The People of Sparks

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**Title** **The People of Sparks**
First edition cover
Author	Jeanne DuPrau
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Book of Ember series
Genre(s)	Young adult, Science fiction, Fantasy novel
Publisher	Random House/Yearling
Released	2004
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-375-92824-3 (hardcover first edition)
Preceded by	The City of Ember and The Prophet of Yonwood

The People of Sparks, a 2004 book by Jeanne DuPrau, is the sequel to The City of Ember.

1 Plot summary
2 Sparks
3 Film
4 Publishing information

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story opens where The City of Ember left off, with the residents of the dying city of Ember following the Instructions for Egress and joining young heroes Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow aboveground.

After wandering in the wilderness for days, the Emberites happen upon the village of Sparks, one of the few human settlements to have been started after The Disaster. Confronted with the hundreds of residents of Ember in dire need of food and shelter, the three leaders of Sparks are at first reluctant to help. Finally, they agree to help the Emberites learn about life aboveground for six months and offer them housing in an abandoned hotel.

The Emberites and the people of Sparks soon find themselves at odds. The Emberites are puzzled by the lack of electricity, plumbing, medicine and other comforts they had in Ember. They also find it difficult to adapt to sunlight, animals and nature. The residents of Sparks, in contrast, do not believe the Emberites actually came from an underground city, are impatient with their lack of knowledge about the world, and resent their use of limited resources. The conflicts are further fueled by Tick Hassler, who rallies many Emberites against Sparks.

Lina leaves Sparks to try to find the ancient city she has dreamt about all her life. She finally does discover the city--a burned out, abandoned shell of empty skyscrapers and broken roads. She also learns more about The Disaster--a combination of war, disease and environmental destruction that led to the near-obliteration of humanity. She also learns that Ember is the subject of an oft-repeated rhyme, and that her people, the Emberites, are the "hidden treasure" of the verse.

The conflict between the two groups escalates to the point where the leaders of Sparks order the Emberites to leave the city. They refuse, and a physical battle almost ensues. When Doon saves one of the Sparks children from a fire, the two sides reconcile, realize that they are repeating the same patterns that caused The Disaster, and vow to cooperate and live together in harmony.

[edit] Sparks

Throughout the course of the novel, DuPrau references many contemporary items and people, including the Harry Potter books. Some readers have theorised that both the city of Sparks and Lina's "dream city" refer to real locales, specifically Sparks and Atlanta in Georgia. However, in the novel, the settlers claim that they chose the name of their city after seeing sparks rise from an ancient truck engine. Additionally, in The Prophet of Yonwood, the third book in the Ember series, it is implied that Ember is being built somewhere in California.