Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
A modern-day classic. This highly acclaimed adventure series about two friends desperate to save their doomed city has captivated kids and teachers alike for almost fifteen years and has sold over 3.5 MILLION copies! 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 flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must race to figure out the clues before the lights go out on Ember forever!
Is The City of Ember (The First Book of Ember) appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
A gentle dystopian adventure with mild peril as two friends race to decode a message that could save their dying underground city. Some tension around darkness and resource scarcity, but hopeful and age-appropriate.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include darkness / fear of dark, resource scarcity, and societal collapse.
Who'll love this
Kids will love following Lina and Doon as they solve puzzles and uncover secrets in a mysterious underground city where the lights are going out.