People+of+Sparks


 * //The People of Sparks//

Followed by fellow Emberites, Lina and Doon emerge from the underground city and are taken in by the first town they encounter–but the additional population puts a strain on the town’s resources, inciting conflict.**

Having escaped from the underground world of Ember, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow emerge into the post-disaster village of Sparks. The world of Sparks stands in stark contrast to life in Ember. Sparks glitters with its brilliant light, radiant color, and seemingly abundant resources. As the strain of adding new members to its community begins to take its toll, the people of Sparks resort to survival instincts in an effort to conserve resources. Conflicts emerge as leaders bicker and friendships begin to wane. It takes the courage and leadership of the novel’s young characters to unify the village as they attempt to create a harmonious world.

**ABOUT THIS AUTHOR**

“//What could be more interesting than thinking of mysterious happenings, finding the answers to intriguing questions, and making up new worlds?//”//–//Jeanne DuPrau

Jeanne DuPrau writes for several hours each day and finds inspiration in a quote from Thomas Mann that says, “A writer is someone for whom writing is harder than it is for other people.” This quote guides. DuPrau’s writing, which she often finds to be a challenging task. DuPrau knew she wanted to be a writer at a young age and has tried related careers in teaching, technical writing, and editing. She has written three novels, six books of nonfiction, and with essays and stories. She lives in California where she loves to garden.

Check out the Author Spotlight __http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/authors/results.pperl?authorid=7639__ on Jeannie DuPrau or visit the author’s official site! __http://www.jeanneduprau.com/__

Discussion Questions:

Discussion In Chapter 6 "Breakfast with Disaster" the reader learns what disaster caused the people of Earth to build the underground city of Ember. Torren told Lina that they had four wars. He said the wars were caused from things like: Questions to Think About After the four wars were fought the people of Earth suffered from three plagues. > One of Tick's ideas was to hoist the flag of Ember over the Pioneer Hotel. Lottie Hoover, who had worked in one of Ember's city offices, had rolled the flag up and tucked it into her bag just before she rushed down into the Pipeworks to leave. Doon didn't really see the point of flying Ember's flag over the hotel-everyone knew that it was the people of Ember who lived there-but he helped with the project, sawing the limbs off a tall, thin tree to make a flagpole. Soon the flag of the city of Ember, deep blue with a yellow grid, flapped above the Pioneer. || >> >> Page 146 "He's always been a bit odd," said the doctor. Do you think Caspar will become an important character in the story? What do you think will happen? What could Caspar be deciphering at the end of Chapter 12? English - Lesson 6 - Subject/Verb Agreement - Irregular > **Friendship–**Lina and Doon share a friendship in both novels, and Doon attempts a friendship with Tick in //The People of Sparks.// Lina and Doon recognize positive and negative qualities in their friendships, a key aspect of accepting someone as your friend. Ask students to keep a log of how Lina and Doon perceive their friendships and how their friendships wax and wane throughout both books. What personality traits do they admire in one another and in Tick? What qualities do they find troublesome in each other and in Tick? As an extension activity, ask students to write a paragraph describing what they admire about their best friends. > > > **Greed–**How does greed escalate to conflict? Ask students to trace incidents of greed by both townspeople and politicians as the characters progress from one novel to the next. Create a timeline that illustrates how townspeople allowed fear and greed to lead them into battle. What is the ultimate message about greed in both novels? What is the message about humankind and war? What is the author trying to say about corruption and power? Are the events of these novels a realistic reflection of human nature?
 * A **flashback** occurs when the author narrates an event that took place before the current time of the story. Why did Jeanne DuPrau use a flashback in Chapter 2?
 * Many people died in the rush to leave Ember. Why do you think the people reacted the way they did to the news that a way out of Ember had been found?
 * The mayor, Looper, and the guards gathered sacks full of loot, and tried to leave Ember before an announcement could be made to the people. What do you think of this behavior?
 * Once the people of Ember leave the caves they walk for days without seeing any signs of people. Could you do this today? //The People of Sparks// takes place in the future. What could have happened to the people?
 * Like who should get some big chunk of land.
 * Or whether you should believe in this god or that god.
 * Or who got to have the gold and the oil.
 * Why do you think man continued to fight with each other after the first two or three wars nearly wiped out mankind?
 * Where do you think these wars occurred?
 * Do you think the wars were world wide?
 * Which countries do you think were the leaders in these wars?
 * Why do you think that three plagues occurred after the four wars?
 * Why do you think Torren enjoyed telling Lina about the disaster?
 * [[image:http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading45/flag.gif width="218" height="173"]] || Excerpt from Pages 137-138
 * [[image:http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading45/flag.gif width="218" height="173"]] || Excerpt from Pages 137-138
 * Why do you think Lottie took the time to gather the flag of Ember before fleeing?
 * What do you think the yellow grid signifies?
 * Do you agree with Doon there was really no point in flying Ember's flag over the hotel? Why or why not?
 * Page 142 gives the reader a hint that all is not right with Caspar. "Lina smiled politely at this stupid joke. Something about Caspar seemed to be slightly off, she thought.