Lifelong Learning: Book Talk Thursday: The City Of Ember

The book I'm featuring this Book Talk Thursday is The City Of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. I hope you will link up with me at the end of this post to share one of your favourite books.

Summary: The City Of Ember tells the story of a city in darkness. The power is failing more regularly and Lina and Don are determined to find a way to save the people of Ember, even if it means venturing into the Pipeworks…

Themes: fear, determination, hope, light/dark, dystopia/utopia.

Ages: 9+

Quote: "There is so much darkness in Ember, Lina. It's not just outside, it's inside us, too. Everyone has some darkness inside. It's like a hungry creature. It wants and wants and wants with a terrible power. And the more you give it, the bigger and hungrier it gets."

This is one of my favourite books, and it has so many uses in the classroom. Written in vivid detail the adventure will pull in even reluctant readers. This is a great book to look at themes such as lightness and darkness and how they are represented through symbolism in the text. Its richly textured description and dialogue paints a picture of a fanciful yet sinister town cast in darkness, yet the adventure moves at a fast enough rate that the description does not weigh the reader down. Lina and Doon's friendship is one that students can relate to as they use teamwork and rely on one another to solve the mysteries of Ember.

The descriptive writing in The City Of Ember is also perfect to look at similes and metaphors. I have a hanging graphic organizer that you might like to use if you do a book study of The City Of Ember with your students. It has a light bulb theme that ties in to the book perfectly, though it can also be used for other studies. You can get it here.

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What are your favourite books to use in the classroom? That's the question Book Talk Thursday is all about. I'd love for you to link up and share one of your favourite books.

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