Menlo Park author's first novel released by Random House Menlo Park author's first novel released by Random House (June 04, 2003)

By Renee Batti
Almanac News Editor

Once upon a time, Jeanne DuPrau of Menlo Park put down her pen, threw up her hands, and decided she simply couldn't write fiction.

So she shelved the manuscript of the children's book she'd recently completed, and determined that she would continue writing such things as essays, book reviews, classroom guides and user manuals. But fiction? Nevermore.

As it turns out, that decision was not the end of the story. And when years later Ms. DuPrau had a change of heart and dusted off the manuscript to have another go at it, she transformed it into a work that three publishers were eager to bid on.

On May 13, Random House released "The City of Ember," Ms. DuPrau's tale of two children's adventures in a fictional, underground city created after a catastrophic event alters life on Earth.

In the book, she has invented a city that would exist in total darkness were it not for the great lamps that illuminate it. But when the lights begin to flicker about 200 years after Ember was established, friends Lina and Doon, both 12, realize they must take action to save the city -- the only world they have ever known.

Ms. DuPrau smiles and shakes her head when asked where the idea for the book came from. "It's a mystery to me," she says.

Yet, the journey of discovery that propels the story of the two children and their growing awareness of a larger world is a theme that has fascinated Ms. DuPrau all her life, she says. The door that is closed, the hand that opens it, and the innocent wanderer who crosses the threshold -- these are the elements of great stories that shed light on the human experience.

In Ember, Lina and Doon "don't know any other world," but when the lights start to go out, "they are forced to go out" beyond their world, Ms. DuPrau explains. Evoking the imagery of the door, Ms. DuPrau says, "It's the idea of finding a way from one world into another one."

The book, geared toward kids ages 10 to 14, has already created a buzz within the book industry and library groups. It has been nominated for the Best Books for Young Adults award, given annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association.

Ms. DuPrau completed and sent off a sequel about a month ago, and she anticipates its release in about a year. She is now taking some time off before beginning her next fiction-writing project, she says.

Random House sent her on a pre-publication tour in February to cities including New York, Boston and Chicago, and this Wednesday, June 4, she will read from her book at Kepler's bookstore in Menlo Park.

Ms. DuPrau credits Harry Potter, in part, for her inspiration in revising her dusty old manuscript. When J.K. Rowling's phenomenal Harry Potter books were setting the children's fiction world on fire in the late 1990s, Ms. DuPrau picked up a book to see what the excitement was all about.

"I read it, and saw what made it so successful," she explains. Her assessment: It moves very fast; it keeps the suspense going from one chapter to the next; and the characters are unfailingly active.

By comparison, she says: "My book was way too slow, and everyone was way too passive. ... I wanted to make it a scary story, so I had the kids be scared all the time. And that didn't work at all."

So, she got to work on rewriting her book, applying what she learned from reading Rowling, and came up with a dynamic book that, much to her surprise, was quickly snatched up by a publisher.

A native of Palo Alto, Ms. DuPrau has lived in Menlo Park for 23 years. She has worked as a high school English teacher, a technical writer, and a freelance writer. She also worked for some time in the world of educational publishing.

Several years ago, she published a memoir, "The Earth House," about building a house in the foothills with her partner, who later died of cancer.

Now, she plans to devote all her working time to writing children's fiction, she says.

INFORMATION

Reading at Kepler's. Jeanne DuPrau of Menlo Park will read from "The City of Ember" at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, at Kepler's bookstore, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. The event is free. For information, call 324-4321.