When a group of kids take shelter in a supermarket from a hailstorm, an earthquake and a chemical spill from a testing facility called N.O.R.A.D., chaos turns to hope as brothers Dean and Alex work with twelve other kids in order to survive.  Set in the near future in Monument, Colorado, "Monument 14: Sky on Fire," by Emma Laybourne takes the reader through the trials a post apocalyptic world.

Laybourne uses symbols to convey optimistic themes.  For instance, the floodlights along the road stand for a symbol of security because it means that somebody was looking out for the kids on the bus.  Without the floodlights, the group would not have been able to see the road clearly enough to get to safety and take refuge at an airport in Denver.  The air was dingy and the windows on the bus were dirty and thick, so it would have been very very hard to see the road ahead of them.

The school bus itself is also symbol of hope because it offers the only way out of the big supermarket to the safety of the airport in Denver.  The kids need to take refuge at the airport because the air around the supermarket in Monument is contaminated with compounds from the chemical spill.  The also need to transport a badly injured kid named Brandon, who had been shot and needs proper medical attention. The fact that the bus still works is a miracle since every other type of vehicle was inoperable due to the various disasters.

    In conclusion, most of the symbols in the book were related to optimistic themes such as hope and security. These themes made me think about things in my own life (such as when I get out of my house on time to catch the bus to school).