The People of Sparks (Book of Ember, #2)

by Jeanne DuPrau

Wendy Dillon (Narrator)

Just when the future looks bright for the people of Ember, a new darkness lurks. This highly acclaimed adventure series is a modern-day classic—with over 4 MILLION copies sold!

Lina and Doon have led the citizens of Ember to an exciting new world. They’ve been given safe haven in a small village called Sparks, a place filled with color and life. But they’re not out of danger yet. Although Sparks seems like the answer the long-suffering Emberites have been hoping for, tempers soon escalate. The villagers have never had to share their world before, and it only takes a tiny “spark” to ignite a battle between the two struggling groups. Lina and Doon will have to work together to avoid a disaster not only for their people, but also for the people of Sparks. 

Praise for the City of Ember books:
 
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

• ISBN10: 140008489X
• ISBN13: 9781400084890
• Publish Date: 1 October 2004 (first published 1 January 2004)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Listening Library
• Format: Audiobook
• Duration: 7 hours and 55 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Now freed from the slowly darkening City of Ember, Lina and Doon lead about 400 citizens across the war ravaged wasteland until they stumble upon Sparks. Faced with abandoning these people to the wastes or taking them in, the Town Council votes to adopt of the people of Ember for six months, until they can learn to fend for themselves.

Fear of food shortages and rising tempers lead to traded worlds and animosity between the two peoples, and soon, there's the threat of violence. Doon, wanting to see justice served, find himself conflicted at the idea of fighting back... but it's only fair, right? And Lina takes an unexpected adventure that leads her to understand how the world ended before.

My actual review for this is 3.5 stars. It's not bad, and I think that there are a couple aspects of my specific experience that made me enjoy it less. For starters, Wendy Dillon's narration is hit-or-miss. She does a few voices that really annoy me, and ruin the scenes those characters who are in. Secondly, I'm way older than the intended audience, so that's a factor too.

I think that for the right audience, and in print, The People of Sparks is a good response to The City of Ember. Jeanne DuPrau is true to her characters and the message of greed and the importance of empathy is strong. I still believe she does an incredible job balancing storytelling for middle grade readers and weaving a successful dystopia. The overall storytelling is still enough to make me push forward, but this isn't one I'll be adding to my hardcopy collection.