# The City of Ember

**Author:** Jeanne DuPrau
**Grade range:** Grades 4–6
**First published:** 2009
**Page count:** 290
**ISBN-13:** `9781407049274`
**ISBN-10:** `1407049275`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/the-city-of-ember
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked - but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all - the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness-But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?

## Where this book is assigned

### Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Connecticut — [source: Connecticut Library Association + Connecticut Association of School Librarians — Nutmeg Book Award (student-choice; Elementary/Intermediate/Middle/Teen; annual since 1993)](https://nutmegaward.org/)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Connecticut — [source: Connecticut Library Association + Connecticut Association of School Librarians — Nutmeg Book Award (student-choice; Elementary/Intermediate/Middle/Teen; annual since 1993)](https://nutmegaward.org/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Connecticut — [source: Connecticut Library Association + Connecticut Association of School Librarians — Nutmeg Book Award (student-choice; Elementary/Intermediate/Middle/Teen; annual since 1993)](https://nutmegaward.org/)

### Great Stone Face Book Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · New Hampshire — [source: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.](https://www.librarything.com/award/757/Great-Stone-Face-Book-Award)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · New Hampshire — [source: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.](https://www.librarything.com/award/757/Great-Stone-Face-Book-Award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · New Hampshire — [source: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.](https://www.librarything.com/award/757/Great-Stone-Face-Book-Award)

### Land of Enchantment Book Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · New Mexico — [source: New Mexico State Library — Land of Enchantment Book Award winner/nominee lists (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1981)](https://nmstatelibrary.org/land-of-enchantment-book-awards-40th-anniversary/)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · New Mexico — [source: New Mexico State Library — Land of Enchantment Book Award winner/nominee lists (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1981)](https://nmstatelibrary.org/land-of-enchantment-book-awards-40th-anniversary/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · New Mexico — [source: New Mexico State Library — Land of Enchantment Book Award winner/nominee lists (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1981)](https://nmstatelibrary.org/land-of-enchantment-book-awards-40th-anniversary/)

### Mark Twain Readers Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Missouri — [source: Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) — Mark Twain Readers Award: Missouri's statewide grades 4-6 children's-choice program (students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1972-2025 per the Mark Twain Award record.](https://maslonline.org/)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Missouri — [source: Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) — Mark Twain Readers Award: Missouri's statewide grades 4-6 children's-choice program (students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1972-2025 per the Mark Twain Award record.](https://maslonline.org/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Missouri — [source: Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) — Mark Twain Readers Award: Missouri's statewide grades 4-6 children's-choice program (students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1972-2025 per the Mark Twain Award record.](https://maslonline.org/)

### Mark Twain Readers Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Missouri — [source: Mark Twain Readers Award winners (Missouri Association of School Librarians), via Wikipedia — 2006](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain_Award)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Missouri — [source: Mark Twain Readers Award winners (Missouri Association of School Librarians), via Wikipedia — 2006](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain_Award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Missouri — [source: Mark Twain Readers Award winners (Missouri Association of School Librarians), via Wikipedia — 2006](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain_Award)

### Nevada Young Readers' Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Nevada — [source: Nevada Library Association — Nevada Young Readers' Award, Young Reader + Intermediate divisions (student-choice; annual since 1988)](https://nevadalibraries.org/nyra)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Nevada — [source: Nevada Library Association — Nevada Young Readers' Award, Young Reader + Intermediate divisions (student-choice; annual since 1988)](https://nevadalibraries.org/nyra)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Nevada — [source: Nevada Library Association — Nevada Young Readers' Award, Young Reader + Intermediate divisions (student-choice; annual since 1988)](https://nevadalibraries.org/nyra)

### Sunshine State Young Readers Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Florida — [source: Florida Department of Education + Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) — Sunshine State Young Readers Award, grades 3-5 + 6-8 (student-choice; since 1983); winner roll](https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/4518-sunshine-state-young-readers-award)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Florida — [source: Florida Department of Education + Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) — Sunshine State Young Readers Award, grades 3-5 + 6-8 (student-choice; since 1983); winner roll](https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/4518-sunshine-state-young-readers-award)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Florida — [source: Florida Department of Education + Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) — Sunshine State Young Readers Award, grades 3-5 + 6-8 (student-choice; since 1983); winner roll](https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/4518-sunshine-state-young-readers-award)

### Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction)

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Utah — [source: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)](https://clau.org/)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Utah — [source: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)](https://clau.org/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Utah — [source: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)](https://clau.org/)

### William Allen White Children's Book Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Kansas — [source: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — Kansas's statewide children's-choice program (est. 1952; students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1953-2025 per the William Allen White Award record.](https://wawbookaward.org/)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Kansas — [source: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — Kansas's statewide children's-choice program (est. 1952; students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1953-2025 per the William Allen White Award record.](https://wawbookaward.org/)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Kansas — [source: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — Kansas's statewide children's-choice program (est. 1952; students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1953-2025 per the William Allen White Award record.](https://wawbookaward.org/)

### Young Hoosier Book Award

- **recommended** · 4th grade · Indiana — [source: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award Past Winners (Intermediate grades 4-6 + Middle Grade grades 6-8; annual since 1975)](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ilfonline.org/resource/resmgr/yhba/yhba_pastwinners.pdf)
- **recommended** · 5th grade · Indiana — [source: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award Past Winners (Intermediate grades 4-6 + Middle Grade grades 6-8; annual since 1975)](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ilfonline.org/resource/resmgr/yhba/yhba_pastwinners.pdf)
- **recommended** · 6th grade · Indiana — [source: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award Past Winners (Intermediate grades 4-6 + Middle Grade grades 6-8; annual since 1975)](https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ilfonline.org/resource/resmgr/yhba/yhba_pastwinners.pdf)

---

_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. For the full HTML view with reading-list cross-references, see https://readinglist.school/book/the-city-of-ember._