Publisher Description

Before there was Ember…there was Yonwood. Discover the prophecy that started it all in this prequel to the The City of Ember—a modern-day classic with over 4 MILLION copies sold!

Nickie will grow up to be one of the first citizens of the city of Ember. But for now, she is a girl who has just moved to the town of Yonwood. There, she discovers a place full of suspicion, where one citizen's visions of fire and destruction have turned everyone against each other. Eager to take her mind off her father's absence as he works on a mysterious government project, Nickie reads her great-grandfather's peculiar journals, spies on a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, and meets a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes— all while keeping an eye out for trouble. But is it already too late to avoid a devastating war?
Praise for the City of Ember books:

Nominated to 28 State Award Lists!
An American Library Association Notable Children's Book
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection
A Kirkus Reviews Editors' Choice
A Child Magazine Best Children's Book
A Mark Twain Award Winner
A William Allen White Children's Book Award Winner
 
"A realistic post-apocalyptic world. DuPrau's book leaves Doon and Lina on the verge of undiscovered country and readers wanting more." —USA Today
 
"An electric debut." —Publishers Weekly, Starred
 
"While Ember is colorless and dark, the book itself is rich with description." —VOYA, Starred
 
"A harrowing journey into the unknown, and cryptic messages for readers to decipher." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred

Author Biography

JEANNE DuPRAU is the New York Times bestselling author of the City of Ember books, which have been translated into multiple languages and are a time-honored staple in elementary school classrooms. She also wrote Escape the Vortex, part of the multiplatform sci-fi adventure series Voyagers. Visit her website at jeanneduprau.com.

Excerpt from Book

The Vision On a warm July afternoon in the town of Yonwood, North Carolina, a woman named Althea Tower went out to her backyard to fill the bird feeder. She opened her sack of sunflower seeds, lifted the bird feeder''s lid-and that was when, without warning, the vision assailed her. It was like a waking dream. The trees and grass and birds faded away, and in their place she saw blind

Description for Library

While visiting the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina, eleven-year-old Nickie makes some decisions about how to identify both good and evil when she witnesses the townspeople's reactions to the apocalyptic visions of one of their neighbors.

Details