Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

 The book I have chosen to write a blog about is "Monument 14" by Emmy Laybourne. This book takes place in Monument, Colorado in the year 2024. I believe it is realistic fiction because the events in the book can actually happen in real life. It follows a high schooler boy named Dean as he has to survive an apocalypse. It all starts out as a normal school day when very severe storms and hail fall onto his bus. As they drive to get to school, a very large piece of hail hits the bus, causing the driver to pull the bus over. They end up stopping at a Greenway Supermarket, and when another large piece of hail falls, it hits the bus driver and kills her. Dean and the other survivors like Jake, Astrid, Josie, Alex (his brother), and Niko had to get into the Greenway as the bus got flipped. A teacher named Ms. Wooly proceeds to give them seven other kids ranging from 13 to 6. All seems okay until an earthquake causes a base full of chemical weapons to flood into the air. This causes people with blood type O to turn into rage monsters, people with blood type AB get paranoia, blood type B has a loss of sexual function, and blood type A gets blistered up and the blisters explode and kill them. Now they're stuck in a massive superstore until the chemical weapons clear away which could take up to 3 MONTHS! Will they end up surviving? Find out when you pick up Monument 14 at the HMS Library! 

            I recommend this book for quite a few reasons. First of all, this book is great to both genders since it is a tale of survival and doesn't focus on a specific gender to advertise to. Also, I really like this book because it has many twists and turns that you wouldn't ever expect! Another thing is that the book is a series so it will have you hooked on from the amazing plot as well as give you something fun to read when at school or even over the summer. Finally, I recommend this book to anybody who enjoyed the Maze Runner or Hunger Games because they are all dystopian survival stories. This is why you should read "Monument 14" by Emmy Laybourne! 

             By: Louis B.

             Spicer Periods 5-6