The People of Sparks: The Second Book of Ember (Books of Ember)
by Jeanne DuPrau
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jeanne DuPrauBrand: Yearling
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-04-12
ISBN: 0375828257
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Yearling
Book Reviews of The People of Sparks: The Second Book of Ember (Books of Ember)
Book Review: "Worthy successor"? No, simply another sequel
Summary: 3 Stars
These days, it's difficult to recreate the impact a good book had on an audience. "The City of Ember" was a good book. There were aspects of mystery, confusion, and adventure thrown together in such a way that it was enjoyable. Even though the writing was a bit bland and the characters somewhat simple, "The City of Ember" was fun, exciting, and thoroughly satisfying.
So here comes "The People of Sparks". A sequel. Knowing the difficulties with sequels, perhaps Duprau should have thought hard before choosing to write a sequel. However, she chose to, and while perhaps the results aren't horrible, they aren't particularly impressive either.
Originality and intrigue played a big part in the success of "The City of Ember". While neither stories are wholly new, "Ember" had a spark that made it interesting to readers. "Sparks", on the other hand, was downright predictable. Again, not BAD, but simple and flat. Even characters we'd liked suddenly seemed dumbed down, flattened out. The eventual outcome wasn't surprising, and there was only one thing that was "surprising", and it was more AMUSING than actually surprising.
"The People of Sparks" continues just where "The City of Ember" had left off. But why did it have to continue? I liked that ending of mystery at the end of "Ember". It so reminded me of "The Giver" (actually, in many sense the books are similar, though far from identical), and I was rather disappointed that the story continued. It went on to a predictable, flat story that was so obvious it actually frustrated me.
It's a reasonable book, and a reasonable sequel. There are amusing moments - the librarian is sorting old books and stumbles upon something called "Harry Potter" (possibly my favorite part) - some interesting moments, but it's mostly toned down and slightly duller. Readers who were perhaps not fully impressed by "The City of Ember" will probably want to avoid the sequels and stick to whatever opinion they currently have. Fans desperate to know what happens next will WANT to read this book, and probably should.
I feel that for older readers, "Sparks" is a book that should be avoided, but for the younger readers, it is the perfect sequel. Enjoy.
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