City of Ember : escape is the only option

If you haven't read Jeanne DuPrau's "Ember" series, definitely check it out. I admit I only picked up the first book because it's being adapted to the screen as CITY OF EMBER, opening Oct. 10. But I was quickly drawn into the story and the fascinating post-Apocalyptic world DuPrau creates, in which the residents of a self-contained underground city face banishment in eternal darkness unless someone finds a solution to the city's power problem. The first book, "The City of Ember," ends with a cliffhanger -- so, of course, I was compelled to read the second one, "The People of Sparks." And if my opinion is not enough to sway you, well, helium-voiced Web star Fred is also a fan.

What I most admire about DuPrau's writing is her ability to craft suspenseful, tense stories that still manage to work in positive messages about trusting one another, keeping an open mind and not always going along with the crowd. In addition to "Ember" and "Sparks," I also read her most recent (and apparently final) "Ember" book, "The Diamond of Darkhold," and was impressed by each of them.

Lina and Doon, the teens at the center of three of her four "Ember" books, are the kind of people most of us wish we could be: quick-thinking, resourceful, willing to take chances, determined and generous. They aren't flawless by any stretch of the imagination, but they try to do the right thing whenever possible and they don't resort to violence to get their way. In fact, one of the noteworthy aspects of DuPrau's stories is their willingness to give most of the "bad guys" second chances instead of doing away with them as soon as possible. It will certainly be interesting to see if that forgiving attitude carries over to the screen adaptations.
CITY OF EMBER stars recent Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan as Lina and Harry Treadaway as Doon. Bill Murray plays the mayor of Ember, who doesn't take the recent spate of blackouts seriously, and Tim Robbins plays Doon's father.


Source : http://blog.mlive.com/james_sanford/2008/09/city_of_ember_gets_support_fro.html