Wouldn't it be lovely if you could explore the mysteries of outer space? If you could travel past the stars and learn the secrets of the universe? Would you want to take up the hunt for intelligent life? What would you do, if you found aliens, right here on Earth? What would you do if they didn't turn out to be friendly? What would you do if they were trying to take over your world?
Katherine Applegate tells the story of five young children, and a young alien prince, who are engaged in a battle against secret, hostile alien forces on our planet. Jake, Marco, Rachel, Cassie and Tobias: five ordinary children, all with one extraordinary talent, the ability to morph into any animal they come in contact with. There's a war going on in our universe, and evil is winning. When Elfangor, an Andalite Prince, crashes his spacecraft on earth, he passes on the task of fighting these Yeerks to the five children.
The Yeerks. Don't be fooled by their hapless, slug like forms. These evil creatures are parasites that, once within, can control their hosts to do their bidding. And, of late, they seem to be taking a great deal of interest in humans.
Every day is a battle won for the Animorphs, but the war never seems to end. Thanks to Cassie, whose parents are veterinarians, the children have access to very many animals. But it takes much more than the ability to morph to fight these creatures and still survive. With Jake as their leader and Ax, the young brother of Prince Elfangor, to help them, the children make their way through the series, though not without casualties along the way.
The excitement grows with each book. The dangers get more formidable, the choices are harder. Should they create more Animorphs? When members of their own families are taken over, whom can they trust? When something goes dreadfully wrong and Tobias is stuck as a red-tailed hawk, is there anyone to whom they can turn for help? What started out as an exciting adventure is now a dangerous fight for survival.
There are 54 books in the series, each told from the viewpoint of one of the Animorphs. A very interesting feature of the books is the small diagrams at the bottom right-hand corner of all the pages. These diagrams show the narrating Animorph in various stages of transformation.
Thus, when you flip the book quickly from the first page to the last, you see the Animorph slowly transforming into an animal. You also learn something about each of the animals morphed, as the children struggle to overcome the animal’s natural instincts. From dolphins and gorillas, to falcons and bees, there are a multitude of animals the Animorphs use to protect Earth.
Katherine Applegate is the author of the popular Everworld series, as well. She also won the Best New Children's Book Series Award in 1997.
