Monument 14

Monument 14
by Emmy Laybourne
New York: Feiwel and Friends
2013
296 pages





Monument 14, on the YALSA Teens' Top Ten Nomination List, is a disaster book. The disaster happens in the first chapter, and two busloads of children, ages kindergarten through high school, find themselves in dire straits. This future society which offers many technological advances, including a nationwide computer network that keeps everyone informed and connected, does not hold up very long in the face of major natural disasters. Add some unnatural disasters, too, and we looking at the "end of the world as we know it."

We hear this story through Dean Grieder, a high school junior. He began his day as usual, catching the school bus, but little did he know, this day would be not be ordinary. Soon after the bus started its route to school, a hail storm unlike any other caused the bus to skid out of control and eventually turn over. Dean's younger brother was on his own bus ahead of Dean's, but that bus driver was fortunate enough to keep her bus upright, ramming it into a large superstore, Greenway. Dean's bus rolled over and kids were injured or not moving, and the bus driver was pinned under the steering wheel and appeared to be bleeding profusely. We see the that the bus is on fire, the bus driver is dying, and giant hail is pounding the bus--how will the kids get off the bus to safety?

This book takes place over the course of two weeks and the children's lives are changed dramatically. Mrs. Wooly, the brave bus driver and only adult on the premises, decided to leave to seek help at the nearby hospital and to find out what is happening. She instructed the children to remain in the store and stay together. This is the last they see her. Jake, a high school senior, is left in charge of the kids at the store, and most of the high schoolers are conscious of the needs of the small children, who are pedictably freaking out. There is a mini restaurant in the store and they are able to cook pizzas for everyone who is able to eat. Then another disaster hits--earthquake!

The entrance to the
 Cheyenne Mountain Complex, NORAD

One of the unnatural factors that contributes to this disaster is the chemical cloud that appears on the horizon. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is located near Monument and apparently they have been experimenting with dangerous chemicals. These have an immediate effect on everyone.  The news report the kids are able to get on the old television in the media section of the store reveals that the chemicals in the air affect people according to blood type:

• Type A: severe blisters on all exposed skin. With prolonged exposure, internal organs will hemorrhage.
• Type AB: paranoid delusions and hallucinations.
• Type B: long-term reproductive problems, but no immediate problems.
• Type O: dangerous, deranged, and violent behavior.

The kids realize that they need to seal up the store as well as they can, so they put up coverings over any exposed vents and doorways. Luckily the heavy metal security gates have been activated, which keeps the violent people out, but also they keep the kids from leaving.

Overall, this was an exciting story with plenty of action. I admired several of the characters and their reactions to the situation, including Dean, who takes on the cooking despite not really wanting to be tied to the kitchen; Alex, his brother, who is smart and innovative; Niko, the Boy Scout who shows his capability to deal with problems despite the dislike shown him by two of the high school boys; and Josie who, once she recovers from her shock, proves to be a welcome calming influence over the little kids.

Other characters behave in ways that I suspect would be typical of kids suddenly with no adult supervision. Brayden and Jake quickly discover the alcohol and pharmacy, choosing to get high rather than provide stable support for the smaller children. Sahalia, an 8th grade girl, becomes pouty that she isn't treated like a "big" kid, but then she doesn't contribute anything to show that she can act maturely. Her way of showing maturity is to flirt with the older boys in inappropriate ways and becoming a huge problem for the others.

One thing I did wonder about, though, was why there were no people in the superstore, Greenway. The kids were going to school before 8:00am, but the store was not open and there were no employees inside preparing for the day. If this store is similar to Walmart or Target, it would be open 24 hours, but this store is obviously not open until later in the morning. Extra people would have distracted us from the action of the story, but I doubt the realism here.

I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good end-of-the-world disaster story, but I would advise that it is more for teens 15 and older due to sexual content. Book Two Monument 14: Sky on Fire is out and I am excited to read it to find out what happens next.