The Prophet of Yonwood (Book of Ember, #3)

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The Prophet of Yonwood (Book of Ember #3)

3.18 of 5 stars 3.18 · rating details · 12,752 ratings · 1,419 reviews

It’s 50 years before the settlement of the city of Ember, and the world is in crisis. War looms on the horizon as 11-year-old Nickie and her aunt travel to the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina. There, one of the town’s respected citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction. Her garbled words are taken as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming d...more

Paperback, 289 pages

Published May 8th 2007 by Yearling (first published May 9th 2006)

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Oct 11, 2007 Caroline rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh. I really enjoyed the first two (last two?) books in DuPrau's trilogy, and was excited about reading this prequel. I have to say, though, I felt like I was reading something that had been written by a liberal Democrat frustrated with the takeover of the evangelical right and defense contractors in modern American politics. And I say this as a liberal Democrat who is currently frustrated with the takeover of the evangelical right and defense contractors in U.S. politics. But YA fiction is not...more Meh. I really enjoyed the first two (last two?) books in DuPrau's trilogy, and was excited about reading this prequel. I have to say, though, I felt like I was reading something that had been written by a liberal Democrat frustrated with the takeover of the evangelical right and defense contractors in modern American politics. And I say this as a liberal Democrat who is currently frustrated with the takeover of the evangelical right and defense contractors in U.S. politics. But YA fiction is not the space to pontificate; it should be a place where young and not-so-young adults can exercise their brains by leaving behind their preconceived notions. The strengths of Duprau's first two books were suspense and paradigm-shifting, if I can use the cliche. Yes, the books are mysteries of a sort, but they're also glimpses into a world that is very much OUR world, but a world where people understand social and political rules very differently than we do. That's what made the books so interesting. If I wanted to be brainwashed, I'd watch Fox News or read the Slate.

The Prophet of Yonwood, as other reviewers have mentioned, fell flat. The story was okay for awhile, but quickly devolved into a small-town dystopian nightmare. Not quite the same thing DuPrau's first two books had going for them. It would have been stronger had DuPrau not abandoned the themes she'd already established in favor of a more presentist-minded discourse about terrorism, fear, violence, and evangelical-military groupthink. Not that I think she's all that far off the mark...it just wasn't terribly successful as a prequel, in my opinoin. And the Afterword was terrible. I'm sorry, but finishing off a trilogy with an Animal House ending doesn't do it for me. Glad to know that Grover became a famous snake guy. Glad to know that Nickie survived the nuclear holocaust 50 years down the road. But so what? What happened to making a new world?

All that said, the Otis storyline was really cute...and then really powerful. If she had focused more on that, this would have been a better stand-alone book.(less)

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Sep 14, 2008 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade, 2008, sci-fi-fantasy

I read this because I'd read the first two books in the City of Ember series and enjoyed them; this is the 3rd book and a prequel to the events in Ember, so I expected a good story about why the city of Ember was built and how it all began. Instead, this book introduced eleven-year-old Nicki, who moves to her great-grandfather's old mansion in the city of Yonwood and discovers there is a woman regarded as a prophet living there, whose words are interpreted by another woman and the city follows h...more I read this because I'd read the first two books in the City of Ember series and enjoyed them; this is the 3rd book and a prequel to the events in Ember, so I expected a good story about why the city of Ember was built and how it all began. Instead, this book introduced eleven-year-old Nicki, who moves to her great-grandfather's old mansion in the city of Yonwood and discovers there is a woman regarded as a prophet living there, whose words are interpreted by another woman and the city follows her instructions accordingly, trying to be so "good" that "evil" wont come to their town.

The writing in the book is about the same as it was in the previous books - that is to say, it is light, easy, and has a good tone. I liked Nicki as the main character and I sympathized with her wanting to be good and do good. I even thought the plot was decent: the country may be on the brink of war, and everyone hopes that by following the prophet, they will be saved from destruction. However, this book felt barely connected to the earlier two book in the Ember series. It's not until the last two pages of this book that we find out how Nicki and her story tie in to Lina and her story in Ember. In that regard, it's not much of an installment in the series.

Rounding out my complaints about this book is the fact the some of the most interesting aspects of the story are not fully developed. For example, while exploring the mansion, Nicki finds old photographs and letters and even her great-grandfather's old notebook that he recorded strange observations in. These were interesting to read about, but we never get to find out their purpose or what, exactly, her great-grandfather was recording or who the person he mentions in his writings is. I wondered, what was the point of even mentioning these things if they go nowhere? Just to pad the book and add another layer of "charm" about the mansion and area? Futhermore, while I thought the story itself was decent, it was almost too much of a parable about religion and politics at times, and I hate reading fiction that the author uses as a venue to project his/her political views, no matter what the view are (unless, of course, these views are seamlessly intertwined with the narration and serve only to strengthen it - which is not the case here). The author's views are certainly present in The People of Sparks, but I overlooked it there in favor of the good story it encompassed. In The Prophet of Yonwood, it is almost too much, and I was not able to get lost in the story enough to ignore it. So, that was pretty irritating too. One more complaint: Nicki goes to Yonwood with one of her goals being to fall in love. What?!? She's 11! I kinda rolled my eyes every time this was mentioned.

Overall, this was a decent installment in the "series" (and I use that word lightly because, as I mentioned earlier, it barely ties in to the other books...) but nowhere near as enthralling as Ember or even Sparks. If you're a fan of the series and want to keep reading, go into this book not expecting its plot to really coincide with the others. This would have been so much better if it'd focused on the events right before people went to Ember (this book takes place 50 years earlier!) or even focused on the first people who went into Ember and how they coped. This book ends (in the epilogue) where it should have begun...(less)

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Feb 02, 2008 Kimberly rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: NO ONE

Shelves: young-readers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was horrendous. The whole time I was reading it, I kept asking myself, "This is really the prequel to the City of Ember?" I can't believe that the editors at Random House actually allowed Jeanne DuPrau to be so self-indulgent. That's what it felt like, reading this book, as though DuPrau was less interested in telling the story of how Ember came to be and more about forcing her political views down the reader's throat. DuPrau spouts off during the whole book about random nonsense. OKAY...more This book was horrendous. The whole time I was reading it, I kept asking myself, "This is really the prequel to the City of Ember?" I can't believe that the editors at Random House actually allowed Jeanne DuPrau to be so self-indulgent. That's what it felt like, reading this book, as though DuPrau was less interested in telling the story of how Ember came to be and more about forcing her political views down the reader's throat. DuPrau spouts off during the whole book about random nonsense. OKAY, we get it already, WAR IS BAD.

Reading these books as an adult, I realize the allegory. I realize it and I understand it, and in The City of Ember and The People of Sparks, I appreciated it. There were times when I felt that DuPrau was overstating things; issues were presented simplistically, whatever. I understood that because I also understood that these books were written for an upper-elementary school reading audience. However, The Prophet of Yonwood, also an allegory, was ridiculous. None of the characters were likable. Nickie and Grover seriously pale in comparison to Lina and Doon.

Nickie was an immature and annoying main character. She's eleven years old and one of her goals at Greenhaven is to fall in love?! I don't buy it. Compared to Lina, Nickie is a wishy-washy brat. She blindly accepts Mrs. Beeson's request to spy around and report back anything bad. Nickie supposedly has a thirst for knowledge, but apparently is confused as to what to do with this knowledge and can't handle making a decision on her own as to whether or not people are good or "evil." I couldn't even force myself to feel sympathetic when Otis is taken away along with the other dogs because DuPrau was busy trying to force me to feel sympathy. I can't drum up sympathy for a character I don't like and think was only getting what she deserved.

The utter randomness of this book was also off-putting. Random teenager and her dog lives in the attic. Why? Nickie finds a picture of Siamese twins who visited Greenhaven. Why? Nickie's great-grandfather's journal mentions a mysterious vision. Why? Nickie finds a letter written in a strange manner, as though to conceal portions of the message, or to conserve paper? Why? Some people in Yonwood are condemned to wearing noisy bracelets. Why? There is an albino bear in the woods. Again, why? DuPrau takes the reader on these absurd sidetracks with no explanation. Why is any of the above important? Why am I supposed to care about any of it? Stop wasting my time.

I would feel comfortable allowing the students with whom I work (middle school age) read the first two novels in the Ember series, but there's no way that I would recommend The Propet of Yonwood. Children can't separate DuPrau's prejudices against religion from the story. Children can't come away from the story and form their own educated opinion. I, however, can, and I thought this book was utter crap. I've heard there will be a fourth book of Ember and that it will return to Lina and Doon's story. I will probably pick up a copy and start to read it, just because I like Lina and Doon, but if DuPrau starts going off on her pointless tangents, I don't think I'll force myself to finish it like I did with Yonwood.(less)

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Dec 07, 2008 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-on-tape, read-in-2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I listened to this out of order in the series - my daughter read the second book and was ready for the third one, so we listened while we cleaned her room.
Luckily for me, this book happens to be a prequel, and is only slightly related to the storyline in the other two books.

The prophet of Yonwood, Althea Towers, is a lady who has a terrible vision of a horrible future. The vision is so horrible, she becomes very sick. Mrs. Beeson, the town busybody, attempts to find directions from god in the...more I listened to this out of order in the series - my daughter read the second book and was ready for the third one, so we listened while we cleaned her room.
Luckily for me, this book happens to be a prequel, and is only slightly related to the storyline in the other two books.

The prophet of Yonwood, Althea Towers, is a lady who has a terrible vision of a horrible future. The vision is so horrible, she becomes very sick. Mrs. Beeson, the town busybody, attempts to find directions from god in the prophet's vision - don't eat hot chocolate, don't own dogs, don't sing. The country is on the brink of a massive international war. Mrs. Beeson is convinced that she needs to root out evil in the community, interpreting the prophet's vision for guidance. This will ensure god is on their side and help them survive the upcoming conflict. Mrs. Beeson uses the local law enforcement to root out those who fail to follow the words of the prophet, subverting the rule of law in the interests of fighting terrorism in the community.

Nickie, a young girl visiting from the city, at first wants to help Mrs. Beeson 'make the world a better place' and reports on the potential evil-doers around her. As Nickie comes to understand her neighbors better, she realizes they are different and unusual, but not evil. Unfortunately, her friends are already caught in Mrs. Beeson's expanding net of wrongdoers.

Eventually, this small town is returned to normal after Nickie talks to the prophet. Turns out that Mrs. Beeson took descriptions of the vision as a call to specific action. Once the prophet explained this, everyone went right back to following laws and lived happily until the next international crises, which was much worse and led to the establishment of Ember.

This book made me think of life in small towns, children growing up, the current fearmongering in the war on terror, and the rise of Hitler.
I kept thinking that the author was too heavy handed in her approach - it all seemed so obvious. But then I realized that what's obvious to an adult might not be obvious to a child - and Nickie is a child. She's also a relatively unsupervised but idealistic child, and so is susceptible to Mrs. Beeson's influence.

Some other aspects of the book did not feel quite right initially. The nation was on the verge of war - yet it was something that was happening far away, with only minimal connection to people's lives. Again, this might just be an attempt to show a child's perspective.

Also, the book seemed to portray modern America - and although cell phones were everywhere, computers were not. I felt like the importance of technology to everyday life, even in small towns in America, was ignored completely.
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Oct 02, 2007 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrenslit

This prequel was actually disappointing in comparison to The City of Ember and The People of Sparks. It was too disconnected to these two books to be considered a prequel for my tastes. The story line was not nearly as interesting as the other two books. It does raise some interesting questions about blindly following the prophesies(dictates) of someone else because you think that person must be right instead of trusting your own instincts.

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Aug 19, 2008 Janis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, childrens-scifi, read-in-2008

I enjoyed this story, although at times I found it a bit slow.

I think it put the dangers of blind acceptance and obedience to a self-proclaimed prophet, forced adherance of others to those who claim to speak for God, (and how not everyone who claims to speak for God actually does), in terms a child could easily relate to.

I think this could give kids good food for thought in a world where there are places where people live under this kind of religious tyranny today, even in some communities in th...more

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Jan 05, 2009 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book 3 days ago and as soon as it ended i new it was a wonderful book!!!!

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Dec 12, 2007 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Too preachy and the connection to the other books is just tossed in at the end.

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Dec 23, 2008 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: city of ember fans

Shelves: teen-fantasy, teen-general-fiction, teen-sci-fi, with-reviews, teen-dystopian-future

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 03, 2008 Alyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Prophet of Yonwood Book Review

‘The Prophet of Yonwood’, by Jeanne Duprau is a very enticing story. It’s full of friendship and love, as well as oddities and dilemmas. The genre is science fiction for people who don’t like science fiction. I would recommend this book to anyone, but not if you’re looking for a fast-paced action novel. This book is also the third in it’s series and you should probably read the first two if you want to understand it. Although this book has different characters...more The Prophet of Yonwood Book Review

‘The Prophet of Yonwood’, by Jeanne Duprau is a very enticing story. It’s full of friendship and love, as well as oddities and dilemmas. The genre is science fiction for people who don’t like science fiction. I would recommend this book to anyone, but not if you’re looking for a fast-paced action novel. This book is also the third in it’s series and you should probably read the first two if you want to understand it. Although this book has different characters than the first two, it ties together with a very surprising ending in the end.

This book is about an 11-year old girl named Nickie and her trip to Yonwood, North Carolina. When she and her aunt go there to fix up and sell her dead great-grandfather’s old mansion, Greenhaven, she has no idea what’s in store for her.

While she’s there, Nickie sets three goals for herself: 1. Keep Greenhaven 2. Fall in love 3. Help the world. Trying to fulfill number three, Nickie learns about a strange old woman, who is in a coma, supposively delivering massages from God. The town calls her a prophet, and tries to be good to avoid an oncoming disaster. Nickie also attempts this, resulting in meeting new and strange friends.

One of my favorite characters in this book is Nickie’s new found dog, Otis. She keeps him in secret from her aunt for one of her new friends, Amanda. Over the time they spend together, Otis captures Nickie’s heart and will capture yours, too. But, when the prophet’s directions get out of hand, Nickie faces decisions and challenges that will affect Otis and her.

Jeanne Duprau’s writing style is very interesting and descriptive. Most of the time it is serious, but sometimes funny. Here is a quote from the book: “It was a blustery morning. Big heaps of cloud rushed across the sky and the wind was chilly. A few dead leaves skittered along the sidewalk.”

As you can see, ‘The Prophet of Yonwood’ is a very touching and enjoyable story. I loved this book a lot and think it was one of the best out of the series. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
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Sep 18, 2008 Kirstin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, sci-fi-fantasy, series, dystopian

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Even if you like the Ember books you should skip this one. I had several problems with this book:

1. I was expecting some explanation of why and how the "Builders" decided to hide away a group of people for 200 years. This book instead is more of a stand alone story about a girl who happens to grow up the be the journal writer from City of Ember From this book we learn that it was built because of fear of war and the cave was in California. Two very trivial bits of info.

2. Jeanne DuPrau brings up...more

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Jul 14, 2008 Hidden Away rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: any who like to read a little every night

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 07, 2008 Steven rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I'll agree with many of the other reviews. This book just isn't up to par with the really amazing stories in the first two books of this series. The City of Ember and The People of Sparks are much better than this book.

The author does have some nice and believable characters, but the action and drama within the story just fall flat in comparison with her other books. I guess the difficulty is the post-Apocalyptic world of the first two books is extremely compelling, but the pre-Apocalyptic world...more

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Oct 15, 2008 Ginny Penn rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 29, 2007 Steven rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was hoping for a book about the people who built Ember and why they decided to not teach them any technology or nation rebuilding skills. This isn't that book. This is the author's treatise on why the Iraq war is a big mistake and how religion only makes people fight. There is more hope in science and studying the stars than in saying prayers. The story was engaging, but I'm getting tired of the religious being treated as zealots and mindless sheep looking for any type of leader. This book was...more

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Jan 16, 2009 Bethany rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: futuristic, childrenslit, ya

The City of Ember started off so strongly, and even The People of Sparks has its engaging moments. Prophet of Yonwood, sadly, didn't measure up to either. Pounding away at the recurring theme of corrupt leadership (thwarted by enterprising children), Yonwood has caricatures instead of characters, and the prophet of the title is, predictably, manipulated and misused by people who abuse their power. The only connection between this book and the previous two isn't revealed until the last pages, and...more

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Nov 23, 2008 Helen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2008

This should be called "The prophet of Yawnwood". I can overlook flaws in a book if the story and characters are interesting enough, but this was pretty boring and the main character was annoying. My biggest problem is that as a prequel to "The City of Ember", this book should have given us a clearer picture of the world before people decided to go into a city underground to save themselves from disaster. The first two books hint at wars and terrorism and I was hoping that this one would give us...more This should be called "The prophet of Yawnwood". I can overlook flaws in a book if the story and characters are interesting enough, but this was pretty boring and the main character was annoying. My biggest problem is that as a prequel to "The City of Ember", this book should have given us a clearer picture of the world before people decided to go into a city underground to save themselves from disaster. The first two books hint at wars and terrorism and I was hoping that this one would give us more. In this book we still only get vague descriptions of war and terrorism. The author could have done so much more with this considering all the problems that our world could potentially face and the events in this book should have been much worse in order to set up the City of Ember scenario. Instead this story centers around the life of an eleven year old girl and the small town of Yonwood which has been swept up in a wave of religious fundamentalism due to the visions of an elderly lady they call the prophet. A few church leaders in the community have placed themselves in charge of interpreting the prophet's words and they end of making some pretty ridiculous laws for the town. Nickie, the main character wants to be a good person and starts out thinking that this means obeying the laws, but throughout the book she does some soul searching and learns to think for herself and finds her own personal spirituality not based on organized religion. This is a good message, but a message in a book only works if the book is actually good. I think "Ember" and "Sparks" were more successful because the author had more limitations placed on her in creating the worlds presented in those books. Within those confines she was able to paint very detailed pictures of what those worlds were like. In "Yonwood", the setting is basically our world maybe 20 years from now. It's a much bigger world to imagine and there were a lot of places she could have gone with it. She tries to go too many places and ends up going nowhere. How disappointing!(less)

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Jun 02, 2013 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 6-young-adult-lit

The Prophet of Yonwood is a prequel of sorts to the City of Ember though it comes as book three in the Book of Ember series. I didn't expect Yonwood to tie-in all that much with Ember, so when it didn't, I wasn't disappointed or surprised. There are a few links - we hear a little about the Builders, and of course we see the start of war and destruction - but the story itself focuses on a small town and good verses evil.

Nickie is visiting Yonwood with her aunt as they tend to Nickie's great-grand...more

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Jan 17, 2013 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book I read is The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau. This book is about a girl named Nikki. She and her aunt Crystal are trying to sell Nikki’s Great grandfather’s house after he died.
they sold the house to a family who wanted it. The Prophet told people what to do and what things they cannot have. If you did not follow these orders you would get a braclet thst makes a loud and annoying noise.Nikki’s Dad works for the government. He sends his wife and Nikki postcards. There are messages...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Peter De Niro rated it 2 of 5 stars

Yeah, sorry, I love The City of Ember, but this volume was really disappointing. One of the great things about the first book in the series, for me, was the beauty of the premise. An underground city in the distant future? Two kids have to find a way to escape because they're running low on power and amenities? I'M SOLD!!! This book, however, strays too far from the original storyline. A little girl moves to a small town in the South? It might be material for a good story in a different context,...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars

From School Library Journal

...more

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8–In this prequel to The City of Ember (2003) and The People of Sparks (2004, both Random), 11-year-old Nickie accompanies her aunt to Yonwood, NC, to help get her great-grandfather's house ready to be sold. Months earlier, a woman in the community named Althea Tower had a vision and collapsed, muttering about fire and disaster. The townspeople interpreted it as a premonition of events since war between the U.S. and the Phalanx Nations is eminent. Althea is hailed as a Prophet and an ambitious Mrs. Beeson appoints herself Althea's interpreter. Soon she's urging everyone to give up sinful things like singing. The townspeople believe that by being virtuous they will build a shield of goodness around themselves and not be harmed. In her effort to be a good person, Nickie falls prey to this collective brainwashing and betrays a friend. She has her own secret. She's hiding a dog in the house. When Mrs. Beeson thinks the Prophet has said no dogs and forces everyone to get rid of them, the child is outraged and confronts the Prophet to demand the truth behind her pronouncements. This novel has a great deal of immediacy in light of current world events. It sharply brings home the idea of people blindly following a belief without questioning it. However, it's really more of a stand-alone title. The plot details that tie it and Ember together are only revealed in the last chapter, entitled What Happened Afterward._–Sharon Rawlins, NJ Library for the Blind and Handicapped, Trenton_
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From

Gr. 4--7. Set about 50 years before the previous books in the Embers series, this novel focuses on 11-year-old Nickie, who believes her great-grandfather's old mansion in Yonwood, North Carolina, may be a haven from the city wracked with fear of impending war. Unfortunately, the place isn't exactly idyllic. Nickie's experiences in Yonwood further the idea, established in the previous books, about the role of God in human affairs. Why, for example, would God say one thing to the Prophet of Yonwood and another to a prophet halfway around the world?--a provocative question that is certainly apropos to what is happening in the world today. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Jul 16, 2012 Alice rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-lit, dystopian, books-i-disliked

As a disclaimer, I am not this book's intended audience. However, when I was in the age group these books were aimed at, I enjoyed The City of Ember (the follow-up book, less so). Recently, I found a cheap copy of this book at a used book-sale, and decided to pick it up to round out the trilogy. Despite being the last published, it is a prequel, and I had never read it before.

The strongest point of this book is the intriguing glimpses which the author provides of the dystopian setting. For examp...more As a disclaimer, I am not this book's intended audience. However, when I was in the age group these books were aimed at, I enjoyed The City of Ember (the follow-up book, less so). Recently, I found a cheap copy of this book at a used book-sale, and decided to pick it up to round out the trilogy. Despite being the last published, it is a prequel, and I had never read it before.

The strongest point of this book is the intriguing glimpses which the author provides of the dystopian setting. For example, in a throwaway moment in an early chapter, the main girl describes how she doesn't like going to school. These flaws -- outdated books, teachers who don't actually teach, stronger children being given free reign over the hallways -- demonstrates how the education system has broken down.

However, I found this book tiresome. It's framed to focus on two "plucky" youngsters, ambling about and doing their own thing while the apocalypse looms in the background. I realize this is a realistic approach, but it didn't stop the kids from being really annoying.

The plot constantly gets side-tracked, and even when these moments prove relevant in the end, it doesn't excuse how sloppily their inclusion was.

While the epilogue was interesting, leading nicely into City of Ember, it was also painful to read. A plot device saves the day, averting the apocalypse (which the entire book appears to be leading up to). It then covers fifty years in a rambling monologue about how the lives which the kids and those around them grew up to have. Add in the sickeningly saccharine moments leading up to the epilogue, and the book left a bad taste in my mouth.

People constantly argue as to whether or not age matters when approaching a book which is aimed at a younger audience. In this case, the amount which the author simplifies things, in order to appeal to her apparent audience, makes the book alienating to me as a reader. Perhaps it's my fault for not reading it earlier, but I can't help but feel it shows some measure of failure on the book's part.(less)

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Jul 01, 2012 Honeypie Baniqued rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

"She knew she was a passionate person. She had a big love inside her, and she needed to give it."

"Why did people always blame kids for things like this? As far as Grover could tell, grown-ups caused a lot more trouble in the world than kids."

"If you're going to do something useful with your life, you've got to get started."

"When you know that you're doing God's work - then you're willing to do anything."

"This was being in love, wasn't it? Looking forward to seeing him everyday, feeling like a ho...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Meghan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, kid-books

The City of Ember was OK, nothing spectacular...The People of Sparks was booorrriiinnnggggg...The Prophet of Yonwood? I got a few chapters in and just couldn't go on anymore. I realize that, as I am an adult, these books aren't marketed to me, they're made for young (VERY young) children, but having read engaging children's/young adult literature in the past, these books leave MUCH to be desired. When I was young I read The Hero and the Crown, Harry Potter, The Iron Ring, Ella Enchanted, Island...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Alexa rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: gave-up

It was a mistake to write a prequel to The City of Ember books. Or maybe it was a mistake to go back as far as DuPrau did. It could have survived the abrupt change of cast if it had at least taken place in Ember, perhaps during the earliest years. There are so many interesting questions to ask of the first generation of Ember: How did they organize their government? Handle money? Assign jobs? Deal with outcasts or criminals? None of this is answered, though, because the prequel takes place befor...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Ival Crisp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I have been a fan of the Books of Ember series ever since I opened Jeanne Duprau 's debut for the first time. But after reading the third installment, The Prophet of Yonwood, for the second, I truly understand the wisdom she was trying to impart through her books. To understand what I am trying to say, I guess you would have to read it for yourself. I wouldn't want to give any spoilers away. ;-) The prequel to The City of Ember is a truly great read. Besides describing the adventures of a young...more I have been a fan of the Books of Ember series ever since I opened Jeanne Duprau 's debut for the first time. But after reading the third installment, The Prophet of Yonwood, for the second, I truly understand the wisdom she was trying to impart through her books. To understand what I am trying to say, I guess you would have to read it for yourself. I wouldn't want to give any spoilers away. ;-) The prequel to The City of Ember is a truly great read. Besides describing the adventures of a young girl named Nickie, The Prophet of Yonwood has several pretty great moral statements.

The setting of the story is present-day (maybe a few decades into the future) in Yonwood, North Carolina, a small town in the United States. The book begins with a respected citizen of Yonwood, Althea Tower, having an apocalyptic vision, in which she envisions a future filled with explosions, fire, and violence. Althea Tower is named a Prophet by the town members, and the residents of Yonwood are struck by terror at the face of such a bleak future (especially with their country on the brink of a war). Yonwood tries to better itself in the name of God so that they may be spared this prophesied future. A few months later, Nickie, the protagonist of the story, and her aunt, Crystal, arrive in Yonwood planning to sell Nickie’s great-grandfather’s house, named Greenhaven. The story tells of how Nickie attemps to accomplish 3 inner goals, and of how she and Yonwood react to each other.

Many of the themes in Jeanne DuPrau’s earlier books are also present in The Prophet of Yonwood, with a few new additions as well. The characters and plot are excellently built. All the characters are believable and quirky and the plot is easy to follow and is very interesting.

In addition to delivering a fantastic story, Jeanne DuPrau has also presented quite a few moral themes in The Prophet of Yonwood. Throughout the book, she offers themes such as utopias, choice of trusts and sacrifice, true love, and life in general. Although she addresses many deep and philosophical topics, she does not disrupt the easy flow of the book. Adults and children both can enjoy this great read. I certainly did. :)(less)

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Feb 26, 2011 Audiaa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, young-adult, 2011

Like The People of Sparks (the second book in this series), I think this book left a great story untold. This book told the story of a somewhat crazy woman who is held as a prophet because she had a vision others believed was from God. Mrs. Beeson acts as an interpreter for the prophet and requires all the members of the town follow what she believes are the prophets words. The people can no longer sing or own dogs; they are required to put their dogs on a bus to be taken away. People who don't...more

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Nov 26, 2010 Hrandall rated it 2 of 5 stars

Having previously read DuPrau's "The City of Ember" and "The People of Sparks" and thoroughly enjoying both, I was really looking forward to reading "The Prophet of Yonwood" and I had very high expectations for the third book! However, I was very disappointed.
I found all the characters in "The Prophet of Yonwood" to be quite flat and the storyline was random and unrelated to Ember. I was eager to find out the history of Ember and the Builders, as this is the prequel to the series, but it actuall...more

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Oct 10, 2010 Theresa C rated it 3 of 5 stars

This third book in The Ember Series was a disappointment after finishing The People of Sparks. The book is a prequel and according to the annotation, takes place 50 years before the City of Ember. Well, nothing happens!!! There is the fear of world war and the citizens of Yonwood believe that one of their own has had a vision in which she speaks of the annihilation of the world. These citizens believe in rooting out the evil in their city through religious quests as they believe this may help sa...more

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May 14, 2010 Eldon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, read-2010s

Do not read this book as a prequel to the Ember series. Four paragraphs do not a prequel make. There are two more installments that should be added between this one and The City of Ember: Nickie's dad's story (same 50 year time frame as The Prophet of Yonwood) and an actual prequel beginning where The Prophet of Yonwood ends.

Read this as a stand-alone story. It will be more enjoyable if you aren't constantly looking for how it ties into the first two books. Also be prepared for tangents that go...more

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About Jeanne DuPrau

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

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Books by Jeanne DuPrau

The People of Sparks (Book of Ember, #2)

The Diamond of Darkhold (Book of Ember, #4)

The Books of Ember (Books of Ember, #1-3)

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Quotes from The Prophet of Yonwood

“It’s for my God, the god of dogs, and snakes and dust mites and albino bears and Siamese twins, the god of stars and starships and other dimensions, the god who loves everyone and makes everything marvelous.” — 8 people liked it

“The idea seemed to be that if you prayed extremely hard--especially if a lot of people prayed at once--maybe God would change things. The trouble was, what if your enemy was praying, too? Which prayer would God listen to?” — 7 people liked it

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The Prophet of Yonwood (Book of Ember #3)

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