The Invasion

The Animorphs series combines two things I was fascinated with as a child—aliens and animals! In The Invasion mind-controlling aliens called Yeerks invade Earth. A group of teens accidentally sees proof of this invasion and are given the power to turn into animals in order to fight the Yeerks! Most adventure series take you to different worlds, but I really enjoyed how The Invasion was set in the real world. While Jake, Cassie, Marco, Rachel, and Tobias struggle with a powerful alien force bend on world domination, they’re also dealing with the typical challenges and stresses of teenage life like… show more.

This is an underrated gem of a story with a massive world, heartwarming characters, and a gripping plot spanning 55 novellas. It starts out like an episodic children's book with a trippy premise and colloquial language. Underneath the fun sugarcoating, Applegate tackles deep themes of morality and war. The story evokes strong emotions from laughter to tears, while the characters carve out a special place in your heart. It also contains real futuristic concepts such as bioforming, genetic engineering, simulation hypothesis, and astrobiology.