A review by novelinsights
The Andalite Chronicles by K.A. Applegate

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 This was my favorite Animorphs book when I was a kid, and the only one that I personally own in hard copy. I have very distinct memories of reading it for the first time in the car on the way to and from my grandparents' house, needing a book light to keep going at night when it was dark. Of course, it didn't hold quite the same punch this time around, as I'm nearing 30, but it was still a fun adventure, and the nostalgia alone made it worth the read. As with all the books in this series, I love that Applegate maintained elements of horror despite the age bracket she was writing for. There's a certain location they go to in the last third of the book that gives a little 'uncanny valley' type twist, and I still loved that part of the book. I remember the gut twist it gave me when I was a kid. Great work.

As an adult, I did notice that there were a few places in the book where the same information was repeated multiple times. It felt very repetitive to me, but I assume this was the recommendation for middle grade that extends beyond a certain length, so I didn't take a star away for it. Otherwise, this was an excellent entry in the series, and I'm seeing a lot of things come together in the overall story that I didn't really remember from my childhood read-throughs.