My 9 year old son started reading Animorphs books recently. I am always interested in what my boys are interested in; even if it’s not actually that interesting. I like to know what they’re getting from the media they consume, so I started reading the books as well. The books are fairly short, but there are currently 54 in the main series and ten side stories. We are up to number 7.
The plot revolves around an alien invasion of Earth; the bad guys are evil slugs called Yeerks who infest the brains of unwitting victims, allowing them to control their host bodies and infiltrate their target planet well before the main invasion begins. The good guys are five human teenagers who happen to witness the capture (and fairly grisly execution) of a prince of a more noble alien race, the Andalites. The Andalites are the last race in the galaxy who are aware of and oppose the Yeerks. The Yeerks have managed to enslave or destroy every other race they have encountered, but the Andalites possess the power to morph into any animal life form they touch, and are determined to stop the Yeerks in their campaign to dominate the galaxy.
The alien prince crash-lands on Earth in sight of a group of kids who come to investigate. He has just enough time to explain the invasion to the kids and grant them the power to morph before the baddest of the Yeerks catches up with him. It turns out that this particular boss Yeerk actually managed to infest an Andalite, so he is the only one of his kind with the power to morph. In short order he morphs into a giant ugly alien and eats (yes, eats) the Andalite hero prince.
This sets the stage for our teenage heroes to become involved in a secret battle with an insidious and evil enemy that most of the population of Earth does not even know exists yet. They also happen to have powers that they need to keep secret, and that they are still figuring out themselves. Each book is narrated by a different one of the five protagonists, alternating in order as the story progresses.
The Animorphs series is definitely a step up from the books my son has read so far. The stories contain a basic good-vs-evil theme, as well as presenting the idea of fighting against impossible odds no matter what, and even the idea of sustaining a personal loss and continuing to fight for what you believe is right. These are things he has experienced in most of the kids’ movies he’s watched. However, the stories are shaded by the kids’ doubt about their abilities, their disagreement among themselves as to what is right and wrong, and by the fact that anyone and everyone they know could possibly be an alien. Still fairly simplistic and common themes in most science fiction and comic books, but a little more advanced for a nine-year-old (at least my nine-year-old).
The Animorphs series also brings in more complex issues as the story progresses. Divorced parents, missing parents, loss of friends, environmental awareness, personal sacrifice, fear, courage, and relationships are just some of the issues raised for each character. There is the additional facet of the feelings the kids have as they transform into other animals -- they are affected by the minds of the animals they inhabit, and their reactions to that inner conflict are very interesting and well-written. Some animal’s personalities are beneficial and blend well with the minds and goals of the kids; some are not. In one particular episode the kids morph into ants in order to infiltrate a house. They don’t foresee the fact that ants are hive creatures and have no individuality, and the mission is almost a disaster as the kids forget who they are and battle real ants, lose, and almost die.
Which brings me to an interesting point: the kids are brave and fight against the Yeerks the best way they know how, using their new powers and learning as they go. However, they have mixed results and continually court disaster and almost die many times. In order for the story to progress and to sell more books, it’s an obvious ploy to prolong the story. However, it’s well-written and not overdone, and it gives the author a vehicle to introduce complexity into the kids’ lives in subsequent books. I intend to use these books as an example as I begin to discuss media criticism to my older son; we usually discuss the movies that he watches in terms of how it is different from reality and how very common mechanisms are used to tell stories. However, now that he is reading this series I think it is becoming more important for him to understand that the things that the author portrays are intended to evoke strong emotions for the sake of the story, and the better the author does his job, the more real it will seem.
To summarize things a parent might want to know:
The stories present mature and complex themes that some intermediate readers may not be ready for. The pros and cons regarding concepts of loyalty, bravery, friendship and duty are portrayed. There are semi-graphic fight scenes in which aliens, humans, and animals are killed and maimed. The kids become more aware of environmental concepts, rudimentary biological facts about certain animals, as well as the concept that animals have personalities and possibly emotions (introducing empathy for animals). And, of course, the story contains science fiction elements of aliens and near-magical advanced alien technology and powers.
The plot revolves around an alien invasion of Earth; the bad guys are evil slugs called Yeerks who infest the brains of unwitting victims, allowing them to control their host bodies and infiltrate their target planet well before the main invasion begins. The good guys are five human teenagers who happen to witness the capture (and fairly grisly execution) of a prince of a more noble alien race, the Andalites. The Andalites are the last race in the galaxy who are aware of and oppose the Yeerks. The Yeerks have managed to enslave or destroy every other race they have encountered, but the Andalites possess the power to morph into any animal life form they touch, and are determined to stop the Yeerks in their campaign to dominate the galaxy.
The alien prince crash-lands on Earth in sight of a group of kids who come to investigate. He has just enough time to explain the invasion to the kids and grant them the power to morph before the baddest of the Yeerks catches up with him. It turns out that this particular boss Yeerk actually managed to infest an Andalite, so he is the only one of his kind with the power to morph. In short order he morphs into a giant ugly alien and eats (yes, eats) the Andalite hero prince.
This sets the stage for our teenage heroes to become involved in a secret battle with an insidious and evil enemy that most of the population of Earth does not even know exists yet. They also happen to have powers that they need to keep secret, and that they are still figuring out themselves. Each book is narrated by a different one of the five protagonists, alternating in order as the story progresses.
The Animorphs series is definitely a step up from the books my son has read so far. The stories contain a basic good-vs-evil theme, as well as presenting the idea of fighting against impossible odds no matter what, and even the idea of sustaining a personal loss and continuing to fight for what you believe is right. These are things he has experienced in most of the kids’ movies he’s watched. However, the stories are shaded by the kids’ doubt about their abilities, their disagreement among themselves as to what is right and wrong, and by the fact that anyone and everyone they know could possibly be an alien. Still fairly simplistic and common themes in most science fiction and comic books, but a little more advanced for a nine-year-old (at least my nine-year-old).
The Animorphs series also brings in more complex issues as the story progresses. Divorced parents, missing parents, loss of friends, environmental awareness, personal sacrifice, fear, courage, and relationships are just some of the issues raised for each character. There is the additional facet of the feelings the kids have as they transform into other animals -- they are affected by the minds of the animals they inhabit, and their reactions to that inner conflict are very interesting and well-written. Some animal’s personalities are beneficial and blend well with the minds and goals of the kids; some are not. In one particular episode the kids morph into ants in order to infiltrate a house. They don’t foresee the fact that ants are hive creatures and have no individuality, and the mission is almost a disaster as the kids forget who they are and battle real ants, lose, and almost die.
Which brings me to an interesting point: the kids are brave and fight against the Yeerks the best way they know how, using their new powers and learning as they go. However, they have mixed results and continually court disaster and almost die many times. In order for the story to progress and to sell more books, it’s an obvious ploy to prolong the story. However, it’s well-written and not overdone, and it gives the author a vehicle to introduce complexity into the kids’ lives in subsequent books. I intend to use these books as an example as I begin to discuss media criticism to my older son; we usually discuss the movies that he watches in terms of how it is different from reality and how very common mechanisms are used to tell stories. However, now that he is reading this series I think it is becoming more important for him to understand that the things that the author portrays are intended to evoke strong emotions for the sake of the story, and the better the author does his job, the more real it will seem.
To summarize things a parent might want to know:
The stories present mature and complex themes that some intermediate readers may not be ready for. The pros and cons regarding concepts of loyalty, bravery, friendship and duty are portrayed. There are semi-graphic fight scenes in which aliens, humans, and animals are killed and maimed. The kids become more aware of environmental concepts, rudimentary biological facts about certain animals, as well as the concept that animals have personalities and possibly emotions (introducing empathy for animals). And, of course, the story contains science fiction elements of aliens and near-magical advanced alien technology and powers.
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