Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel
In the spring 2003, kids, parents, teachers, librarians—whole communities—discovered and fell in love with Jeanne DuPrau's story about a doomed city, and the two children who found a way out. Nearly 10 years later, that story, The City of Ember, is a bona fide classic, with over 1.7 million copies sold. Now experience Jeanne DuPrau's vision anew as artist Niklas Asker fait...more
Hardcover, 144 pages
Published
September 25th 2012
by Random House Books for Young Readers
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
684)
HOW DID I MISS THIS BOOK???
A graphic novel interpretation of a book I had never really heard of... and let me tell you, I am NOT sorry I noticed it on the bookshelf, and thought "huh. this is interesting" ...interesting enough to pick UP and check OUT of the library.
Really, they're lucky I'm letting go of their copy and getting my own, because this book is THAT GOOD.
Have you ever watched those movies, as a kid probably, where a child finds out there is a secret world, a secret city, or a secret...more
Feb 20, 2013
David Perilo
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-lit-2013
Audience: I would recommend The City of Ember to a fourth or fifth grade student to read. I choose these grade levels due to the social conflicts that exist within the children’s social positioning.
Appreal: I believe that students would love this book for many reasons. First of all this book reads and looks like a comic book. Second of all the adventurous ending the children in the book go through and the looming suspense as to why the city is in such a dark awkward place, would have the student...more
Appreal: I believe that students would love this book for many reasons. First of all this book reads and looks like a comic book. Second of all the adventurous ending the children in the book go through and the looming suspense as to why the city is in such a dark awkward place, would have the student...more
Everyone deserves a little hope, even a town living in darkness. Luna and Doon live in //The City of Ember//, a city in darkness that is rapidly losing its supplies and power. Luna finds a ripped up instruction sheet, and is trying to put it back together. Eventually she links up with Doon to figure it out, and the two are able to figure it out. They then escape the city while evading corrupt officials and send word back to those in the city.
This is pretty much the usual find problem/solve probl...more
This is pretty much the usual find problem/solve probl...more
Dec 20, 2012
babyhippoface
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novels,
kids-fiction
I'm generally not a graphic novel person. All the busyness makes me a little crazy. But I liked the novel City of Ember so much that I wanted to see how Lina's world would look in a graphic novel. And it's pretty good. Much like I imagined (although Lina herself is not the way I pictured her).
Some kids who would not read the novel will read this. That's a plus. And this is well done. But there is so much more to the story that has been left out. All the tension that is so beautifully placed into...more
Some kids who would not read the novel will read this. That's a plus. And this is well done. But there is so much more to the story that has been left out. All the tension that is so beautifully placed into...more
This was a good adaptation of the book, but mildly disappointing in the same way that the movie version was mildly disappointing. The real quality in the original was in DuPrau's prose. When shortening it for film and also for the graphic novel, what you're left with is the story in almost outline form, which is in fact a bit weak. Too much hangs on people being colossally stupid at the time of some unspecified emergency several generations in the past. Also, too many stretches of reality, like...more
Apr 22, 2013
RLL595AG_BethSchencker
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novels
The original novel written by DuPrau in 2003 is one of four books in a series The Books of Ember. The series is about a post apocalyptic city where it is always dark, except for electricity powered by the rushing underground river. However, dark outs are becoming more frequent and the citizens of Ember are getting unhappy with the politicos who seem to be doing nothing to solve the problem.
The storyline was easy to understand, the protagonist and antagonist easily to recognize. Two adventurous c...more
The storyline was easy to understand, the protagonist and antagonist easily to recognize. Two adventurous c...more
SQUEAL! Got to see a preview of this one.
The good ... the graphic novel style? It's totally growing on me. The artwork in this one is COOL. Managed to totally convey the sense of place without giving everything away.
The not quite as good ... for the sake of space (I would guess) some parts of the story were abbreviated. Now, if you hadn't read the original you may not even notice it. But if you HAVE read it ... I kind of felt like it left the pacing and FEEL of the story a little wanting. Exampl...more
The good ... the graphic novel style? It's totally growing on me. The artwork in this one is COOL. Managed to totally convey the sense of place without giving everything away.
The not quite as good ... for the sake of space (I would guess) some parts of the story were abbreviated. Now, if you hadn't read the original you may not even notice it. But if you HAVE read it ... I kind of felt like it left the pacing and FEEL of the story a little wanting. Exampl...more
Personally, I wasn’t very intrigued with this book. I felt like the characters where hard to relate to and hard to even remember who the characters were. I felt like the story was way too quick and should have been explained or at least more detailed. I would have rathered it to have been a multi graphic novel series, as opposed to a quick book that left no lasting impression.
I don’t think the book was that rushed, so there’s not really an excuse for them to rush the graphic novel story. The art...more
I don’t think the book was that rushed, so there’s not really an excuse for them to rush the graphic novel story. The art...more
The name of my book is THE CITY OF EMBER. The book was by: Jeanne DuPRAU. The genre of my book is Graphic novel. I think that this book is a graphic novel because it is not real. The setting is in a big hole. The main character in my book is Doon and Lina.
Doon and lina are trying to get out of the big hole. This book was exciting because it’s cool. This book is cool because in the last 10 pages of the book they try to get out of the big hole. I like this book because they are truthful and down t...more
Doon and lina are trying to get out of the big hole. This book was exciting because it’s cool. This book is cool because in the last 10 pages of the book they try to get out of the big hole. I like this book because they are truthful and down t...more
I have always loved Jeanne DuPrau's City of Ember. I have read it multiple times, always enjoying and loving it. I love the premise, the story, the characters, the mystery, etc. I was so excited to read the graphic novel of this novel. I thought the adaptation was great. I thought it was a quick and compelling read. I thought the illustrations were great!!! I love seeing the contrast between Ember and the real world which they're discovering for the very first time. Of course, I'm always going t...more
The City of Ember, first published in 2003, has been a popular dystopian book in my library long before The Hunger Games phenomenon hit. I've never seen the 2008 movie, but now I may have to. This was a great graphic version of an old favorite, and was very well done. The sepia toned drawings give a feeling of the underground oppression, but are clear enough that I had no trouble telling characters apart (often a problem with graphic retellings-- everyone looks like Speed Racer to me). The text...more
Normally I don't read graphic novel adaptions before reading the original text but this one was an exception. Judging by some of the other reviews I've read, it seems like the graphic novel left out a lot of the intricacies of the full novel (which is to be expected on some level when a full length book has to be pared down to the length of a graphic novel). However, I absolutely loved it. The story, the artwork, the black pages, the cover. I remain dedicated to my stance about classics adapted...more
A really good story for younger readers. Fantasy/science fiction with a political edge. Well told with images that flow easily, creating a good reading experience. Beautiful drawings with evocative colouring that creates a sense of another world.
Not giving the book the highest mark, as I do not feel it resonates fully with me, though I am hardly the target audience age group... I haven't read the original novel, and I don't think I will, though I might recommend it to my nine year old son, who i...more
Not giving the book the highest mark, as I do not feel it resonates fully with me, though I am hardly the target audience age group... I haven't read the original novel, and I don't think I will, though I might recommend it to my nine year old son, who i...more
I liked this book because it talks about that in the future the world will become unsustainable to live on so what they do is build a city underground to live in. when the machines that help keep them alive underground begin to fail and food is becoming very scarce, one girl knows that there is a way to get out so what she does is goes on an adventure and finds a map that helps lead them out. She takes her best friend and little sister with her.
The great strength of Du Prau's novel is the tension that mounts as Ember experiences more and longer blackouts. Unfortunately this adaptation loses all tension and flattens the characters. Doon in particular loses his sharp intelligence as his discovery of the way out is reduced to happenstance. The artwork is lovely but it doesn't make up for the lackluster experience this adaptation provides. Stick with the original novel.
I must admit that I am a little tired of classics converted into graphic novels. This trend started out as a great idea to have students who struggle comprehending complex text, but has turned into a mass market madness. This graphic novel rendering of The City of Ember is nice, the illustrations are beautiful, but it is just another in a series of conversions that leaves little to be imagined in the mind.
I was so excited to see The City of Ember was made into a graphic novel. It happens to be one of my favorite novels, and what truly introduced me to the concept of dystopian genre. However, the content in the graphic novel didn't compare to the original novel. I missed a lot of the character and scene development. The graphic novel can be a resource for readers struggling to visualize the real novel.
I enjoyed the Ember series by DuPrau and this version was almost a good :) I read it with my daughter, who is too young for the MG series, but was entranced by the illustrations and the simple retelling. I was happy to see that the graphic novel matched much of what I envisioned Ember being like. Great choice for young graphic novel fans or reluctant readers to introduce them to a good series.
I love DuPrau's novels, but this graphic adaptation was well below snuff. Separating one from the other, even as a story the graphic novel lacked any sort of characterization, cohesiveness, or even the moral quandary of the novel. What you get are just bullet points, really - the main plot points given to you in a nutshell and stripped of all the things that make a story a story. Feh and double feh!
One of the better book to graphic novel adaptations that I have seen. City of Ember lends it self well to the Graphic Novel format since it is a very visual book to begin with. I loved the original book and really did enjoy this adaptation though I did miss a few of the details that had to be cut for the shorter format. Good reading. (e-Book arc courtesy of Edelweiss)
I'll be honest, graphic novels are really not my favorite. However, as a school librarian I see my students rush to check them out so I am always searching for new hits to add to my collection. I checked this out of my public library hoping to add it to my collection. While the illustrations were nicely done I don't think it will be popular. I think the content would be too much for my gr. 1-5 library.
three and a half. this is definitely a serious abridgement of the novel, but true to the spirit of it. i missed the character development and the more detailed set-up of the world, but it's a serviceable and accessible take on the story, and the moments of realization and discovery at the end are still rendered in a powerful way.
Oct 10, 2012
Kira McGann
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-graphic-novel
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Pretty slow going at first. I'm not sure if the city and the dangers of the government fully translated to graphic novel format. It's possible the novel gives more detail and lays the groundwork a little better. It felt rushed to me without proper buildup. The ending was really good though.
I have not read the novel itself, but I enjoyed the graphic novel. I suspect the novel itself might have made a more significant impact on me--the graphic novel went by very quickly! The illustrations were well done, though. I particularly like the coloration. I look forward to reading the next installment.
I really enjoyed The City of Ember (even if I didn't love the sequels quite as much). While the graphic novel follows the plot pretty well, I wasn't impressed with the artistic rendition of the characters and felt like the story was just about the plot in this version, rather than the characters.
It was a good idea, and fun to see it drawn out, but it just wasn't translated well into a graphic novel. A few things were left out and it just felt too sped up to really stop and enjoy the scenes. I was just as happy to look through it and see the beautiful illustrations.
I thought this was a great adaptation of the book into graphic format. They did a great job of capturing the story in a much condensed version. This one left me wanting more and I hope they come out with the second one "The People of Sparks" soon.
Jan 20, 2013
Alaina Sloo
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kids-middle-school,
kids-grade3-to-5
Nice art, and a fine graphic novel for older primary school children who devour graphic novels, but it condenses the story to the barest plot lines and doesn't give kids time to experience the things that made the original book so appealing to kids: things like feeling what life underground in Ember was like and knowing the characters well enough to root for them.
This is good to read if you have already read the novel. It does leave out a few things, like the lady that works in the greenhouse, who I thought was pretty important. The images are perfect though.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Jeanne DuPrau spends several hours of every day at her computer, thinking up sentences. She has this quote taped to her wall: "A writer is someone for whom writing is harder than it is for other people" (Thomas Mann).
This gives her courage, because she finds writing very hard. So many words to choose from! So many different things that could happen in a story at any moment! Writing is one tough de...more
More about Jeanne DuPrau...
This gives her courage, because she finds writing very hard. So many words to choose from! So many different things that could happen in a story at any moment! Writing is one tough de...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“That's the city I see in my dreams, Poppy. It isn't like Ember at all. The sky is light and the buildings are tall and sort of sparkle." (Lina)”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
Feb 15, 2013 11:14am