The People of Sparks

infobox Book |
name = The People of Sparks
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = First edition cover
author = Jeanne DuPrau
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = The Book of Ember series
genre = Young adult, Science fiction, Fantasy novel
publisher = Random House/Yearling
release_date = 2004
media_type = Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
pages =
isbn = ISBN 0-375-92824-3 (hardcover first edition)
preceded_by = "Time-wise:" The City of Ember and The Prophet of Yonwood "Series-wise" The City of Ember
followed_by = "Time-wise:" The Diamond of Darkhold "Series-wise" The Prophet of Yonwood and The Diamond of Darkhold

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

Plot summary

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 an event called the 'Disaster'. The 'Disaster' is a resembalance to current times which becomes clearer in the third book. Confronted with the four hundred 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 that the Emberites came from an underground city, are impatient with their lack of knowledge about the world, and resent their use of limited resources. The Emberites are subject to several attacks by means of graffiti and poison oak and are treated with hostility by some of the residents of Sparks. The conflicts are further fueled by Tick Hassler, an argumentative young man who rallies many Emberites against the people of Sparks, resulting in smaller, mostly verbal attacks on the Sparks, until the end of the story.

Lina leaves Sparks to try to find the ancient city of which she has dreamt all her life. She finally does discover the city, which is a burnt, wrecked, abandoned shell of empty skyscrapers and broken roads. She learns more about the Disaster while she is there: a combination of war, disease, and environmental destruction 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 until 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 village children, Torren, from the fire caused by an ancient machine gun and Lina rallies the Emberites into helping put out the fire despite personal fears, the two sides reconcile. They realize that they are repeating the same patterns that caused the Disaster, and vow to cooperate and live together in harmony.

In the aftermath of the fire, Doon finds out that Tick Hassler was actually executing the attacks on the Emberites to gain attention and to raise a strong army for a fight against the Sparks. The people of Sparks had not actually physically attacked the Emberites in any way. Therefore, the Emberite attacks on the Sparks were unprovoked.

The book ends with a scene of Doon making an electric generator out of a magnet and a lightbulb. He demonstrates his invention to his friends, who watch in awe as the lightbulb glows in the dark.

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 village of Sparks and Lina's "dream city" refer to real locations, specifically Sparks and Atlanta in Georgia. Also, people refer to a place called Sanozay, a homophone for San José. 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, and Sparks may be Sparks, Nevada.