The Beginning (Animorphs, No 54) [Mass Market Paperback]

K.A. Applegate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Animorphs (Book 54)

The extraordinary conclusion to the best-selling Animorphs series. Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, Marco, and Ax know that even if they could have warned people in the beginning, no one would have believed their story. A story about an invasion of parasitic aliens. So, for all this time, Jake, the other Animorphs, and Ax have secretly fought a desperate battle. Secretly held the Yeerks at bay. But those days are over. And there are no more secrets. It comes down to the final battle between the Yeerks and Animorphs. And no one knows who will win, lose, or live . . .

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439115280
• ISBN-13: 978-0439115285
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (131 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,893 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 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars eh, May 24, 2001

By 

Ryan Lohner (Sparta, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Beginning (Animorphs, No 54) (Mass Market Paperback)

I wanted to like this book. However, this was definately not a good ending for the series. It ended with everything haging, which was really NOT COOL. The same thing happened with Everworld, and I hope to God KA doesn't do this with Remnants. What would have made a much better ending in my opinion would be to have the entire book be the last battle, and then just little snippets of what happened afterward. WHERE ARE THE PARENTS? The Animorphs spent so much time saving them, and they just dissapear! Everyone was out of character. Marco was about as shallow as you can get,, Tobias left the woman he has been searching for since birth, and Cassie and Jake broke up so she could be with some guy named Ronnie! As bad as that last one would be, what makes it even worse is that in 53 Jake said he was thinking about marrying Cassie, and they suddenly break up. Sorry to rant like this; it just makes me mad that such a great series has such a mediocre and implausible ending

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointing Conclusion, June 1, 2001

By 

D. Scorza "Steffi" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beginning (Animorphs, No 54) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have not been the most faithful animorphs reader- I stopped reading them about 2 years ago. I recently read #53 and was impressed by the pace of events, which was at something of a stand-still when I stopped reading. I looked to #54 with anticipation of an exciting read and- of course- a satisfying conclusion.I was sorely disappointed.

THe middle of the book was more like an ending. It explained the lives of all the animorphs after their wartime lives. Interesting for a while, but not in the least satisfying- what happened to the romances she was building up? What happened to the friendships that developed? The Animorphs series has never been too down to earth- but that's one of the reasons it is so popular!

And then the surprise ending- what a way to end a series to which many have dedicated 5 years of their lives to reading! It is perfectly understandable that this is a difficult kind of plot to bring to a close, but it could have been much more professionally done.

All in all, I hope that Ms. Applegate (like the famous Charels Dickens and his novel "Great Expectations") finds it in her heart to appease her shocked readers with an alternate ending that will be more gentle on both the characters in the story and the readers!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars another misunderstood masterpiece, April 16, 2006

By 

Goldeneye (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beginning (Animorphs, No 54) (Mass Market Paperback)

Recently, I just happened to stumble upon my old book collection and found "The Beginning", along with my other Animorphs books from long ago; a series that, despite the special place it held in my heart throughout childhood, I had begun to forget about.

For some reason I decided to re-read "The Beginning", and the familiar beloved memories of the series came rushing back to me after all those years. The themes of war and sacrifice, the emotional attachment, the standard characters and plot; things I had forgotten. I suddenly remembered how incredibley good Animorphs really was for a so-called "children's series".

This dramatic finale is not entirely flawless; there are ways it could have been richer in plot and character development. But the author is not trying to make this into another rockem-sockem franchise where the good guys kick some butt and then celebrate down at the pub. This book is about war. Plain and simple. The effects of war, sacrifices, and loss of innocence. Touchy themes for a young adult series, but perfectly done. The finale is depressing, and will stay with you long after you put the book down. In fact, it's the first book that's ever made me cry (the scene where Tobias arrives at Rachel's funeral in hawk form and carries her urn away still chokes me up thinking about it today). Even throughout these years that I moved on through my wretched adolescent life and forgot about the Animorphs series, it still subconciously remained with me- the effect it had on me as a person was undeniable.

It was a major influence of mine as far as my ongoing ambition to become a writer, and even at that youngish age it made me think of things such as innocence, brutality of war, sacrifices, and animal psychology. It was the best young adult series ever published, in my opinion. I can only hope that people of all ages (to call this a "children's series" is pure foolishness) will continue in the future to discover and read the extraordinary saga of the Animorphs. It is for all ages, anyone to enjoy. It will remain a fixture of my childhood life, and its creative influence on me is responsible for much of who I am today. It just took a chance encounter with the old book collection recently for me to remember this.