The People of Sparks
First edition cover
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| Author | Jeanne DuPrau |
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| Country | United States, Canada |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Book of Ember series |
| Genre | Children's literature, post-apocalyptic, Science fiction |
| Publisher | Random House/Yearling |
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Publication date
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May 25, 2004 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 338 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 53932528 |
| LC Class | PZ7.D927 Pe 4 |
| Preceded by | The City of Ember |
| Followed by | The Prophet of Yonwood |
The People of Sparks is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer Jeanne DuPrau, published in 2004. It is the second "Book of Ember" in the series, and a sequel to The City of Ember; other books in the series include The Prophet of Yonwood and The Diamond of Darkhold.
The Playtone Company (the production company that released the City of Ember film) also purchased the rights to The People of Sparks, but after the box office failure of the first film, plans for the sequel were shelved.
The story resumes after the evacuation of Ember, an underground city, which has been cut off from the surface for about 200 years. The 400+ refugees from the city cannot return, as the city's resources are nearly depleted, and have no idea how to survive on the surface. After following a road for three days, they arrive at the village of Sparks, exhausted and hungry. The leaders of this village, Mary, Ben, and Wilmer, reluctantly agree to take in the refugees for 6 months, theoretically long enough to teach them to survive independently. They are allowed to stay in the abandoned and decrepit Pioneer Hotel. Tick Hassler, a former hauler of carts in Ember, organizes a series of projects intended to improve their quality of life and chances for the future, but which tend to be more grandiose than practical.
Concern soon arises about whether there is adequate food for everyone in Sparks; if food stocks are insufficient for the winter, it would be disastrous for both groups. The Emberites have little knowledge of the surface (having been deliberately deprived of such knowledge at the founding of the city, so they would not try to leave prematurely), and villagers soon begin to resent having to care for them. Lina Mayfleet, Poppy Mayfleet, and Mrs. Murdo are told to live at the doctor's house due to Poppy's illness, where there is a whiny boy named Torren Crane. As tensions mount, a mysterious series of acts of vandalism against the people of Ember heightens the anger on both sides. The resultant reduction in the quantity and quality of food provided to Emberites only makes them angrier. Sparks' leaders vote 2-1 to stop having Emberites in homes for meals, as was the policy before, and instead have them pick up food to eat elsewhere. Then, Ember's people learn that they will be ejected from the village in the middle of winter, which they had not understood. Finally, Torren, in a rage, destroys a large amount of tomatoes, for which the two groups each blame members of the other.
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