Monument 14

Gr 9 Up—Take your everyday apocalyptic story, put some high school and middle school students and kindergarteners together on a bus, hurtle them into a giant supermarket, sprinkle a contamination epidemic, and you get Laybourne's thriller (Feiwel & Friends, 2012). Sophomore outcast Dean narrates the ordeal as he struggles to look out for his brother, keep an eye on his crush, and keep order as major issues arise (contaminated air and water, murderers on the outside, lice). What makes this different from other doomsday titles is its ability to create a solid family amongst the different ages of characters that all look out for the youngest of survivors. Each of the discs begins and ends with an eerie instrumental piece, while Todd Haberkorn's careful narration shows limited emotion as the harrowing events unfold. A few sexual situations and carnage descriptions make this appropriate for slightly older teens. The audio ends abruptly with a cliff-hanger, hinting at a sequel. Fans of Susan Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It (Harcourt, 2006) or Ashfall (Tanglewood, 2011) by Mike Mullin will enjoy Laybourne's debut novel. Purchase where demand for dystopian fiction is high.—Amanda Schiavulli Finger Lakes Library System, NY