The People of Sparks

• Genre: Fiction; middle-grade science-fiction adventure
• Originally Published: 2004
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 760L; grades 4-7
• Structure/Length: 3 parts; 29 chapters; approx. 352 pages; approx. 8 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: In this second book in the City of Ember series, 12-year-old Lina, Doon, and other survivors from the underground city of Ember arrive in the aboveground city of Sparks. They are allowed to stay for six months, but tensions emerge between the two groups in a post-apocalyptic world with scant resources.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence between groups

Jeanne DuPrau, Author

• Bio: Born in 1944; earned her BA in education from Scripps College; has worked as a high school English teacher, an editor, and a technical writer; lives in California, where she enjoys gardening and cooking; her book City of Ember was adapted as a motion picture, released in 2008; titles in the City of Ember series have been listed by the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, and Kirkus Reviews, among others.
• Other Works: The City of Ember (Book 1 in the City of Ember series; 2003); The Prophet of Yonwood (prequel to the City of Ember series; 2006); The Diamond of Darkhold (Book 3 in the City of Ember series; 2008); Voyagers: Escape the Vortex (Book 5 in a multi-author series; 2016)
• Awards: New York Public Library’s Best Books for Teens list (2005)