A Sky on Fire

Kids are resourceful. In extreme circumstances, I have no doubt kids could find a way to survive all on their own. In Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14, we saw them find a way to survive in a Greenway, but in the sequel, Sky on Fire, the group splits up in their fight to survive. 

As type O's, if Dean and Astrid breathe the compounds NORAD released into the air, they will become raving psychopaths hellbent on killing anything in their way. Therefore, they decided to stay behind and protect the little kids while Dean's brother Alex and the others took the schoolbus that saved them to the Denver Airport in the hopes of finding people willing to help rescue those left behind. But neither group experiences anything they expected.

Outside the Greenway, things are bad. A strange white mold eats rubber and has destroyed cars, making their bus a commodity for anyone within earshot. Add to that the raving lunatics and the fact that Josie lied to them about her blood type. With one whiff of the air, she becomes her own raving lunatic in the close quarters of the bus. Meanwhile, back at the store, Astrid and Dean are experiencing their own horrors. With crazy people trying to break into their stronghold one after another, they realize how defenseless they really are. Meanwhile, inside, they can barely hold things together with the little kids, infections, and people determined to get in. Both groups are in the middle of the battle of their lives, but will anyone make it out alive?

This series is an odd mixture of fairly mature circumstances with a relatively low reading level. Therefore, it is a good series for an older student who is also a struggling reader. The maturity of the subject matter includes a lot of murder, sex, and pretty scary situations, but the short nature of the stories and easy reading level makes them a perfect option for a reader who doesn't want to read a "kids" book, but needs a lower level story. Also, this series could easily serve as a bridge into more complex, mature post-apocalyptic and dystopic stories.

Overall, I like the story, but sometimes the kids make some really stupid mistakes. I know that is most realistic, but still, I would love it if they had a learning curve about trusting people! How many times do you have to get attacked, beaten, almost raped, and robbed before you figure out to not trust anyone??!! I like the fact that these books end with some finality, but still lead directly into the next story. I don't think these are the absolutely best PA stories out there, but they are quick and a lot of fun to read, which gives them a permanent space on the shelf of my classroom!