Rating: 
Summary: A good sequel!
Review: This book picks up immediately where The City of Ember left off. The people of Ember find Doon and Lina's note and have made it to the surface just as the lights in Ember were going out for good. They follow Lina and Doon through the strange new world and end up weary and dazed at the town of Sparks. It turns out that this town is one of the largest and most thriving settlements since after the disaster/war that has nearly wiped out mankind. At first the townsfolk cannot believe anything about an underground city with lights that the Ember populace tell them about. But their pale skins, small sizes and ragged overly heavy clothing convinces the Sparks elders that this could be from living without sun and maybe the Emberites are truthful.
The elders have to decide what to do with the Emberites since turning them away would surely mean their death. The Emberites have no skills related to building and farming and no livestock to sustain them. However, the people of Sparks have just enough food for their own populace and an extra 400 people would mean hard times and shortages for them. They decide to let the Emberites stay for 6 months during which they will be taught all the skills to live on their own and can then leave to build their own town elsewhere.
This turns out to be a problem as the Emberites are not used to hard toil, changing weather climates, sun, insects, etc. and therefore start to take a long time to adjust. The differences in the two townsfolk cause extreme animosity between the two groups that may lead to a "war." Doon and Lina saved the people of Ember once and have their work cut out for them this time to do it again.
The book is a little bit slower than the first book but is a good story nonetheless. It shows that a little bit of hatred can blow a minor incident out of proportion, especially where people pre-judge the incident without knowing the facts. That one misunderstood incident could lead to a war.
The book does give us a clue as to what happened to the rest of the world and seem to resolve most of its issues by the end. I would recommend reading the first book prior to reading this one though, to get a better flavor of the Emberites and what their culture was like.
Rating: 
Summary: Another hit--with ages 7 to 70 in our family
Review: This is a WONDERFUL book. I can't say I love it more than Ember because I don't think of them as separate books. It's all part of one fascinating saga and I hope there will be more to come. I love the main characters and the nice balance of their reliance on and independence from each other and the way the author shows that heroes come in all sorts of personality types. I also enjoy the supporting cast.I gave a copy of Ember to our school library last year and noticed that both books made the recommended summer reading list this year. An unexpected pleasure about these books is that three generations of our family have read and enjoyed them. Whether you read them to your younger children or read them with your older children, you will find them fun, fast-moving, thought provoking and inspiring.
Rating:
Summary: great book, but The City of Ember was better
Review: Wonderful sequel that begins right where the last left off. Very interesting novel that teaches the lesson of the downfalls of bigotry.
Rating:
Summary: Just as good as the first
Review: Wow this book was just as good (if not better) than the first book! It was fast paced and had an interesting plot. Unlike the first book it kept you guessing untill the end. Two thumbs way up. This book also had a lot more pages than the first book. If you have not yet purchased this book, I suggest you do so as soon as possible. I hope she writes a third book. You can take a look at some of my other reviews if you want. Thank you for taking the time to read this review!
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