Animorphs Books in Order
Explore the Animorphs books in order, with short summaries, companion guides, series background, and clear advice on where to start.
Last updated: July 20, 2026
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Animorphs books in publication order
72 books
The Encounter
by Katherine Applegate
1996
Trapped in the body of a red-tailed hawk, Tobias is pulled between his human past and powerful animal instincts. When the Yeerks threaten the others, he has to decide where, and with whom, he belongs.
The Invasion
by Katherine Applegate
1996
Jake and four friends witness a dying alien crash to Earth and receive the power to morph into animals. As Yeerks quietly take over human hosts, the kids must begin a secret war before anyone knows they exist.
The Message
by Katherine Applegate
1996
Cassie receives a mysterious cry for help from the ocean, leading the Animorphs into a dangerous underwater mission. Their search brings them closer to Ax, an Andalite survivor with vital knowledge of the war.
The Predator
by Katherine Applegate
1996
Marco spots his mother, long believed dead, and discovers she is tied to the Yeerk invasion. A risky mission into a shopping mall forces him to face the possibility that his family has become the enemy.
The Visitor
by Katherine Applegate
1996
Rachel learns that her best friend's father may be controlled by a Yeerk. To find proof and attempt a rescue, she must infiltrate his home as a house cat without exposing the Animorphs' secret.
Alloran's Choice
by Katherine Applegate
1997
In this section of the Andalite prequel, Elfangor sees the brutal choices made by the warrior Alloran during the war against the Yeerks. The mission reveals how fear and duty can lead even heroes toward catastrophe.
An Alien Dies
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Elfangor's journey reaches its most personal and painful stage as the Yeerk war follows him to Earth. Old loyalties, human lives, and the fate of an Andalite friend collide in a story that leads toward Animorphs.
Elfangor's Journey
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Elfangor begins as a young Andalite cadet eager to serve his people. A dangerous mission with friends and superiors pulls him into the early Yeerk war, setting events in motion that will one day reach Earth.
The Alien
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Ax struggles to understand human life while the Yeerks face a crisis of their own. When he discovers what happens to starving Yeerks and their hosts, Ax must choose between Andalite duty and his new friends.
The Andalite Chronicles
by Katherine KA Applegate
1997
This prequel follows Elfangor before the events of The Invasion, from his Andalite training to his life-changing encounter with Earth. It reveals the history behind Tobias, Visser Three, and the morphing power.
The Andalite's Gift
by Katherine KA Applegate
1997
A quiet weekend becomes a major crisis when the Animorphs encounter a mysterious alien power. Working together across shifting perspectives, they must uncover what the so-called gift really costs before it is too late.
The Android
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Marco meets Erek, a peaceful android with a hidden connection to the war. To protect him and uncover a Yeerk plot, the Animorphs must decide whether a friend built to avoid violence can ever fight back.
The Capture
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Jake is captured and infested by a Yeerk, leaving him trapped inside his own mind. The other Animorphs must rescue their leader while Jake fights a private battle for control of his body.
The Change
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Tobias gets a brief chance to become human again, reopening everything he has lost since the war began. His decision is complicated by the Animorphs' need for his help and by his growing bond with Rachel.
The Forgotten
by Katherine Applegate
1997
A morphing accident sends Jake and the others into an alternate version of their lives. With memories fading and time running out, they must find a way home before this dangerous new reality becomes permanent.
The Reaction
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Rachel discovers that a strange allergic reaction is interfering with her ability to morph safely. As the Yeerks close in, she has to confront fears about losing control and leaving her friends unprotected.
The Secret
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Cassie uncovers a Yeerk plan that could harm thousands of unsuspecting people through an everyday product. Her animal knowledge is crucial, but saving lives may require choices that clash with everything she believes.
The Stranger
by Katherine Applegate
1997
Rachel and the Animorphs finally find a way into the Yeerk Pool, but the mission goes badly wrong. Then a powerful alien offers them an impossible choice: flee Earth safely or stay and lose.
In the Time of Dinosaurs
by Katherine KA Applegate
1998
A time-travel accident strands the Animorphs in the age of dinosaurs. Far from home and surrounded by prehistoric danger, they must find a way back without changing the future they are trying to save.
The Decision
by Katherine Applegate
1998
Ax returns to an Andalite conflict when the Animorphs become involved in the Yeerk invasion of another world. Caught between loyalties, he must decide what kind of warrior he wants to be.
The Departure
by Katherine Applegate
1998
Cassie meets a Yeerk who is beginning to question the invasion, opening the possibility of peace in the middle of war. Helping her could save lives, but it could also put the entire Animorphs team at risk.
The Discovery
by Katherine Applegate
1998
Jake and the Animorphs try to learn whether their newest ally can be trusted with the power to morph. The answer becomes urgent when the Yeerks move closer to discovering the group's identities.
The Escape
by Katherine Applegate
1998
Marco is drawn into a dangerous Yeerk operation that tests the team's trust in one another. To get out alive, the Animorphs must use a risky plan while Marco faces painful truths about his family.
The Hork-Bajir Chronicles
by Katherine KA Applegate
1998
The history of the Hork-Bajir invasion unfolds through Andalite, Hork-Bajir, and Yeerk perspectives. As a peaceful species becomes a target, unlikely allies fight to preserve freedom against the growing Yeerk Empire.
The Pretender
by Katherine Applegate
1998
Tobias is pulled toward secrets about his family and his connection to Elfangor. As the Yeerks circle closer, he must face old wounds while helping the others protect a hidden refuge.
The Solution
by Katherine Applegate
1998
The crisis caused by the Animorphs' new recruit reaches its breaking point. Jake must lead a desperate mission to stop a threat from within, knowing that every available solution comes with a terrible cost.
The Suspicion
by Katherine Applegate
1998
A tiny alien race with enormous egos traps the Animorphs in an insect-sized disaster. Shrunk and separated from their normal strengths, the team must survive a bizarre threat without losing sight of the larger war.
The Threat
by Katherine Applegate
1998
The Animorphs find a powerful new source of morphing technology, but they are not the only ones looking for it. Their attempt to secure it brings an unpredictable new human into the secret war.
The Underground
by Katherine Applegate
1998
Rachel follows a trail into the underground world of the Yeerk invasion, where a new threat is spreading through ordinary human life. Her instincts make her a fierce fighter, but they also make restraint difficult.
The Unknown
by Katherine KA Applegate
1998
The Animorphs are drawn into a strange mission involving an alien threat they do not understand. With the usual rules of the war turned upside down, the team must adapt before their confusion becomes a fatal weakness.
The Warning
by Katherine Applegate
1998
The Animorphs discover that the Yeerks are building something hidden beneath the ocean. Jake leads the team into unfamiliar water, where new morphs and a deadly underwater base make every mistake harder to survive.
Elfangor's Secret
by Katherine KA Applegate
1999
A lost Andalite message sends the Animorphs after information that could change what they know about Elfangor and the war. Their search leads into danger, betrayal, and secrets that have waited years to surface.
The Attack
by Katherine Applegate
1999
The Yeerks make a move against a high-profile gathering, forcing the Animorphs into a complex attack plan. Jake has to balance secrecy, speed, and the lives of people who have no idea a war is underway.
The Conspiracy
by Katherine Applegate
1999
Jake suspects that the Yeerks are building a new kind of plot around the people closest to the Animorphs. To stop it, the group must investigate quietly while fear makes trusting anyone harder than ever.
The Experiment
by Katherine Applegate
1999
An unsettling new enemy turns ordinary people into test subjects, and the Animorphs are drawn into a fight they barely understand. Their mission asks how much they can trust their senses when bodies and minds are changing.
The Exposed
by Katherine Applegate
1999
Ax finds himself exposed to a side of human life that is confusing, funny, and dangerous. When a Yeerk plan threatens to reveal the Animorphs, he must use his outsider's perspective to help save them.
The Extreme
by Katherine Applegate
1999
The Animorphs head into freezing territory to investigate a Yeerk operation with global consequences. Marco's jokes cannot hide the danger as the team faces brutal weather, hungry predators, and a threat to Earth itself.
The First Journey
by Katherine KA Applegate
1999
You become a new Animorph recruit just as the Yeerk invasion threatens to close in. Choose your morphs and missions carefully, because every decision can lead to escape, disaster, or a very strange ending.
The Illusion
by Katherine Applegate
1999
Tobias is captured by the Yeerks and subjected to a cruel attempt to break his will. Cut off from the others, he must hold on to his identity while the Animorphs search for a way to reach him.
The Mutation
by Katherine Applegate
1999
A mission at sea strands the Animorphs in unfamiliar waters, where strange creatures and an isolated community hide a disturbing secret. The team must adapt quickly when their usual enemies are not the only danger.
The Prophecy
by Katherine Applegate
1999
Cassie is pulled into the history of the Hork-Bajir and an old Andalite promise. To help a free Hork-Bajir community survive, she must untangle a conflict that began long before the Animorphs were born.
The Proposal
by Katherine Applegate
1999
A Yeerk offers the Animorphs a proposal that could change the terms of their secret war. Cassie and the others must decide whether this apparent opening is a real chance for peace or an elaborate trap.
The Reunion
by Katherine Applegate
1999
Marco's past catches up with him when his mother becomes central to a deadly Yeerk power struggle. A family reunion turns into a dangerous mission that reveals how personal the war has become.
The Separation
by Katherine Applegate
1999
A morphing accident splits Rachel into two separate versions of herself. One has her caution, the other has her rage, and the Animorphs need both sides working together before the Yeerks take advantage.
The Sickness
by Katherine Applegate
1999
Cassie is infected with a dangerous illness while the Yeerks close in on the team's weaknesses. As the others race to help her, Cassie must fight to hold on to herself and protect the people she loves.
Visser
by Katherine Applegate
1999
Visser One tells her own story while facing trial before the Yeerk Empire. This companion novel reveals the invasion from inside the enemy ranks, including the ruthless politics and personal history behind Earth’s conquest.
Back to Before
by Katherine KA Applegate
2000
The Animorphs are thrown into an alternate timeline where the Yeerk invasion developed very differently. To restore their own world, they must survive a reality that shows how much worse the war could have been.
The Arrival
by Katherine Applegate
2000
The arrival of new Andalite forces should mean hope, but their plans do not match what the Animorphs expect. Ax is caught between his people and his friends as Earth becomes another battlefield in a larger war.
The Deception
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Ax takes on a dangerous human identity to infiltrate the Yeerks from within. The closer he gets to their plans, the harder it becomes to know whether the disguise is protecting the Animorphs or trapping him.
The Diversion
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Tobias investigates a Yeerk operation involving animals, land, and a plan meant to distract the Animorphs. His connection to the natural world gives him an advantage, but it also leaves him deeply exposed.
The Ellimist Chronicles
by Katherine KA Applegate
2000
Before he became the powerful Ellimist, he was Toomin, a curious being shaped by games, survival, and loss. This cosmic companion story traces how he became involved in the struggle over Earth.
The Familiar
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Jake is shown a possible future in which the Yeerks have won and he has become someone unrecognizable. The vision forces him to question the sacrifices he is making as leader of the Animorphs.
The Hidden
by Katherine Applegate
2000
The Animorphs investigate a new threat hiding in plain sight, one that could expose their identities and end their resistance. Tobias takes the lead as the team learns that danger can wear an ordinary face.
The Journey
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Rachel and Marco take elephant morphs into a dangerous mission involving captive animals and Yeerk schemes. Their very different reactions to the crisis test their friendship and their willingness to take risks.
The Next Passage
by Katherine KA Applegate
2000
The interactive Animorphs adventure continues with fresh paths through the secret war. You decide whom to trust, which animal to become, and how to survive when the Yeerks are always one choice behind you.
The Other
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Rachel faces a threat that pushes her toward the part of herself she most fears. As the Yeerks and stranger forces close in, she must decide whether being ruthless is the same as being strong.
The Resistance
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Jake finds unexpected strength in a story from his family's past while the Animorphs face a growing Yeerk threat. Two generations of resistance show how courage can survive even when the odds look hopeless.
The Return
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Rachel faces the return of a powerful enemy who knows exactly how to exploit her anger. The fight becomes intensely personal as she is tempted by power that could make winning easier, and make her someone else.
The Revelation
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Marco learns a devastating truth about his mother and the Yeerk leadership. With the invasion escalating, he has to decide how far he is willing to go to save his family and stop the enemy.
The Test
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Tobias takes on a morph that brings him frighteningly close to the Yeerks' world. His mission becomes a test of empathy and survival as he learns how easily hunger and fear can overwhelm a person.
The Unexpected
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Cassie is swept into an unexpected encounter with a stranded alien warrior and a battle that does not belong to her time. To survive, she must rely on compassion as much as courage.
The Weakness
by Katherine Applegate
2000
Rachel's reputation as the group's fiercest fighter becomes a problem when a mission demands patience and control. She has to confront what the war is turning her into before her own strength becomes a weakness.
The Absolute
by Katherine Applegate & Lisa Harkrader
2001
Marco investigates a Yeerk project that reaches into a vulnerable human community. His humor and practical instincts are tested as the team uncovers a plan that makes the hidden invasion harder to ignore.
The Answer
by Katherine Applegate
2001
Jake leads the Animorphs into an open, all-or-nothing strike against the Yeerks. The secret war is ending, but victory will require choices that reshape the team and reveal the true cost of leadership.
The Beginning
by Katherine Applegate
2001
The Animorphs face the final battle for Earth as the Yeerk invasion can no longer stay hidden. Told through the whole team, this ending follows the survivors into a future changed forever by war.
The Sacrifice
by Katherine Applegate
2001
Ax is forced to weigh Andalite loyalty against the people he has fought beside on Earth. As the final conflict approaches, he learns that duty can demand sacrifices no one is ready to make.
The Ultimate
by Katherine Applegate
2001
Cassie faces an impossible mission involving a Yeerk weapon and innocent lives. Her refusal to treat people as expendable puts her at odds with a plan that may be the Animorphs' best chance to strike back.
The Invasion: A Graphic Novel
by Katherine KA Applegate
2020
Jake and his friends discover a hidden alien invasion after meeting a dying Andalite. This graphic adaptation brings their first morphs, first losses, and first desperate mission to life in full color.
The Visitor: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine KA Applegate
2021
Rachel uses her cat morph to investigate whether her best friend's father has become a Yeerk host. This graphic adaptation follows her dangerous attempt to uncover the truth without exposing the Animorphs.
The Message: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2023
Cassie hears a desperate signal from beneath the ocean and leads the Animorphs into a deadly underwater search. This graphic adaptation introduces Ax and expands the team's understanding of the alien war.
The Predator: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2024
Marco discovers that his supposedly dead mother may be alive and involved with the Yeerks. This graphic adaptation turns a mall mission into a personal confrontation with the invasion's most painful secrets.
The Capture: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2025
When Jake is infested by a Yeerk, he must fight from inside his own mind while his friends try to save him. This graphic adaptation raises the stakes of the Animorphs' secret war.
Where to start with Animorphs
For the complete Animorphs story: The Invasion → The Visitor → The Encounter → The Message → The Predator.
For the essential alien backstory: The Andalite Chronicles → The Hork-Bajir Chronicles → Visser → The Ellimist Chronicles.
For larger standalone missions: The Andalite's Gift → In the Time of Dinosaurs → Elfangor's Secret → Back to Before.
For a visual introduction: The Invasion: A Graphic Novel → The Visitor: The Graphic Novel → The Message: The Graphic Novel.
Animorphs sub-series and character series
Alternamorphs books in order
Explore this seriesAndalite Chronicles books in order
Explore this seriesAnimorphs Companion Books books in order
Explore this seriesAnimorphs Graphix books in order
Explore this series
The Invasion: A Graphic Novel
by Katherine KA Applegate
2020Animorphs Graphix, Book 1
The Visitor: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine KA Applegate
2021Animorphs Graphix, Book 2
The Message: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2023Animorphs Graphix, Book 3
The Predator: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2024Animorphs Graphix, Book 4
The Capture: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2025Animorphs Graphix, Book 5
Animorphs Graphix books in chronological order

The Invasion: A Graphic Novel
by Katherine KA Applegate
2020Animorphs Graphix, Book 1
The Visitor: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine KA Applegate
2021Animorphs Graphix, Book 2
The Message: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2023Animorphs Graphix, Book 3
The Predator: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2024Animorphs Graphix, Book 4
The Capture: The Graphic Novel
by Katherine Applegate, Michael Grant & Chris Grine
2025Animorphs Graphix, Book 5
Megamorphs books in order
Explore this series
The Andalite's Gift
by Katherine KA Applegate
1997Andalites Animorphs Megamorphs, Book 1
In the Time of Dinosaurs
by Katherine KA Applegate
1998Andalites Animorphs Megamorphs, Book 2
Elfangor's Secret
by Katherine KA Applegate
1999Andalites Animorphs Megamorphs, Book 3
Back to Before
by Katherine KA Applegate
2000Andalites Animorphs Megamorphs, Book 4
Author bio
Katherine Applegate was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on October 9, 1956. Her childhood and adult life took her through several states, and she also spent a year living in Italy. Those moves gave her plenty of chances to watch how people settle into new places, make do, and find their people.
Before she became known for writing for young readers, Applegate held an assortment of jobs. Her own account includes a stint as a waitress, a cleaning-company owner, and, at age ten, a local gerbil salesperson. She also worked as a ghostwriter, including work on the Sweet Valley Twins books.
That training mattered. It taught her how to build a story quickly, keep chapters moving, and leave readers wanting one more page.
Applegate began working with her husband, Michael Grant, on series fiction in the 1990s. Together they created Animorphs, Everworld, and Remnants, among other projects. Animorphs starts with a simple, memorable hook: ordinary kids can transform into animals, and they are Earth's best chance against a hidden alien invasion. But the series keeps asking harder questions about fear, loyalty, power, and what war asks of young people.
Animals are central to many of Applegate's stories. In Animorphs, every new morph lets readers experience the world through different senses and instincts. The books are fast and often funny, but they do not pretend that danger is painless. Jake, Cassie, Rachel, Marco, Tobias, and Ax have to make choices without good answers, then live with them.
After years of writing busy, high-concept series, Applegate also made room for quieter books. Home of the Brave follows a Sudanese refugee adjusting to life in the United States. For research, she even rented a cow. It is the kind of specific, slightly odd detail that fits her approach: start with a child or an animal, pay attention, and see where the story goes.
A few books later, The One and Only Ivan brought her a Newbery Medal in 2013. Told from the perspective of a gorilla living in a shopping-mall enclosure, it is direct, spare, and deeply concerned with what people owe animals. Readers who meet Applegate through Ivan often find the same concern in Crenshaw, Wishtree, Odder, and Willodeen, even though their settings and narrators are very different.
She writes serious things in accessible language.
Applegate's later books often make room for outsiders, young people under pressure, and creatures whose lives are easy for humans to overlook. A gorilla, a tree, an otter, an imaginary cat, or a group of frightened teenagers can all become a way into questions about home, belonging, loss, and responsibility.
She still shares her life with Michael Grant and continues to write for young readers. She has said that writing is rewriting, a practical reminder from an author whose books make complicated ideas feel clear enough to carry with you.
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