City of Ember

* * * */ Four Stars

Genre: Action, Adventure, Danger, Drama, Suspense, Mystery, Futuristic, Humor (but it is very dry in some places . . .)

In this outstanding book by Jeanne DuPrau, the people generations ago, 'the builders', built a great city underground because they feared the world above may not make it. That city was called the City of Ember. They gave the first mayor of Ember a box that would open in 200 years. Inside it would rest the directions that would help people back up to the surface world again, when the world might stand a better chance. The box was successfully passed from mayor to mayor; that is, until the 7th mayor passed before his time. The box was then lost, but it slowly clicked open in silence . . . Lena is a descendant of the 7th mayor. When she, her grandmother, and her little sister Poppy find the box, they don't know what it means. When Lena and her new friend Doon decide to find out, they will encounter; a shocking truth, what's really happening in their store-rooms, a different tunnel, a key to a hidden bunker, a trail in the pipeworks, a way out of Ember, and a secret that will change their lives forever.
This book is one of my favorites (and I don't say that often . . .)! Everyone looking for their next favorite will love it, too!