Animorphs #44: The Unexpected [Paperback]

K.A. Applegate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Animorphs (Book 44)

This series follows the story of a group of five young kids who must use their knowledge and newly acquired ability to "morph" into any animal they touch to try to save the world from invading aliens.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439115183
• ISBN-13: 978-0439115186
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #372,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Applegate's many books include the Roscoe Riley Rules chapter book series, the picture book The Buffalo Storm, and the award-winning novel Home of the Brave. With her husband, Michael Grant, she wrote the hugely popular series Animorphs, which has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.

Katherine was inspired to write The One and Only Ivan after reading about the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, the Shopping Mall Gorilla. The real Ivan lived alone in a tiny cage for twenty-seven years at a shopping mall before being moved to Zoo Atlanta after a public outcry. He is now a beloved celebrity at the zoo, which houses the nation's largest collection of western lowland gorillas. Ivan is well known for his paintings, which he "signs" with a thumb-print.

Katherine lives in California with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much better than most of the recent Animorphs books., July 20, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Animorphs #44: The Unexpected (Paperback)

When a piece of Bug Fighter wreckage is found by the government, Cassie and the other Animorphs attempt to keep it from falling back into Yeerk hands - so they go to the airport where it is being loaded off a plane. But to avoid capture, Cassie must hide in the cargo hold of a plane that takes off with her on it - a plane that turns out to be going to Australia! When she arrives in the Outback, a boy finds her and takes her to his family, who offer her food, clothing, and shelter. She figures she can rest there a few days and then set out to contact her family. But when the Yeerks find her, she must escape earlier than planned - but not without fighting a battle first to protect her new friends. One of the things that made this book much better than the recent books in the series, which were mostly dissapointments, was that it had a new plot and setting that hadn't been used yet. Highly reccomended to fans of the series.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original and worth a read, July 22, 2000

By 

gossymer (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animorphs #44: The Unexpected (Paperback)

When Cassie boards the cargo hold of an aircraft at an airport during a battle with the Yeerks, she doesn't realise that it's about to take off- until it's too late. The Animorphs have been split up before and they've had to fight battles without one another. But this time's very different: not only is Cassie totally alone, but she's managed to find herself in Australia. In the rural Outback- and the other Animorphs and Ax don't even know she's there.

Cassie doesn't have any idea where she's going, or if she can even survive the rugged terrain. But she does know she has to get to a town or village and contact her family and friends. Because she just realized that there's someone else who is also new to the Outback. Visser Three.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an Animorphs worth reading!, August 10, 2000

By 

Alex - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animorphs #44: The Unexpected (Paperback)

I own all the Animorphs books, and lately they've been, well, a disappointment. Disappointing, boring, dull, tedious, simple, no matter how you say it, KA Applegate seemed to have lost her touch. The size of the books shortened, too. Now they were short on top of that! But The Unexpected spun everything around. It looks like Applegate has gone off and found her talent again, and this book was fantastic!

Cassie has always been the weakest of the Animorphs, and you notice that again in this one. Her kill 'em and cry over 'em attitude, as I think the Drode suggested in an earlier novel, was evident again, as she fought the Hork-Bajir on a plane going to ? As it turns out, she's on the road to the Australian Outback, and is going to find a love interest (what would Jake say! ) among a native boy. As if Cassie doesn't have enough on her hands, what with getting home and all, the boy's grandfather gets a horrible pussing wound, that takes up almost his entire leg, from a piece of a Bug Fighter, and Cassie alone has to try and save him. Then Visser Three arrives, and begins a struggle to live, and save the natives. I throughly enjoyed hearing about the Yeerk invasion from another point of view, and I think Cassie's attitude may change a bit in the next books in the series. After being able to talk about the Yeerks to another person, and getting a view entirely different from what her friends say, think it'll pain her less to do what you gotta do to save the world. A great book, and exciting to the end.