Published by Scholastic on June 1, 1996
Genres: Middle Grade, Sci-Fi Fantasy
Pages: 184
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He may tell you about the night he and his friends saw the strange light in the sky. He may even tell you about what happened when they realized the "light" was only a plane -- from another planet. Here's where Jake's story gets a little weird. It's where they're told that the human race is under attack -- and given the chance to fight back.
Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco have the power to morph into any animal they choose. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil that is greater than anything the world has ever seen...
One of my best friends and fellow Half Price Books adventurer lauded the Animorphs series so much that I purchased the first three books when I found them in stock during our last HPB outing.
(Fun fact 1: My friend has collected all the first edition books.)
(Fun fact 2: Apparently The Invasion is so popular that it’s purchased almost as soon as HPB employees get it on the shelf.)
The Animorphs feel like real kids. This is partially because of the youthful voice of Jake, the narrator for book one. This is also because of the well-written characters. While book one primarily serves to introduces the tweens, the threat of the Yeerks, and the transformations, it gives us enough about the protagonists to know each character’s vulnerabilities and fears. To name a couple: Jake, the leader and voice of book one, doesn’t feel like a leader; he steps up because the others look to him for direction. And only one of the five actually wants to fight—for good reason! What unites them is their desire to do the right thing.
To my surprise, The Invasion features darker content than most children’s books I know. (Unless I’m looking back on my childhood with rose-tinted lenses. What are your experiences?) The tweens face multiple life-threatening situations, creepy alien threats that turn loved ones and authority figures against them, and one child gets stuck in his animal transformation. It’s not described in detail, but the children also see humans and aliens die. Even as an adult, and even as much as I love animals, I would not want to trade places with the Animorphs.
I appreciate how the tweens must suffer the consequences for their actions. Too often, children’s books shield their characters. The hero or heroine makes a mistake, but they push through or are saved by some twist of events. In The Invasion, the tweens don’t have a mentor figure to tell them how to save the day, and they can’t rely on anyone else to save them because (1) they don’t know who to trust and (2) only they have the power to stop the Yeerks (the alien bad guys). I actually felt like they were in danger and worried about them. So much that I need to read book 2 to find out what happens next!
Additional Comments
There are 54 books in the series, which can be daunting to someone thinking about jumping in. (It took me several years of listening to my friend praise this series to read book one!) If you’re not sure whether to invest in this series, my friend recommends checking out the first three books and then deciding from there whether to continue on.
Content
Some violence, danger, and death.
Fear that the enemy can be anywhere (even lurking within your own family member).
Fear involved with transformation.
Let’s Chat
📚 What were your favorite series growing up?
📚 Have you read any of the Animorphs books or watched the show?
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer says
I’ve heard of these but didn’t realize they feature darker content like on par with Goosebumps! They sound really good. I LOVE the idea that they suffer consequences too. That is rare in books for tweens. I need to check these out. I think the covers are so freaky that I probably never would have otherwise. ❤️
Crystal says
I was surprised by the darker content as well. It’s pretty rare in children’s books, but maybe the 90’s were the time for darker content in kid lit? I wish more children’s / tween books teach children that there are consequences for their actions – but it’s okay because the protagonists will learn and grow and reach an acceptable conclusion, if not prevail.
Haha…the covers are a bit freaky. I’m pretty sure I was creeped out by them when I saw them growing up. I do love the texture on the original covers though. Most books nowadays don’t put in that care and attention into the cover art.
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer says
I wish they had darker content like this when I was a kid, the darker stuff out there was Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, unless I dug into my mom’s shelf and read Koontz. and King..lol
Crystal says
I love that this is a series for younger readers that features darker content! I had this, Bunnicula, and Goosebumps growing up, but I don’t think I read many Animorphs books. It wasn’t as available for me. I did read a lot of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys though! I remember Costco would sell them in packs of six for around $12. I’m impressed that you read Koontz and King at a young age. I have a low horror tolerance level, so don’t think I could have done that!