The city of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

I am reading a book called “The city of Ember” by Jeanne DuPrau.

 

I am reading a book called “The city of Ember” by Jeanne DuPrau.

I was very surprised to learn that in the city of Ember is always dark. The only light there were the ones hanging off the buildings. Those lights get turned off at 9 p.m. and turned on at 6 a.m. So between that time it was completely dark. The city of Ember was becoming old and had many electricity shortages during the daytime. When the lights were off the people of Ember didn’t know what to do because they couldn’t see. Children at school could not do normal school activities because of that. In this city kids graduated at the age of 12 and were assigned a job by drawing a slip of paper from a bag brought to them by the city Mayer. Some kids would get good jobs and would not change them after 3 years when the change was allowed.

The assignment day in the classroom number 8 in the school of Ember was usually loud and noisy but this particular assignment day was different. Each of the 24 students was nervous especially a girl named Lina Mayfleet. She was stroking her hair nervously waiting to choose a job. Lina wanted to be a Messenger. The job was fun for her because she would get to walk the city carrying important messages to people. She already pictured herself wearing the red jacket that messengers wear. Mayer Cole walked in the classroom to oversee assignment day. He held a bag full of slips with one hand to make sure the drawing was properly done. When it was Lina’s turn she drew out paper with Pipeworks laborer on it. She was not very happy with the job she got. Her classmate Doon was the last one drew and he got the job she wanted - Messenger. Doon wanted to be an electrician's helper and was also unhappy with the job he got. After the class Doon offered Lina to trade their jobs. He didn’t see any importance in being a messenger and thought he would be more helpful for the city as a pipe worker. After the job trade Lina ran home to tell her grandma about the job she got. While she was walking she noticed that on one street lot of lights were out. After a long thought about the lights she remembered that Doon mentioned something was getting wrong with the city of Ember. Lina thought Doon was right about city of Ember but the thought was too frightening for her to keep thinking about it.  

plummeting

sentence: He pulled himself upward, pushed again—he was higher now than Lina had been—but suddenly his hands slid and he came plummeting down.

definition: fall or drop straight down at high speed.

sheer

sentence: On either side was a sheer wall of dark reddish stone, glistening with dampness.

definition: (especially of a cliff or wall) perpendicular or nearly so.