K.A Applegate enthralled the minds of kids and teens everywhere in the '90s with her YA science fiction series about animal shapeshifting teens who were fighting a covert alien invasion. Whether you were ensnared by the book covers or tuning into the Nickelodeon show after school, there was no way to avoid the Animorphs craze.
I'll never forget the first time I ever encountered Animorphs. I was at the Newark Public Library when I saw them on a rack near the homework table, and I was immediately intrigued by the now-iconic human-to-animal transformations on the covers. I love animals, so I checked out one of the books, and my Andalite adventure began! When I found out the series was coming to audio for the first time ever, I discovered that I wasn't the only Audible Editor who'd been inducted into the unofficial Animorphs fan club back in the day. Here's what they said when I asked them to share their favorite moments from the series that they've been looking forward to reliving in audio.
Editor Michael, Book 8: The Alien
Man. Animorphs came out right at a point in my young life when I was playing a lot of "pretend". That’s what we called the game where you ran around in the backyard and built an entirely imaginary story around a character you pretended to be. Oh, simpler times. There was something about Animorphs that immediately captured my imagination and didn’t let go (kind of like a Yeerk :D). And I remember being obsessed with Andalites. The blue centaur-like aliens that ate through their feet and spoke telepathically seemed so noble, sophisticated, and just plain badass to 8-year-old me. Ax was the coolest character, and I’ll never forget how much I hated Visser 3 simply for having an Andalite body. Looking back on it, I probably seemed like a pretty weird 8-year-old standing in the backyard pretending to be a deer, but it was worth it.
Editor Melissa, Book 1: The Invasion
Animorphs was less a book series to me and more of a stage in my life. I remember when the first tattered paperback landed in my hands, passed down from my older brother. Not only was the cover mysterious and compelling, but the story was like candy to my sub-teen self. I've always had a wild imagination, and reading a story about shapeshifters gave me and my brother hours of backyard play-pretend entertainment. The most compelling image in this series to me will always be one of its first scenes, when the children touch the Escalfi Device (the blue cube) and first gain their powers. Forever more, that blue box has been akin to a Hogwarts letter to me: just maybe I'll see it somewhere...Listening to the series now, I'm struck by how deeply formative these stories were, and how important stories from my childhood in general have been in my life. It's always nice to be reminded where I came from.
Editor Nicole, Book 2: The Visitor
When I originally picked up the Animorphs series, I started with The Visitor. Yes, in large part because of the cat, but I stayed for the characters and cool world being set up right in front of my eyes. Even though they were teenagers, the Animorphs faced some pretty huge dilemmas when encountering the Yeerks, and my favorite scene is when Rachel has to turn into the assistant principal's cat Fluffer. I laughed the entire time while listening to Emily Ellet's superb narration. Even while risking getting caught and killed by the Yeerks, Rachel was always the one to put everything on the line to get the job done. She was a teenager in age, but a true warrior at heart. She's always been my favorite Animorph, and I love her character journey—especially as she eventually learns that working hard and taking risks don't always equate to leadership potential. And that's okay!
Editor Sam, Book 3: The Encounter
Every time I reminisce about this series with my fellow children of the '90s, one moment inevitably comes up again and again: Tobias staying in his red-tailed hawk body for longer than two hours, realizing he is trapped forever in his Animorph form. The utter permanence of it shook my preteen self to my core. Don’t worry, this isn’t the end of Tobias’s story, but I’ll never forget first reading this shocking, devastating twist. Of course, now, being both a bird nerd and a full-fledged adult with real-world responsibilities, a part of me can’t help but think "...would it be that bad to be a bird forever?"...Yes, probably. But the flying part would be pretty cool.
