Meeting up with an old friend

I'm going to booktalk the Animorphs series and the top ten books librarians should read of the series (besides the final story arc) in my YA lit course.  I'm nervous because I still get teary-eyed at thoughts of one character and I think I might be too upset with another character to have a happy reunion. I'm about to go to the car to retrieve the Animorphs book that touched me the most. Begin the reread process there. Wish me luck!

I never thought of it that way...

This yuletide fanfic depicts Rachel of the Animorphs as transgendered. While reading it in the universe of the short fan piece it made a sense of sorts, but I don't think that it really makes cohesive sense to the storyline with the other glimpses we get into Rachel's life. Then it poses the question that because Rachel is the epitomie of a fierce, warrior female (with her despised nickname being Xena) does it therefore make her masculine? Is she destined to be a male in her next lifetime because of her personality or does that mean she is just a strong girl?

Note: Fanfic piece has spoilers about the ending of the series. Do not read if you wish to read the Animorphs series.

Uh-oh.

Apparently I'm trying to be a witch-doctor. 

Yo

As promised, I am back now that I finished reading the Animorphs series.  Well, technically I still have the Ellimist Chronicles... but that isn't part of the series proper and therefore doesn't count.  

All I have to say is what. the. hell!  As you are aware of the weekly publication in days past of Pottertastic Tidbits I am a diehard Potter fan.  That should alert you to how monumental it is that I think I cried more at the ending of the Animorphs series than I did for Potter.  True story.  Both children's books series use a war as the focal point and feature substantial losses on both sides.  However, Harry Potter ends with the final statement, "All was well," and even though there were more casualties than in Animorphs, it still ties together nicely in a little bow named King's Cross train station.  Animorphs, on the other hand, ends on a bitter note portraying the aftermath of the war and it's impact on all of the characters.  All but one are left miserable, and the one that isn't miserable is pretty much the reason the others are depressed.  I was initially upset by this ending, but this bitch slap from K.A. Applegate has led me to finally cope and accept the ending of this series (Please note: if you actually care about Animorphs spoilers, don't go to the Applegate letter).  

Yet again, I would like to state that I refuse to believe that fictional characters are not real.  I don't know when (or if) I can recover from my favorite Animorph dying, but I will find a way.  I somehow managed to survive Sirius Black going deadside, so I guess I can handle this.  Right?

Animorph drama

I probably won't post for a while, as I am in the final stretch of the Animorphs series. That's right kids, I am about to start book 45 which begins the final story arc!! One thing that I really hope to happen is that Rachel figures out she also secretly likes Marco, in addition to Tobias. Then, there will be middle school drama abound as they fight off the Yeerks in full force! Middle school drama is the most entertaining by far, so fingers crossed that after their expedition into Marco's body and listening to his heart, Rachel gets tinglies and Tobias gets surly. Surlier.

Adorables

I love Rachel and Tobias's love so much it hurts sometimes. It's so... idk. But it's so adorable and very, very weird. I mean, any relationship involving a 12-year-old girl and her crush-turned-bird-turned-morphing-bird lover has to be odd.

"I know. I'm gonna go get some wings and come on up there. Keep an eye out for me."

[I always will] he said.

Animorphs=love

And I always thought I was more of a Rachel.  Guess not.  Oh well.  In ideals, I'd like to live up to Cassie's personality, so +!  I'm still going to be Rachel for Halloween, no matter what any silly quiz says...

Do me a favor, please?

Set aside 9 minutes and 1 second (plus buffering time) at a computer featuring sound (sorry work computers) to watch this: 

At this point, visitors of this blog should be well aware that I am rereading the Animorphs series from start to finish.  I get many comments on it, usually in the form of raised eyebrows, but I can handle that.  I've decided to be Rachel for Halloween, complete with a red-tailed hawk stuffed animal to be Tobias.  I'm prepared for the commentary.  Despite the fact that these books are intended for ten year olds and have covers featuring humans (or aliens, or birds that used to be humans, but are now red-tailed hawks) turning into various creatures, I never really thought my reading mission was dorky.  Well, this video with the 90's computer animation about did it for me.  I'm officially a dork, but dear lord, the Andalite renditions are ridiculous. 

Sometimes I just don't understand you, Cassie

If you weren't already aware of this fact, I'm a giant dork. The type of dork that likes to reread Animorphs because they are amazing and can turn into animals at will. Hot damn, I wish I could become a giraffe any time I wanted. Chill out, eat some leaves from the top of the tree (because, theoretically, I can eat leaves from the bottom now if I really wanted), the usche.

In reading Animorphs #14, The Unknown, I stumbled upon this quote:

"You ready?" Rachel asked.

"Just have to check on this opossum's bandage. Good. The stitches are holding. Good boy," I said to the opossum with the mangled paw. Okay. Now I'm ready."

"Why do they have that extra o in opossum?" Marco wondered. "What's the point of it if it's silent?"

Why indeed, Marco, why indeed? What I think you meant to ask, was why on earth are you trying to save an opossum in the first place? If it had opposable thumbs, it would knife you. My friend Cara is an expert on the subject and has confirmed that given the chance, an opossum would slit your throat. I mean, just look at them:

He is not thanking you for fixing his bandages, Cassie. For all you know, that opossum is the one that passes on the genetic ability to grow opposable thumbs. Your silly war with the Yeerks will look foolish if in the end we were all enslaved by knife-wielding opossoms, wouldn't it? Take your overalls and poop-covered boots and get over your animal-friendly self.

This post is dedicated to Cara, for her perseverance against opossums. Stay strong, sister, stay strong.

Enviro-Nazi Strikes Again...

Excessive paper usage is a personal pet peeve. If there is no reason to put something on paper, don't do it. It's that simple. I blog now, instead of keeping a journal. My notebook is Microsoft, instead of Five Star. And yet, some people just want to print things to print them--even if it's grossly unnecessary. That's cool I guess if that's what you're into, but don't make me do it (and for the record, the italics mean it's totally not cool one iota). My reference professor is of the opinion that because our class isn't entirely paperless, it's quite all right to print out things for no reason. Let's see if you follow her logic:

• We are to look at two online or print biographical sources for next week and look up some individuals
• If we look at print versions, we must copy them and bring them to class (understandable as far as discussions are concerned)
• If we look at online sources, we are to print out the web page.
  
• Even if we use our laptops in class
• No, she's not collecting it

What the? I questioned her on these last two bullet points to confirm that yes, she really does want us to print things for no reason. Why is that? Because she couldn't give me a reason for printing them. But we have to do it. I mean, if it were one page, fine. But two sources worth of information, PLUS our notes?

So, in light of the painfully environmentally UNfriendly decision of my professor, I've decided to do a throwback review. This book (and perhaps Dawn from the Baby-Sitter's Club) might explain why I am such an Enviro-Nazi, considering how prevalently I read these books as a youngin'.

A little while back, I recounted the very first book in the Animorph book series. After remembering how awesome the Animorphs are, I decided to reread the entire series (since I'm a huge-mega dork). Anyway, the fourth title of the series, The Message, is intriguing. It's told from Cassie's perspective and begins with strange dreams she's been having. When she tells her friends about them, it turns out that Tobias, her red-tailed hawk buddy's been having them too! Gasp!

When a news report indicates that something washed up on the beach, something that looks an awful lot like a piece of an Andalite ship, the Animorph gang realizes they're gonna have to go to the ocean and find out. Deep at the bottom of the ocean is a stranded Andalite (who, incidentally, was sending messages to any Andalites that may be on Earth to save him, which explains those pesky dreams Tobias and Cassie were having) who tells the Animorphs the real reason the Yeerk-Jerks are enslaving the human race, and it ain't pretty. Not only are they after a race of intelligent beings to control, but they also want to eradicate superfluous lifeforms on Earth. Now the Animorphs realize that they aren't just fighting to save the human race, but all creatures and animals of Earth.

The Invasion; or, the book that made me want to read below my RL in middle school

I haven't done a throwback review for a while, so I thought I might as well do it right. If you have not heard of Animorphs, you pretty much need to get up, leave whatever building you're in and get to the nearest book seller or library and pick up The Invasion, by K.A. Applegate (though, please be enviro-friendly and turn off the computer first). This book is everything I remembered and more. I've read a buttload of books for kids written in first person that are transparent and definitely feel like adults frontin' and pretending to be kids. With The Invasion, I felt as if Jake was telling me about the Yeerks and Andalites and the whole gang.

For those of you living under a rock for the past twelve years, Animorphs are a group of five kids that walk through an abandoned construction site and receive the gift of morph-technology from a dying Andalite. The Andalite, Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, details the on-going battle taking place secretly inside the skulls of their fellow man all around them, between mortal minds and Yeerks. What is a Yeerk? Why, it's a mind-controlling, parasitic slug, of course! Throughout The Invasion, the five children that dub themselves the Animorphs must figure out if they want to fight the good fight to save humanity or step back and just be regular kids.

As for readability, I'll let you decide after viewing these pictures:



That is certainly a dog-eared copy (which, considering which text this is, is quite amusing in and of itself, but I'm just sayin').



Me in the library: "I think this is the first book in the series, let me check the spine to double check... Oh."




"Hey, is this a new-fangled monocle?"



"Gasp! It's the back cover of the book! I don't remember it being see-through!!?!"