story. Well, that was my experience with this series, anyway.

Good submitted by peterflorence on June 15, 2015, 6:22pm This book is good and has some action in it.

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SERIES
The book of Ember
2.



PUBLISHED
New York : Random House, c2004.
Year Published: 2004
Description: 338 p.
Language: English
Format: Book

READING LEVEL
Lexile: 760

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
0375828249
0375928243
0375828257

SUBJECTS
Fantasy.