Read Aloud Virginia - Book Store - The Diamond of Darkhold: The Fourth Book of Ember (Books of Ember)

	List Price: $16.99 Our Price: $11.55 Your Save: $ 5.44 ( 32% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
Average Customer Rating:
Binding: Hardcover EAN: 9780375855719 ISBN: 0375855718 Label: Random House Books for Young Readers Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 304 Publication Date: 2008-08-26 Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Release Date: 2008-08-26 Studio: Random House Books for Young Readers
Related Items The Prophet of Yonwood (Books of Ember) The People of Sparks (Books of Ember) The City of Ember (Books of Ember) Inkdeath (Inkheart) Brisingr (Inheritance, Book 3)
Editorial Reviews: It’s been several months since Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and, along with the rest of their people, joined the town of Sparks. Now, struggling through the harsh winter aboveground, they find an unusual book. Torn up and missing most of its pages, it alludes to a mysterious device from before the Disaster, which they believe is still in Ember. Together, Lina and Doon must go back underground to retrieve what was lost and bring light to a dark world. In the fourth Book of Ember, bestselling author Jeanne DuPrau juxtaposes yet another action-packed adventure with powerful themes about hope, learning, and the search for truth.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: You can't go home again Comment: The Diamond of Darkhold picks up where The People of Sparks left off. The former residents of the underground City of Ember are having a hard time adjusting to their new life out in the light--and the wind, rain, and cold. Doon becomes convinced that they overlooked a valuable invention when they left Ember, so he and Lina decide to go back to seek the treasure. When they do, they encounter a city generator on its last gasps, and a wild family named the Troggs who have decided that warm and dry inside beats the cold and unpredictable outside world. I really liked that dynamic, unpredictable freedom versus (an illusion of) safety, and the Troggs' desire to milk a clearly unsustainable situation for all it was worth. Lina and Doon have their adventures and find something that does make life a whole lot better for everyone. I really enjoyed this book and felt like it redeemed the series after the unsatisfying third book, the prequel The Prophet of Yonwood. I somehow felt there could have been a little more to The Diamond of Darkhold--it didn't reach the level of originality and completeness of the original City of Ember for me, but reading the next chapters in Lina and Doon's lives brought the series to a full-circle close. The overall series is strong with one notable misfire: I give The City of Ember 5 stars; The People of Sparks 3 stars; the misbegotten prequel The Prophet of Yonwood 1 star; and this redemptive finale The Diamond of Darkhold 4 stars. As young adult fiction goes, the Books of Ember series is thoughtful but also appropriate for strong readers fourth grade and older. Customer Rating: Summary: Time to turn off the lights on the Ember series Comment: I loved The City of Ember and I liked The People of Sparks. I didn't bother to read the prequel because it sounded lame, but I was psyched to read Diamond of Darkhold. Boy, was I disappointed. This book was poorly written. It was full with cliched characters, predictable dialogue, plot elements that we have already seen (in the first book) and overall suffered from severe suckiness. People, let your memories of Ember and Sparks end on high note and skip this lousy read. Customer Rating: Summary: My kids LOVE it Comment: We had been waiting for this book to come out for a long time. I decided to wait until Christmas to give it to my daughter. I read it today, and she is about 100 pages into it right now. It was an easy read - which is fine with me since it IS a children's book. My daughter can't put it down right now, she thinks it's wonderful. Customer Rating: Summary: A fine wrap-up to the series Comment: Lina and Doon get to return to Ember! For me it allowed them some closure since they had to leave the city so quickly before. This book had adventure and friendship and hope and by the end I knew that Lina, Doon and all the others would have a bright and happy future. Customer Rating: Summary: A great read for children of all ages! Comment: Book Four: The Book Of Ember Several months after Lina Mayfleet and her friend Doon Harrow led the underground town of Ember to the outside world, and are established in the town of Sparks, they find themselves in an awkward position. They are guests, and as lucky as they are, they think that life above ground is much harder. Now, in the middle of their first winter they find themselves homesick for their old city. Meanwhile, Doon finds an unusual book. Torn up and missing pages, it alludes to a mysterious device, a piece of technology from before the disaster. Doon becomes convinced that the Builders of Ember meant for them to find this device after leaving the city, to help them with their new lives. Together, Lina and Doon embark in a new adventure to their old home, Ember, to retrieve what was lost and bring light to their new world. This, the fourth Book of Ember--although a children book--is another action-packed adventure which explores the powerful themes of hope, learning, and the search for truth. A great read for children of all ages! More Reviews