Animorphs!

[bensmalls]

Does anyone remember the book series Animorphs by KA Applegate? When I was was younger (sometime around the 4th grade) I was totally obsessed with Animorphs.

Well, at the age of 25, I decided to reread the first one. Which lead to the second, third, etc. At this point I'm about halfway through the series, and I have to say I think I love them more then I did when I was younger. At its core it is a book series meant for younger kids, but at this age I can recognize how great the characterizations are, and how deep and dark some of the story lines and story arcs are. And of course, this time around I can pick up on all the great Star Trek references she throws in too.

 

[cultcross]

I do vaguely remember these books, and I remember liking them, but it's been so long that I can't even remember particularly what they were about. Seeing as they're a penny on Amazon marketplace, I might take a look - I have a nephew the right age who might enjoy them anyway.

 

[Kirkman1987]

I read a few around the same age as you. I don't remember much about them. I don't think they held my interest very long. I remember liking Jules Verne books and Hatchet as a kid.

 

[Fist McStrongpunch]

I loved this series, though it got really repetitive at parts (especially the ghost-written books) so I gave up about 15 books before the end. I'd definitely like to reread them though.

 

[barnaclelapse]

I remember reading the first two or three and not being very impressed.

Heh.

 

[Stevil2001]

I remember liking them a lot, though at some point I fell away-- when I got to high school and no longer received the Scholastic Book Club order form, I think-- so I never made it all the way to the end.

 

[Astraea]

I remember reading these when I was a kid and thinking that they were really good in the beginning, but fell off massively in quality towards the end, when the original author left and the ghostwriter(s?) took over.

This makes me 1. suddenly nostalgic for elementary school book orders and 2. want to go digging in storage, because I'm fairly sure that they're still somewhere in the basement/attic/garage and it would be interesting to see if they held up...

 

[Canadave]

Count me in as another that loved them at first, but gradually lost interest as the series went on and declined in quality.

 

[Stevil2001]

Aximili was my favorite.

 

[Starbreaker]

Loved the first 23.

 

[Python Trek]

I'm very surprised that no one has turned those books into a TV series or movie.

 

[backstept]

I'm very surprised that no one has turned those books into a TV series or movie.

they did

 

[Kirkman1987]

I remember liking them a lot, though at some point I fell away-- when I got to high school and no longer received the Scholastic Book Club order form, I think-- so I never made it all the way to the end.

That brings back some memories. I remember joining their Star Wars club in the 90's around the time the Special Editions were in theaters. You got a star wars magazine every month or so and some cards and stuff for a role playing game. I never played the game much, but loved getting the magazine. This was before I had internet access so the magazine was where I first learned about the franchise's history and trivia, all the good stuff. I remember being excited about the prequels, although the drawings they included didn't make me confident. Wish I had a few of those around to thumb through.

 

[Python Trek]

I'm very surprised that no one has turned those books into a TV series or movie.

they did

Wow! One season? No wonder that slipped under my radar. And it starred Iceman, eh? Interesting. Was it any good?

 

[Fist McStrongpunch]

No, it was shit.

 

[Starbreaker]

They somehow made the TV series boring.

 

[God Magnus]

I became aware of Animorphs when Hasbro put out the "Animorphs Transformers" crossover line of toys. I proceeded to read through the book series at rapid speed. I really enjoyed it for the most part - until the end. I really didn't like the way the last book ended. It was a real downer.

As for the TV show, it was rather dull and I'm convinced part of the reason for that has to do with the very limited budget. The acting was so so for the most part. I think with today's technology bringing certain types of effect costs down it may be easier to do on a reasonable budget but it still wouldn't be a cheap show.

The toys themselves were very nice in their own way. Sure the "human" modes were pretty bad, but as robotic Transformers they would have been really interesting beast-formers.

 

[clint g]

Another fan of the books here

I never got to finish them though, I guess I sort of grew out of them once I entered Junior High and then High School.