Monument 14

I could not wait to get my hands on Monument 14, and it totally lived up to my expectations. To begin, who doesn't walk around a department store and think “If the world ends, I could make a nice home here?” Me, I'm heading to IKEA. So dibs.
In this thriller, kids are trapped in the local Greenway (which I imagined to be Walmart with booze). Outside, the world is crashing down in the form of hail and monster storms. Then a chemical leak with rather interesting side effects is released on Colorado and the kids are trapped. They do have each other, and some of them prove to be heroes. I loved the edition of smaller children and they were represented realistically. I think the age spread of the trapped really mixed it up a bit. Also, there was a decent ratio of girls and guys. Some of the characters are real stand outs, and some were not fully developed. I didn't get Astrid. At all. Josie, I loved.
Dean is a good narrator for this story. He is not stoic or mature. He is just very, very real and because of that, the reader feels as though they are right there with him.
I recommend this for fans of Trapped, Hatchet, Lord of the Flies, and other adventure/survival stories.
Great read for summer.