
The City of Ember
The First Book of Ember
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Narrated by:
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Wendy Dillon
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By:
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Jeanne DuPrau
About this listen
ALA Notable Children's Book
Ember is the only light in a dark world. But when its lamps begin to flicker, two friends must race to escape the dark. This highly acclaimed adventure series is a modern-day classic—with over 4 MILLION copies sold!
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to dim. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. Now, she and her friend Doon must race to figure out the clues to keep the lights on. If they succeed, they will have to convince everyone to follow them into danger. But if they fail? The lights will burn out and the darkness will close in forever.
Nominated to 28 State Award Lists!
An American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection
A Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice
A Child Magazine Best Children’s Book
A Mark Twain Award Winner
A William Allen White Children’s Book Award Winner
“A realistic post-apocalyptic world. DuPrau’s book leaves Doon and Lina on the verge of undiscovered country and readers wanting more.”—USA Today
“An electric debut.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred
“While Ember is colorless and dark, the book itself is rich with description.”—VOYA, Starred
“A harrowing journey into the unknown, and cryptic messages for readers to decipher.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Don't miss Lina and Doon's other adventures in The City of Ember.©2003 Jeanne DuPrau (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing GroupCritic reviews
A Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection
USA Today "DuPrau’s first foray into fiction creates a realistic post-apocalyptic world. Reminiscent of Robert O'Brien's Z for Zachariah, DuPrau’s book leaves Doon and Lina on the verge of the undiscovered country and readers wanting more."
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly"Thanks to full-blooded characters every bit as compelling as the plot, Lina and Doon’s search parallels the universal adolescent quest for answers. An electric debut!"
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews "Well-paced, this contains a satisfying mystery, a breathtaking escape over rooftops in darkness, a harrowing journey into the unknown, and cryptic messages for readers to decipher. The likeable protagonists are not only courageous but also believably flawed by human pride. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers clamoring for the next installment."
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1) Wendy Dillon is a fine narrator, but it sounded, for most of the book, like she had a cold with a bit of a stuffed up nose. She was good nonetheless, but I wish she'd waited until that cold went away before recording.
2) There were background sound effects at the beginning of some of the chapters that sometimes went on for several minutes. These didn't add much to the story and, in some cases, actually made the narration difficult to hear. I don't mind sound effects in audiobooks, but not over the top of the narration, and not for minutes at a time.
Story Great; Recording is just OK
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Great read!
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Wondrous
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Amber
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Great Story
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The reading
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Good story; mediocre ending
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so nostalgic
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good diversion
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The experience of listening to an audio book is not merely narration, there are often varying levels of acting and sound effects included to make it a rounder experience. I enjoy this type of experience as it reminds me of the old days when Radio was king and people gathered around it as they used to gather around television.
With that said, I love this book and have listened many times to my old multiple CD copy and was glad to finally be able to replace that with one download to complete this entire series in audio from Audible.
Many adults who come to this book have heard of other stories regarding the possibility of the world's end and what people might do in order to somehow survive it. This is a story like that but from a truly original point of view. This is not at all dystopian, it is rather a story I would be glad to start my own grandchildren on and let them collect one by one until they have the whole story of all 4 books. They are normally read in the following order (though there are decent arguments for setting the third book in place of the first): 1- The City of Ember 2- The People of Sparks 3- The Prophet of Yonwood 4- The Diamond of Darkhold. For those who don't like this particular narrator (though holding the presentation against her is too far, in my opinion) just know that each book is done by a different narrator. Wendy Dillon only narrates the first book.
Beginning of a Four Book Series YA
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