Bulletin Board of the Brain

This Fiction-Embedded Ambivalent Environmental Message Has Been Brought To You By: Boringness

The People of Sparks (The Ember Series, #2) by Jeanne DuPrau

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I thought this book would never end. Though I’ve been loving my journey through juvenile and young adult fantasy fiction- this series by Jeanne DuPrau may be one that really is meant to just be read by ten year-olds. I was bored throughout and got a severe headache from the way the book’s themes were hammered against my head. While I believe great writing- even for children- can always be nuanced as opposed to overt and literal- the hammering might not have been so obnoxious if I was 11 instead of 30.

But basically- this is Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” if it was told as a children’s story. While “People of Sparks” was published first- the post-apocalyptic theme is hard not to intertext. But DuPrau draws lines both too blindly optimistic and too contrived, to actually make a compelling story or three dimensional characters. It’s unclear if her message is Go Green or World Peace- and while the two should be able to coexist within her story- this second book in the series muddles what seemed to be a clear anti-consumerism/pro-environment message in the first (City of Ember).

Basically- it’s hard to believe that this book is recommended to the same age group that the Golden Compass is marketed to. If Golden Compass is an example of what authors and book publishers feel ten year olds can read, follow and enjoy, then to give them People of Sparks seems like saying to a reader, “Hey- you like Anna Karenina? Then you’ll love Bridget Jones’ Diary!”

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