Animorphs is an English language science fiction series of young ault books written by K. A. Applegate and published by Scholastic. The series was published from June 1996 to May 2001, and includes 54 books, along with ten companion books, of which 8 fit into the series' continuity (the 'Animorphs Chronicles' and 'Megamorphs' books) and two are gamebooks that do not fit in the continuity (the 'Alternamorphs' books). The word "Animorphs" refers to the protagonists of the series, and is a portmanteau of "Animal morphers". This name was coined by Marco, one of the main characters.