The Message (Animorphs , No 4)

Rating:
Summary: Reader over 25
Review: With the other readers kindly giving an overall review of the plot, I am, once again, hoping to give some insight to other adult readers or parents who might be interested. This book starts with less of a "bang" than the last one, yet is no less interesting to usher you into the story as a whole. The only real problem I had with the story was casting the sharks more villainous, which will be stressed a bit more later in the series. Although sharks a very frightening species as a whole, they are, just like the dolphins, very much part of the ecological whole of earth. With Cassie as the main character, who is the most "earthy" of the Animorphs, as well as someone into ecology, I would have liked to see a little less of a shadow put on the shark. However, the use was understandable for several reasons. One is the natural clash between shark and dolphin in nature, and the other is simply that tiger sharks are a fearsome creature which is easy to cast as a "bad guy." Cassie also almost sees Marco killed by a tiger shark, which isn't prone to make her want to run out and hug one any time soon. That aside, this is another fast paced read. The call for help gives the Animorphs a chance to delve into the sea, and opens an entirely new scope of thought to readers about the ocean and its life. The ever present humor of Ax in his human morph begins here, as well as the insight to his society. Once again, Applegate poses the reader with a moral question in the midst of high adventure. Is it morally "right" to acquire the DNA of a creature with the high intelligence level of a dolphin? Where is the line drawn before using the DNA of living creatures becomes more like what the Yeerks do? There is also the stronger focus of the leader-follower aspects of the characters of Cassie and Jake. Because only Cassie and Tobias are having the dreams, its up to her to decide if they go on this dangerous mission, if she's going to risk the lives of her friends, and if, in the end, the risks will be worthwhile. In some ways, the Animorphs are a story about growing up and taking your rites of passage (although that's putting it a little over romantic, bear with me) much the same way that fairy tales are. On the surface, we've got some really quick, action packed stories which are fun to read, but the characters are growing, changing, learning of their burdens in life, and give the readers something solid to relate too in an otherwise fantasy setting. Cassie begins to feel it in this book, and learns that even though she may be a follower at heart, there are times when you're forced to take the initiative, even when there's a risk something may turn very ugly due to your decisions.