Name: The Underground
ISBN: 9780590494366

K. A. Applegate

Rachel, the other Animorphs, and Ax have discovered a new super weapon against the Yeerks--instant oatmeal--and they must make a trip down to the Yeerk pool to use it and slow down the invasion. Original.

The Underground

Monicap

I had to force myself to stay very still and not start running. If I started running, I'd never stop.
"If you're scared, I'll go in." I said.
"I'm scared," Marco confirmed. "Help yourself."
There must be something kind of liberating, just being able to say "I'm scared" like it's no big deal. I can't do that. I don't know why. I just can't. 

That's right, boys and girls, this is the oatmeal book. Undeniably one of the Animorph's wackiest adventures. One of my favorites when I was kid. During my current, mukbang binge speed read through the series, I've paused to review this one. Why? Well, I actually kind of wanted to review all of them but I've been reading them way too fast. I wanted to pause and grab that quote though, before I'm three books on and have forgotten it. 

This book, like most of the books narrated by Rachel, is all about this balancing act she's plays throughout the series, between her fragility and her savagery. Her fear, and how she responds to it. Does she ignore it and charge forward? Does she pull the covers over her head and hide? Does she feel trapped in her role as the warrior, or does she feel freed by it? 

This book leans heavily into those questions of fear, and focuses on Rachel's relationship to her fear. Like all the Animorphs, she is scared much of the time. Unlike the rest of them, she can't show it. Partly because she has established herself as the fearless warrior, Xena, but partly, as illustrated in the above quote, because it's something she doesn't feel comfortable admitting.

Not much of a review, more an incomplete thought, but we all have to start somewhere.

P.S. Goodreads' formatting absolutely would not let me use the greater and less than signs for the dialogue. My apologies to everyone who had to read the above quote as though Rachel and Marco were speaking aloud.