Giver, he said that the characters and pace of the plot would keep readers hooked. Film adaptation A film adaptation of the novel, directed by Gil Kenan, was produced by Walden Media and Playtone with Bill Murray as the mayor, Saoirse Ronan as Lina, and Harry Treadaway as Doon. Filming was finished in October 2007, and the film was released in theaters a year later on October 10, 2008. City of Ember was released on DVD on January 20, 2009. The film received mixed reviews, with a Metacritic rating of 58/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Awards 2003 Child Magazine's Best Children's Book 2003 Kirkus Editor's Choice 2006 Mark Twain Award 2006 William Allen White Children's Book Award American Library Association Notable Book References External links Jeanne DuPrau's website 2003 science fiction novels 2003 American novels American post-apocalyptic novels American historical novels Debut speculative fiction novels American novels adapted into films Science fiction novels adapted into films 2003 debut novels Novels about cities Mark Twain Awards