Parents, kids read together

The City of Ember is this year&#8217;s One Book One Community selection

April 13, 2010|By Linda Shrieves, Orlando Sentinel

An earlier version of this article misspelled author Roald Dahl's name. The accompanying box also included the incorrect spelling of author Carl Hiaasen's name.

Imagine living in a city where there's no sun or moon – and the only light comes from electric lamps. And here's the hitch: The electricity is beginning to fail – and the food supplies are running out. The only answers may come from two curious teens, who wonder if there's a way to save the city's residents.

That's the mystery at the center of The City of Ember, The Orlando Sentinel's 2010 selection for its annual One Book One Community campaign.

Now in its ninth year, the One Book One Community campaign encourages Central Florida children – and the adults in their lives – to read the same book. The campaign will include events such as read-alouds in classrooms and libraries , as well as a themed writing contest.

The six-week program begins today and runs through May 23.

The City of Ember, written by Jeanne DuPrau and published in 2003, explores a world where people have lived in darkness for more than 200 years. Teens are assigned jobs for life – and everyone seems to get along fine, thanks to storehouses of electricity and food. But when supplies run out, no one knows how to generate electricity or even produce fire.

"Children and adults will love reading The City of Ember for it's wide appeal. It's an exciting book about past generations of secrets and children's curiosity that leads them to a discovery to help future generations," said Lisa Jacobsen, who leads the Sentinel's Reading By Nine steering committee.

The Reading By Nine program works to ensure that area schoolchildren are reading at grade level by the age of nine, an age when students must make the transition from learning to read, to reading to learn.

"The title of the program, One Book One Community, is very much our mission and our focus. By prompting our community to read the same book at the same time, we are encouraging conversations and a love of reading between children and the adults in their lives," Jacobsen said. "This is our future generation of leaders and voters and it's up to all of us to give children that essential foundation in reading."

Over the years, One Book One Community selections have ranged from classics, such as Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, to Kate Di Camillo's contemporary drama, Because of Winn-Dixie, which is set in Central Florida.

The Orange County Public Library has already set up a series of programs that include crafts and activities related to The City of Ember. Details about the writing contest will be released later this month.

Linda Shrieves can be reached at lshrieves@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5433.

One Book One Community
Over the past nine years, the One Book One Community campaign has selected the following books:
2002-
Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White
2003-
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate Di Camillo
2004 –
Holes
by Louis Sachar
2005 –
James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl
2006 –
Esperanza Rising
by Pam Munoz Ryan
2007 –
Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard and Florence Atwater
2008 –
The Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden
2009 –
Hoot
by Carl Hiaasen
2010 –
The City of Ember
by Jeanne DuPrau

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