|
 Review by
Linda Harmon
The adventures of Lina and Doon
continue in "The People of Sparks," the sequel to "The City of
Ember." [Review]
Having escaped their dying underground home, Lina and Doon have led
a group of approximately 400 Emberites to a new world above ground.
The first place they come to is a village called Sparks.
As the story opens, a boy named Torren
is at the edge of a cabbage field when he first sees the people. The
people of Sparks have never seen more than four new people from the
outer regions at one time. At first both groups of people are
terrified of each other. The three village leaders -- Mary, Ben and
Wilmer -- are called, and after questioning the people from Ember,
they reach an agreement.
The people of Ember will be allowed to
stay in Sparks for six months. The village will attempt to feed and
house the people of Ember, and in exchange the Emberites will work
for the people of Sparks. The leaders aren't sure how they will pull
this off since the village itself only has 322 people and they are
barely producing enough food for themselves. After six months their
goal is for the people of Ember to leave Sparks and start a town of
their own.
The majority of the Emberites will be
housed outside of town in an old, bombed-out hotel. Because Lina's
little sister, Poppy, is very ill, she and Mrs. Murdo, their
guardian, will stay with the village doctor, Hester Crane. The
doctor is pleasant enough but very preoccupied with her work. She is
the only medical person in the village.
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Torren also lives with the doctor. He
has an older brother, Casper, who is a roamer. A roamer is similar
to our antique dealers of today; they are constantly on the look for
items from the past. Casper finds these treasures in the ruins of
cities. Lina still dreams of the city she drew when she lived in
Ember, so when Casper shows up at the doctor's house, she stows away
in his truck. This turns out to be a much bigger adventure than she
planned for.
It doesn't take long for problems to
arise between the people of Sparks and the people of Ember. The
hotel isn't a great place for the Emberites to live, since it has no
electricity or indoor plumping, which they had in Ember. The people
of Sparks don't have these amenities and find it hard to believe
that Ember had them. The heat is also a problem for Emberites; they
get very sunburned and have trouble with stamina while working. When
they need a break, the Sparks people think they are lazy and
ungrateful. Food is not plentiful and the Sparks people begin to
resent sharing it with 400 strangers.
As conflicts escalate, Doon becomes
involved with a new character, the charismatic and militaristic
Tick, formerly of Ember. Tick uses every opportunity to incite the
Emberites. When Lina returns a month later after roaming with
Casper, war seems imminent. The village of Sparks has a weapon left
over from past wars, and they are ready to use it if they are
threatened. The Emberites are armed with towel bars and sticks. Lina
and Doon know they must stop this insanity at all costs, but how?
The conclusion is dramatic and hopeful.
This
thought-provoking and well-written novel is suggested for ages 9 to
13.
[Linda
Harmon,
Lincoln
Public Library District] |
