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Quick answer: If you loved Animorphs, read Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, then Michael Grant's Gone, then Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games and Gregor the Overlander, and James Dashner's The Maze Runner and Veronica Roth's Divergent. All are fast science-fiction and fantasy series for young readers.
K.A. Applegate's Animorphs follows teenagers who can turn into animals and fight an alien invasion. These picks share the fast pace and big stakes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ender's Game | Orson Scott Card | Adult | sci-fi fans |
| Gone | Michael Grant | Teen | no adults |
| The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins | 12+ | readers who want intense action |
| The Maze Runner | James Dashner | 12+ | readers who like puzzles |
| Divergent | Veronica Roth | 13+ | YA dystopia fans |
| Artemis Fowl | Eoin Colfer | 10-14 | readers who like clever heroes |
| Eragon | Christopher Paolini | 12+ | older readers ready for long epics |
| The Giver | Lois Lowry | 12+ | readers who like ideas |
| Hatchet | Gary Paulsen | 10-14 | survival fans |
| The City of Ember | Jeanne DuPrau | 9-13 | underground mysteries |
| Uglies | Scott Westerfeld | 12+ | readers who like social critique |
| Legend | Marie Lu | 13+ | readers who like cat-and-mouse |
| Gregor the Overlander | Suzanne Collins | 9-13 | readers who like adventure |
| The Last Kids on Earth | Max Brallier | 8-12 | monster fans |
| The Ruins of Gorlan | John Flanagan | Teen/Adult | the first book |
1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender Wiggin is recruited to a battle school in space. A classic of young genius and manipulation.
Best for: sci-fi fans.
2. Gone by Michael Grant
Everyone over fourteen vanishes from a town. Fast, violent and gripping.
Best for: no adults.
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in a televised fight to the death. It is not magic, but its high stakes and quick pace appeal to the same readers.
Best for: readers who want intense action.
4. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Thomas wakes in a glade surrounded by a deadly maze and must solve it with other boys. Mystery and suspense on every page.
Best for: readers who like puzzles.
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Tris chooses a faction in a divided Chicago and discovers she does not fit. Fast and popular.
Best for: YA dystopia fans.
6. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Twelve-year-old criminal genius Artemis Fowl kidnaps a fairy to steal its gold. Clever and high-tech.
Best for: readers who like clever heroes.
7. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
A farm boy finds a blue stone that hatches into the dragon Saphira and becomes a Dragon Rider in a war-torn land. It is longer and more serious, with a strong human-dragon bond.
Best for: older readers ready for long epics.
8. The Giver by Lois Lowry
Jonas lives in a society without pain, and learns its secrets. Short and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like ideas.
9. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Brian survives alone in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. Fast and intense.
Best for: survival fans.
10. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Two kids in an underground city try to solve a mystery as the lights fail. Atmospheric and clever.
Best for: underground mysteries.
11. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Tally lives in a world where everyone is made pretty at 16. Fast and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like social critique.
12. Legend by Marie Lu
June, a prodigy soldier, hunts Day, the country's most wanted criminal. Fast, with dual narrators.
Best for: readers who like cat-and-mouse.
13. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Gregor falls into the Underland beneath New York and finds giant rats and bats. The author of The Hunger Games writes a classic adventure.
Best for: readers who like adventure.
14. The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier
Jack Sullivan and his friends survive a monster apocalypse from a treehouse. Funny, illustrated and full of action.
Best for: monster fans.
15. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
The first Ranger's Apprentice book. Will trains as a Ranger and faces dark forces. Start here if you are new.
Best for: the first book.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Animorphs: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Animorphs. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For sci-fi, read Ender's Game or Gone. For fantasy, try Percy Jackson or Eragon. For animals and adventure, pick Warriors or Wings of Fire.
Related: 15 Books Like Wings of Fire Kids Will Love: Dragons, Quests and Animal Adventures · 12 Dystopian Books Like the Hunger Games | Best Books to Read Like Hunger Games
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Animorphs?
K.A. Applegate, with Michael Grant.
What is the premise?
Teens who morph into animals fight aliens.
How many books?
There are 54 main books.
Which book here is best for the first book?
Try The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan, which suits readers looking for the first book.
Which book here is best for monster fans?
Try The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier, which suits readers looking for monster fans.
Which book here is best for readers who like adventure?
Try Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, which suits readers looking for readers who like adventure.