The City of Ember Book Summary

The City of Ember, a science fiction novel by Jeanne DuPrau, takes place in an underground city that was made to keep the human race alive after the war/plague. The underground city, Ember, is falling apart and running out supplies such as food, clothes, soap and school items. It is a dark, damp, mold filled, dying city. The people in the city have become less aware of what humans used to know and do not know how to fix broken things and only know how to replace them. This is why, when supplies start to run out, they are forced to leave the city because they do not know how to survive. In the book, the main character, a 12 year old girl named Lina, finds a piece of paper with instructions. The instructions explain how to leave Ember once Earth becomes safe to live on again. While on her journey, Lina gets help from a boy named Doon.  In the end, the people of Ember get to the world above, but have no idea how to survive. The book seems to be addressing that today we do not make our own things anymore and we are materialistic consumers.