Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Conference
First book in the Monument 14 series
Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Review
I'm actually really surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I was a little hesitant because I didn't want it to be like other books in this genre. I wouldn't compare it to any other book. It was completely unique. And I loved it very much.

This one tells the story of 14 kids. They have an accident and end up trapped in a local superstore. They must band together to survive whilst the world around them is torn apart.

I think I liked the characters best. I loved how they were all different and had something different to contribute. I loved all the different ages. I loved how well they stuck together. The older ones took care of the younger ones, but the younger ones had their roles too. They really were the best biggest family. And it was so sweet. With that ending I'm so curious to read more about these fabulous characters. Because there was so many of them I'm not gonna individually talk about them. But they were extremely well done and super adorable!

One of the reasons I loved this book so much was because the storyline wasn't what I was expecting. It really surprised me. I expected everyone to die and the kids to be all alone when really that wasn't the case. I loved that there was so many unique aspects. All the challenges the kids faced never failed to surprise me. I read this one in one sitting and it was lovely. Overall I thought this was an amazing read. I'm so glad I read it and I can't wait to continue the series.