Just finishing up The City of Ember by Jeanne Du Prau, as a read-aloud. The premise drew us into the story immediately - a city that has existed under the earth for so many years that its inhabitants no realize the existence of a world above them. This city has been stocked with all the necessities of life and draws its light from a huge generator. But now the supplies are running low and the generator is wearing out. Blackouts are more and more frequent and although unspoken, there is a fear that some day the lights will go out permanently. When young Lina finds a manuscript, she is convinced that it provides information that will lead Ember's inhabitants away from the city and to safety. Unfortunately, her little sister Poppy has eaten chunks of the manuscript but with the help of a friend, Doon they begin to decipher the message and make plans to escape from Ember.

Because Du Prau doesn't give much away in "Ember" we often paused in our reading to speculate. Who built the city? Why? Are there people above ground? Given that all copies of the next book in the series are currently out of the library, I figure that lots of kids had similar questions and were eager to find the answers.