 |
 Cassie morphing into a wolf | |
| Author | K. A. Applegate |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Damon C. Torres/The I-Way Company |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Animorphs #9 |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
Publication date | July 1997 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 158 |
| ISBN | 0-590-99729-7 |
| OCLC | 37295767 |
| Preceded by | The Alien |
| Followed by | The Android |
The Secret is the ninth book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Cassie.
Cassie and the Animorphs discover from Ax and Tobias that the Yeerks have set up a logging company called Dapsen Logging Company and set up an operation in the National Forest near Cassie's house. The Yeerks want to destroy the forest in order to find the "Andalite bandits", whom they believe to be living there. The Animorphs go to check it out, but are discovered, chased away, and shot at. Cassie and her father later find an injured skunk that was hit by a Dracon beam in the fighting. Cassie's father learns that the skunk had recently given birth, and Cassie is stricken with guilt.
Cassie suggests to the others that they need to find out how the Yeerks got permission to cut trees in a National Forest. If they didn't have permission, the news media would bring attention to them, something the Yeerks did not want. The group decides to go back and enter the logging camp to find this information. Tobias notices that there are termite tunnels in the building, and they decide to morph termites to get in. Jake causes a distraction by morphing into a wolf while the others (excluding Tobias) morph and enter the building. There is a brief episode where they are controlled by the termite queen's orders and lose control of themselves. Cassie kills the termite queen to free her friends and herself from the queen's control, but felt much guilt by it. The Animorphs get the information they need, disable the Yeerks' defenses, and escape unnoticed.
The Animorphs discover that there is a committee of three people who must decide on giving the logging operation a go. One has already voted yes and one has voted no; the other, a man called Farrand, was due to make a visit to the camp in order to make his decision. The Animorphs decide to intercede when Farrand makes his visit, as the Yeerks will surely turn him into a Controller at that point to ensure an affirmative vote. Meanwhile, Cassie is still concerned with the skunk babies and decides to look for them. Tobias is able to tell her where the litter of kits is, having found five and eaten one. Cassie rescues them and the Animorphs take over tending the kits, with Tobias doing much of the skunk-sitting while the other Animorphs are in school. Marco ends up naming the skunk kits after members of The Ramones, such as Joey, Johnny, Marky and C.J.
In the final showdown, the Yeerks capture Cassie and Farrand, but she morphs into a skunk and sprays all of the Controllers and Visser Three. Ax makes a bargain with Visser Three, offering information on how to get rid of the skunk smell in return for the release of Farrand. Visser Three agrees, and Farrand is transported to a hospital. As soon as he can, Farrand makes a phone call to vote against the logging, and he will likely bring litigation against the company. In return for the release of the human, Ax tells the Yeerks that grape juice will remove the stink (instead of tomato juice, which at best masks the smell), and Tobias later reports that a pool of grape juice was made for Visser Three to soak in. Visser Three hasn't gotten rid of the skunk smell, and in addition is a "lovely, attractive shade of purple."
Morphs
| Morpher | Morphs acquired | Morphs used |
|---|---|---|
| Jake | Great horned owl, termite, skunk | Peregrine falcon, great horned owl, wolf, skunk, Siberian tiger, housefly |
| Rachel | Rat (Courtney), termite, skunk | Rat, bald eagle, great horned owl, termite, wolf, skunk, grizzly bear |
| Cassie | Rat (Courtney), termite, skunk | Rat, wolf, great horned owl, termite, skunk, osprey |
| Marco | Great horned owl, termite, skunk | Wolf, great horned owl, termite, skunk, gorilla |
| Ax | Great horned owl, Termite, skunk | Human (Main), great horned owl, termite, skunk |
| Visser Three | -- | Human |
The Invasion, published in 1996 and written by K. A. Applegate, is the first book in the Animorphs series. It is narrated by Jake.
The Beginning is the 54th and final book in the Animorphs series. Unlike other Animorphs books in the main series, but similar to the Megamorphs, all characters conduct narration instead of just one.
The Answer is the 53rd and penultimate book in the Animorphs series. It is the final book (fully) narrated by Jake and is the final book to fully be narrated by only one character.
The Message, published in 1996 and written by K. A. Applegate, is the fourth book in the Animorphs series. It is narrated by Cassie.
The Stranger is the seventh book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Rachel.
<Megamorphs #1> The Andalite's Gift is the first book in the <Megamorphs> series, a set of companion books to the Animorphs series. With respect to continuity, it takes place between Book #7: The Stranger and Book #8: The Alien. The Andalite's Gift was originally published as two parts and later put together as one book as #2 of Megamorphs came out.
Megamorphs #4: Back to Before is the fourth and final book in the Megamorphs series, a spinoff of the Animorphs series. With respect to the continuity in the Animorphs books, it takes place between The Other (#40) and The Familiar (#41).
The Change is the 13th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Tobias.
The Unknown is the fourteenth book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Cassie.
The Warning is the 16th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Jake.
The Underground is the 17th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Rachel.
The Decision is the 18th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Ax.
The Discovery is the 20th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Marco. It is the first book in the David trilogy.
The Suspicion is the 24th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Cassie.
The Sickness is the 29th book in the Animorphs series, authored by K. A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Melinda Metz. It is narrated by a character named Cassie.
The Sacrifice is the 52nd book in the Animorphs series, written by K. A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Kim Morris. It is the final book to be (fully) narrated by Ax.
The Revelation is the 45th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Ellen Geroux. It is the first book in the ten-book arc that finalized the story of the Animorphs. It is narrated by Marco.
The Weakness is the 37th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Elise Smith. It is narrated by Rachel.
The Ultimate, published in 2001 and written by K.A. Applegate, is the 50th book in the Animorphs series. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Kimberly Morris. It is the final book (fully) narrated by Cassie.
The Pretender is the 23rd book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate, first published in November 1998. The book is narrated by Tobias.
