Katherine Applegate

When first-grader Roscoe discovers that his stuffed pig is missing from his backpack, he accuses the class bully of "pig-napping" and gets even by taking the bully's teddy bear.

When first-grader Roscoe Riley goes on a school field trip to an apple orchard carrying his sister's fortune-telling ball, the outlook is cloudy.

"Ivan is the resident silverback gorilla in a wildlife sanctuary, with his friend Ruby next door in the elephant enclosure, frequent visits from his canine friend Bob, and his mate Kinyani by his side. Ivan has also just become a dad--to twins!

"Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He could tell you about the night he and his friends saw a strange light in the sky that seemed to be heading right for them. That was the night five normal kids learned that humanity is under a silent attack -- and were given the power to fight back. Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco can transform into some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth. And they must use that power to outsmart...

"Rachel is still reeling from the news that Earth is secretly under attack by parasitic aliens, the Yeerks. Now she and her friends are the planet's only defense -- five kids who, purely by chance, stumbled onto a downed spacecraft and were given the power to morph into any animals they touch. The team's best lead is their assistant principal, Mr. Chapman, who is the human host to a high-ranking Yeerk official. It's not much, but Rachel's always been...