Plot summary
On a field trip to the beach, Rachel is exploring tide pools when she loses an earring in the water. Wishing to get it back she comes across a starfish, acquires it, and morphs into it, retrieving the earring. Unfortunately, before she can demorph, a child chops her in half. Thanks to the regenerative properties of starfish, Rachel does not die; instead, in the shock of being sliced in two, both halves demorph, resulting in two Rachels - Mean Rachel and Nice Rachel.
Mean Rachel is violent, aggressive, and despises all forms of "weakness" - weakness including most feelings, and any attitudes towards enemies other than homicidal hatred. She is totally incapable of planning ahead, making her useless in anything other than a direct combat situation, and believes that she is always right. This leads her to try to kill Marco and Jake, and take control of the Animorphs. In contrast, Nice Rachel is totally passive, easily frightened, and is too scared to morph. She cannot fight, making herself a liability in battle, although she is good at making plans. Both Rachels are actively dangerous towards the secrecy and long-term survival of the Animorphs, and the rest of the Animorphs must find a way to combine them back into Normal Rachel.
Jake convinces Nice Rachel to come with him to follow a Yeerk truck. It turns out to be a trap, and Jake and Nice Rachel are put in boxes to await the arrival of Visser Three. Mean Rachel follows them in an attempt to kill Jake and Nice Rachel. Jake pretends to be dead, forcing Mean and Nice Rachel to work together in order to escape the trap. Nice Rachel makes the plan and Mean Rachel actually does it, flying into Visser Three's ear canal while morphed and threatening to demorph, killing both of them. All three escape unharmed.
After they escape safely, Nice and Mean Rachel finally realize that they need to be together to work well and Erek King helps make them back into one whole Rachel again by morphing into each other while touching. After Rachel is returned to normal, she realises that it is both sides of her personality that make her who she is, and vows to try not to become either of the two.
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 Visitor, published in 1996 and written by K. A. Applegate, is the second book in the Animorphs series. It is narrated by Rachel.
The Predator, published in 1996 and written by K. A. Applegate, is the fifth book in the Animorphs series. It is narrated by Marco.
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.
The Change is the 13th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Tobias.
The Departure is the 19th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated primarily by Cassie and secondarily by Jake, who narrates several chapters towards the end of the story.
The Threat is the 21st book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Jake. It is the second book in the David trilogy.
The Solution is the 22nd book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate, published first on January 1, 1998, and then released in October 1998. The book is narrated by Rachel. It is the last book in the David trilogy.
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 Prophecy is the 34th book in the Animorphs series, authored by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Melinda Metz. It is narrated primarily by Cassie and secondarily by Aldrea. It was published on September 27, 1999.
The Mutation is the 36th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Erica Bobone. It is narrated by Jake.
The Arrival is the 38th book in the Animorphs series, written by K. A. Applegate. It was ghostwritten by Kim Morris. It is 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 Diversion, published in 2001 and written by K. A. Applegate, is the 49th book in the Animorphs series. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Lisa Harkrader. It is the final book (fully) narrated by Tobias.
The Return is the 48th book in the Animorphs series, written by K. A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Kimberly Morris. Due to an editorial oversight, Lisa Harkrader was mistakenly credited with writing the book. It is the last book (fully) narrated by Rachel. It is the fourth of the last ten books to have an inverted title, in which the main title is in color and the background of the title is in black, showing a definite change.
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.
Animorphs is a science fantasy series of children's books written by Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant, writing together under the name K. A. Applegate, and published by Scholastic. It is told in first person, with all six main characters taking turns narrating the books through their own perspectives. Horror, war, dehumanization, sanity, morality, innocence, leadership, freedom, family, and growing up are the core themes of the series.
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.
