As a young teen, I was elated when I discovered DuPrau’s first book, The City of Ember. Growing up, my parents were very careful about what their children were allowed to read, so I often had a difficult time finding books (especially for young teens) that didn’t have lots content. I also was quickly falling in love with dystopian books, and The City of Ember quickly became one of my favorite books to read and re-read. I’m an adult now, but I still get excited when I find books that are by authors I loved as a kid, and DuPrau’s newest book sounded like a fun trip down memory lane for me.

Project F is set in what felt like a similar time as The City of Ember, with references to the times before, when humanity used up earth’s resources and quickly lost the ability to use lots of modern technology. Trains are mentioned to be a form of transport for longer journeys; towns are mentioned to be small and few and far between. Fossil fuels are banned and use of them is against the law. While these are all mentioned throughout the book, there isn’t a lot of explanation why this way of living occurred, but just enough to give the reader an idea of what could possibly be our future if we’re not careful with our precious resources.

So, when the main character, Keith, gets the opportunity to ride on a train to go fetch his cousin to come live with his family after a tragedy occurs, leaving his cousin orphaned, he jumps at the chance to go on a little adventure, even though he is quite young to be traveling alone. Though he promises his parents he won’t get into any mischief, Keith convinces himself that the man on the train who accidentally took the wrong bag when he got to his stop will be appreciative of his efforts to track him down and give him his belongings back. The man is grateful; however, Keith’s detour reveals something about the man that is miraculous and mind boggling. How could Keith walk away from an opportunity to better the lives of humans?

And so, Keith begins to keep secrets. He tells a small lie to his parents about the train journey and that is harmless enough. The discovery Keith made is still in the front of his mind though, and he can’t stop thinking about the project the man on the train is involved with. The majority of this book is about Keith and his brief adventure, and the excitement of being a kid with a secret. I think it is probably the sweetest and most innocent story that I have read in a long time, and I hope that many kids get great enjoyment out of this story and perhaps will discover The City of Ember if they haven’t already!

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy from Random House Children’s Books

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 1 mild obscenity.

Violence/Gore: A report is made of two adults being swept away into a body of water and drowning, leaving behind a young daughter; a character is mentioned to have broken their ankle; terrorism is referred to; a brief scene occurs where a young girl is slightly injured after a fall, a scratch is mentioned to bleed just a bit; a minor is mentioned to catch a live butterfly and drive a pin through it for display; a deadly global cataclysm is referred to as having happened in the past; a man tries out an invention of his and is injured in a fall, he is referred to as being unconscious but alive, having a cut on his face that is bleeding and broken limbs; a minor is involved in a dangerous plan that he is keeping secret from his parents; a small fire breaks out in a brief scene but is quickly put out.

Sex/Nudity: None

Mature Subject Matter:

Loss of loved ones; orphaned children; environmental collapse; deception; law breaking.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

None