The Prophet of Yonwood

April 3, 2006
This third book in DuPrau's series is billed as a prequel to the first two (The City of Ember
and The People of Sparks
), but the connection is tenuous. Eleven-year-old Nickie Randolph wants "to do something helpful for the world," which is on the brink of war. Fear of terrorist activity is wreaking havoc in American cities. Against this backdrop, Nickie and her aunt travel from Philadelphia to Yonwood, in the North Carolina mountains, to prepare Nickie's great-grandfather's home for sale. Yonwood is a tense, parochial town, where the fevered ramblings of an older woman have been seized upon as "visions," and the woman hailed as a prophet. Local busybody Brenda Beeson, whose mantra is "one moldy strawberry can ruin the whole basket," zealously takes charge, interpreting the Prophet's messages and building a "shield of goodness" against impending evil. DuPrau scatters the text with intriguing elements—clues hidden in postcards, mysterious writings about "eleven dimensions" found in a journal—but they function more as entertaining distractions rather than to advance the story. DuPrau unfortunately undercuts the novel's more serious themes—the nature of goodness, and of God—with a manipulative, rather nonsensical denouement. But while the plot never fully ignites, the smooth writing will carry fans of the first two books along, and there's ample room (50 years) between this book and Ember
for yet another prequel. Ages 8-12.

May 15, 2006
Gr. 4--7. Set about 50 years before the previous books in the Embers series, this novel focuses on 11-year-old Nickie, who believes her great-grandfather's old mansion in Yonwood, North Carolina, may be a haven from the city wracked with fear of impending war. Unfortunately, the place isn't exactly idyllic. Nickie's experiences in Yonwood further the idea, established in the previous books, about the role of God in human affairs. Why, for example, would God say one thing to the Prophet of Yonwood and another to a prophet halfway around the world?--a provocative question that is certainly apropos to what is happening in the world today.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2006
In a sort of pre-prequel to "The City of Ember", a girl witnesses the beginning of the end of life on earth as we know it. The larger themes aren't always sufficiently grounded in the events of the story, but Nickie is a sympathetic and believable fulcrum for the story, which is both scary and action-filled.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

June 1, 2006
Gr 4-8 -In this prequel to "The City of Ember" (2003) and "The People of Sparks" (2004, both Random), 11-year-old Nickie accompanies her aunt to Yonwood, NC, to help get her great-grandfather -s house ready to be sold. Months earlier, a woman in the community named Althea Tower had a vision and collapsed, muttering about fire and disaster. The townspeople interpreted it as a premonition of events since war between the U.S. and the Phalanx Nations is eminent. Althea is hailed as a Prophet and an ambitious Mrs. Beeson appoints herself Althea -s interpreter. Soon she -s urging everyone to give up sinful things like singing. The townspeople believe that by being virtuous they will build -a shield of goodness - around themselves and not be harmed. In her effort to be a good person, Nickie falls prey to this collective brainwashing and betrays a friend. She has her own secret. She -s hiding a dog in the house. When Mrs. Beeson thinks the Prophet has said -no dogs - and forces everyone to get rid of them, the child is outraged and confronts the Prophet to demand the truth behind her pronouncements. This novel has a great deal of immediacy in light of current world events. It sharply brings home the idea of people blindly following a belief without questioning it. However, it -s really more of a stand-alone title. The plot details that tie it and "Ember" together are only revealed in the last chapter, entitled -What Happened Afterward. -" -Sharon Rawlins, NJ Library for the Blind and Handicapped, Trenton"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.