Animorphs: The Invasion, by K. A. Applegate

 

Applegate, K. (1996). Animorphs: The invasion. Scholastic.

Animorphs: The Invasion is the start of a fifty four book series that encompasses the adventures of a group of children who meet an alien on a shortcut home, and subsequently gain incredible abilities. The reader spends very little time in the status quo before the rising action begins. We have enough time to meet our cast of characters, who we only learn the first names for, and who live in a town that remains unnamed and undisclosed for the sake of the reader’s “safety”. While not particularly the focus of the story nor particularly inspired, this concept of the setting being just about anywhere (including your town) is sure to appeal to children who long for a sense of adventure. The plot as a whole is cohesive, though not necessarily well built, it’s sure to be entertaining.

 The narrator of this story, Jake, introduces himself and goes on to explain that his friends had taken a shortcut home through a construction site, where they encountered an alien that provided them with shape-shifting powers to give them the ability to fight against evil aliens, called “Controllers” for the good of the planet and humanity as a whole. Themes of this story action packed if somewhat simplistic story include duty, friendship, and coming of age for the group of protagonists. While some of these themes are readily apparent to young readers, as they are quite relatable, others, such as a call to action or duty, may be less so, as children are generally not called upon to save  the world. 

The writing of Animorphs: The Invasion is nothing particularly fantastic, though the intriguing concept for the story more than makes up for this. There are limitations are the childrens’ new found shapeshifting powers, such as the fact that they have to touch the animal before they will be able to take it’s shape, or that it will be impossible to transform back if any of the children stay in animal form for too long. Though the main characters are children, bad things happen to them and their loved ones. Jake’s older brother gets replaced by a controller, and Tobias is permanently shifted into a hawk. Applegate doesn’t allow the age range of either her characters or her readers get in the way of creating lasting consequences for these characters, thereby making her story that much more compelling. Though the series is undoubtedly science fiction, it comes nowhere near being even remotely realistic or science fact based. Overall, these books are fun, intriguing, and sure to keep kids entertained.