“The People of Sparks” by Jeanne DuPrau

“The People of Sparks”, by Jeanne DuPrau continues the story started in “The City of Ember”. If you haven’t yet read The City of Ember, then you may not want to read this review, because it contains a spoiler.

“The People of Sparks” tells the story of the refugees emerging from Ember into the post-apocalyptic world. For generations the Emberites lived in their underground city, unaware that it was merely intended to be a shelter so that humans could survive the nuclear and germ war that threatened the human race. Read the rest »

“Once Upon a Marigold” by Jean Ferris

“Once Upon a Marigold” by Jean Ferris is a modern fairy tale with a classic happy ending. The cover of my edition pretty much describes the story in one pithy phrase: “part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink.” I’ll admit that it is not as deep as my usual book selections, but it makes for a very satisfying and peaceful read for those times when you’re just tired of suspense and deep plots.

“Once Upon a Marigold” is the story of a young orphan named Christian.  When Christian is rescued by a reluctant troll named Edric it is only because Edric feels sorry for Christian. Young Christian grows up with his adoptive father Edric, but he longs to have more association with other humans. Read the rest »

“The City of Ember” by Jeanne DuPrau

“The City of Ember,” by Jeanne DuPrau is a marvelous science fiction novel with a richly descriptive world. It is the first of four book in The Books of Ember Series.

As its title suggests, The City of Ember, is about a city, and a very unique one at that. As the first sentence of the first chapter says:

“In the city of Ember, the sky was always dark. The only light came from great flood lamps, mounted on the top of buildings and at the tops of poles mounted in the middle of the larger squares.” Read the rest »