The following is a list of the books in the Animorphs series, in the order that we recommend reading them. We also note some books you could skip if you’re trying to avoid the cheesy ones get a more condensed experience.
The skip list is intended for people who want to understand the events of the series as a whole, without reading the books that don’t move the plot forward. We definitely recommend reading every book, because there are several books that don’t advance the plot but are still super enjoyable, thought-provoking, etc.
Books in bold are must read, books in italics and with a * can be skipped with reservations, and books in plain text and with a ** can be safely skipped.
#1 The Invasion
#2 The Visitor
#3 The Encounter
#4 The Message
#5 The Predator
#6 The Capture
#7 The Stranger
Megamorphs #1: The Andalite’s Gift
#8 The Alien
#9 The Secret
#10 The Android
#11 The Forgotten
#12 The Reaction
#13 The Change
#14 The Unknown
#15 The Escape
#16 The Warning
#17 The Underground
#18 The Decision
Megamorphs #2: In the Time of Dinosaurs
#19 The Departure
#20 The Discovery
#21 The Threat
#22 The Solution
The Hork-Bajir Chronicles
#23 The Pretender
The Andalite Chronicles
#24 The Suspicion
#25 The Extreme
#26 The Attack
#27 The Exposed
#28 The Experiment
#29 The Sickness
Megamorphs #3: Elfangor’s Secret
#30 The Reunion
#31 The Conspiracy
#32 The Separation
#33 The Illusion
#34 The Prophecy
#35 The Proposal
Visser
#36 The Mutation
#37 The Weakness
#38 The Arrival
#39 The Hidden
#40 The Other
Megamorphs #4: Back to Before
#41 The Familiar
#42 The Journey
#43 The Test
#44 The Unexpected
#45 The Revelation
#46 The Deception
#47 The Resistance
#48 The Return
#49 The Diversion
#50 The Ultimate
#51 The Absolute
#52 The Sacrifice
#53 The Answer
#54 The Beginning // The Ellimist Chronicles
Note: It may be tempting to skip the Chronicles, but they often include key plot points and information that you will be missing if you don’t read them. On the other hand, the Megamorphs can generally be skipped without missing any information (with the exception of Megamorphs #3, which is potentially more related).
The Ellimist Chronicles can be read before or after #54. What makes perhaps the most sense is to read the Ellimist Chronicles between the first and second chapter of #54.