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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
Mild; the danger of a city in collapse and an underground chase
Language
None
No strong language
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Barely any
Mild; the existential weight of a dying city, handled at a level appropriate for middle-grade readers
What this book is about
Jeanne DuPrau's 2003 debut novel is set in Ember, an underground city whose power supply is failing and whose residents don't know why — or that there's a world above them. Two twelve-year-olds, Lina and Doon, discover a message from Ember's builders and must decode it before the lights go out forever. A quietly remarkable dystopian adventure that launched one of middle-grade fiction's most beloved series.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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