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Last month JK Rowling spun the wheel of post-book 7 character development, landing on ‘herself’, ‘transmisogyny’, and ‘relevant for some reason’.
This launched a storm of recommendations for ‘alternative’ YA science fiction which, as always, brought the Animorphs back into the zeitgeist.
What is the Animorphs?
Written by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant, Animorphs is a children’s science fiction story with kitschy covers, an adorable premise (4 teens shape shift into animals!), and a surprising goal: exploring the ethical quandaries of guerrilla warfare.
As one adult reader described them: “goofy. nineties. soul destroying.”
Who Are the Animorphs?
The premise of the Animorphs, as Frankie Thomas put it, “sounds so stupid I hesitate to explain it even now.” Here’s her summary:
Earth has been invaded by alien slugs called “Yeerks” that slither into the human ear, take up permanent residence in the brain, and control the host’s body from within. No one on the planet is aware of this extraterrestrial threat except five…
