 Introduction  Chapter 1  Chapter 2

 An attempt to achieve a goal  His earliest artistic endeavors were recreations of the comic book heroes and cartoon characters from watching Saturday morning television.

 Serious  Deep serenity  The first mayor solemnly swore to secrecy when he was given the box.

 Surround; envelop  Hold or clasp  The air was full of pleasant odors from the enfolding forest.

 Move in a slow manner  The mayor lumbered to the front of the room and faced the students.

 A complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way  Confusing arrangement  Pipe works laborers worked below the storerooms in the deep labyrinth of tunnels that contained Ember’s water and sewer system.

 Fall or drop straight down at high speed Lina’s shoe came plummeting down from the roof top.

 Becoming thin and tattered with age  In the City of Ember, most of the people’s possessions were old, broken, threadbare things that had been around for many years.

 To repeat several times as an echo  Appear to vibrate or be disturbed because of a loud noise  From the town clock came a deep reverberating bong.

 Unlikely to stumble or slip  Confident and competent  Lina felt strong, speedy and surefooted as she delivered her messages across town.

 Appear as a shadowy form especially on that is large and threatening.  A vague appearance of an object seen in darkness.  A somber mood was looming in the classroom as the children received their work assignments.

 Deep, clear, and continuing sound, ring or emotion  “What you need to learn, children,” she always said, in her resonant, precise voice, “is the difference between right and wrong.”

 Made smaller or less impressive or valuable  My confidence in you has been diminished since I heard about the disrespectful remarks you made in class.

 Not considered to be respectable in character or appearance  He developed a disreputable reputation because he lied many times.

 An abrupt uncontrolled movement especially an unsteady tilt or roll.  Stagger  The boat swayed violently and he felt as if his body lurched in one direction and his stomach went the opposite way.

 A small open hut  The girls crowed around the kiosk that sold handmade jewelry.

 Physically strong  Muscular  He was a big man, with wide shoulders and brawny arms.

 One who follows another in office  The seventh mayor’s successor did not know about the secret box.

frayed  Worn along the edge, usually referring to a fabric  Grandma’s coat was old and frayed at the ends.

 People who search through discarded items for something of value  The scavengers looked through the trash heaps for useable goods.