City of Ember

It's a kid book. I know that. Give me a break. I've been a little tired, and all the heavy literature I've been reading lately have made my brain feel heavy.

So I needed a good dose of brain candy. And I have to say, this was a delicious serving.

I first heard of this book the way I'm sure most people did: after they made the movie.


And since the book is written approximately for ages 10-12, I doubt any of you have read it. But if you write a book, and less than 5 years later, it is a movie that included toys in many fast-food kids' meals, you've done something right.

If you're looking for a fun, super fast (I read the entire book in about 6 hours) young dystonian/adventure book, this fits the bill.

The city of Ember is surrounded by darkness. No one ever goes out into, and no one has ever come to Ember out of it. The darkness within Ember is held at bay by lights attached to every building, at every corner. All the lights are powered by an ancient generator. But the lights are beginning to flicker, leaving the city and all its occupants in the dark, for longer and longer periods.

Two young children, one motivated by dreams of a city of light, desperately search for a way to lead their families through the darkness.

I enjoyed the book. There are two other books in the series. Which leads me to my feelings on series. As far as movies go, they are usually just disasters (unless we are talking about Jason Bourne, and then there could not be enough movies.) But as far as books go, I just love the story to keep going and going and going. I'm always excited when there is another book.

But the reviews for the next two books weren't very good.

Have any of you read them? Any opinions? And what about the movie? I kind of want to see it now (because yes, I enjoy kid movies.) If you saw it, did you like it? And could I watch it with my six year old?