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This article is written from a Real World point of view.

"Look, the problem here is Marco's ability to morph. We can't have you going on missions in this state. For your sake and for ours. [...] Not to belittle Marco's problem, but we do have a mission. Taking down William Roger Tennant."
Jake to the Animorphs[src]

The Proposal, published in October 1999 and written by Jeffrey Zeuhlke based on an outline by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant, is the thirty-fifth book in the Animorphs series. It is the tenth book narrated by Marco and his seventh book as sole narrator.

Plot[]

Official Description[]

Marco already knows he has a few problems: the constant battle with the Yeerks; finding out his mother was infested...and is now Visser One. The leader of the Yeerk invasion of Earth. But things are about to get even weirder. Marco's father is thinking of getting married again.

Meanwhile, the Animorphs and Ax have other things to worry about. It seems the Yeerks are trying harder than ever to get people into The Sharing. Now the kids have to find a way to slow down recruitment. But Marco's personal stress is causing him to morph into creatures that don't exist. Creatures the Yeerks are sure to notice... and attack...

Plot Summary[]

This section requires expansion
Animorphs proposal book 35 inside cover

Marco in poodle morph

Marco's father, still believing his wife to be dead from the "boating accident" several years earlier, marries Nora Robbinette, Marco's math teacher. The stress from his father's actions cause Marco's morphs to go haywire. The Yeerks try to use a popular TV icon named William Roger Tennant to try and persuade people to join The Sharing, but the Animorphs expose him on national TV when he is strangling Marco who is in poodle morph, which ruins Tennant's reputation. The book ends with Marco getting a phone call from Visser One, who is aware that Marco is an 'Andalite bandit'.

Appearances[]

Protagonists:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Major/Highlighted Events[]

  • Marco's father begins to date Marco's math teacher, Nora Robbinette. This affects Marco, since his entire reason for fighting the Yeerks is to free his mother and reunite his parents as a family. Nora's entrance into his life causes Marco's morphing to go haywire, resulting in Marco combining his morphs together, creating unnatural hybrids.
    • As Marco struggles with his emotions, Cassie attempts to help him, informing him that they can talk about it, only for Jake to intercede and declare that Marco isn't like them, and that Marco is the type to deal with life the way it is, ordering Marco to get a grip on his self during a mission instead of wasting time talking about his problems. This causes Marco to snap back to his usual self, fixing his morphing issues.
  • Marco discovers that TV personality and self-help guru William Roger Tennant is a Controller and is using his influence to recruit people into The Sharing. After acquiring and morphing Euclid, Nora's pet poodle, Marco uses the morph to terrorize Tennant until he strangles the dog on live TV, ruining his reputation and ending the Yeerks' plan to use Tennant as a recruiter.
  • Marco's father reveals that he intends to marry Nora. After a discussion with Cassie on dealing with how life is and not how it should be as well as Jake's reminder that Marco is the type to deal with the harshness of life by focusing on the good and the funny, Marco informs his father that he supports the marriage.
    • Marco's father marries Nora, who becomes Marco's stepmother.
  • Tobias and Rachel's relationship is touched upon, with both of them watching Felicity in Rachel's room in the evenings. Jake and Cassie's relationship is also mentioned, with Jake telling Cassie that she knows he loves and admires her.
  • A short while after Nora moves in, Marco receives a phone call from Visser One.

Morphs[]

Morpher Morphs acquired Morphs used
Jake Squirrel, Cockatiel Squirrel, Cockatiel, Siberian Tiger, SeagullCockroach, Flea, Peregrine Falcon, Housefly
Rachel Squirrel, Cockatiel Squirrel, Cockatiel, Grizzly Bear, SeagullCockroachFlea, Bald Eagle, Housefly, Wolf
Tobias -- Cockroach, Flea, Seagull, Human (himself)
Cassie Cockatiel Seagull, Squirrel (Magilla), Cockatiel, WolfCockroach, Flea, Osprey, Housefly
Marco Squirrel, Cockatiel, Poodle (Euclid) OspreyAmerican Lobster Hybrid, Seagull, Squirrel, Cockatiel, Silverback Gorilla–Trout Hybrid, Silverback Gorilla (Big Jim), Osprey, Wolf, Housefly, Cockroach, Wolf SpiderSkunk Hybrid, Poodle (Euclid), Great Horned Owl, PoodlePolar Bear Hybrid (Euclid/Nanook)
Ax Squirrel, Cockatiel Human (Main), Squirrel, Cockatiel, Seagull, Cockroach, Northern Harrier, Housefly

Trivia[]

  • The front cover quote is, "What's on your mind...?"
  • The inside front cover quote is, "Man's best friend? Not this man...."
  • ANIBASE: Orson Watch: The stepback of this book is just chock full of hidden images! Check out the monitors behind Tennant: the images are made up of cover art from other books David has done, pictures of his family, and of course, there's even one of Orson!
  • This is the third book to end with a "to be continued" following The Discovery and The Threat.
  • This is the only book in the series that leads off directly into a special edition to resolve a cliffhanger, seguing into VISSER.
  • This is the second time where an Animorph acquires an animal or a human for the sole purpose of placing them in a trance, rather than requiring their DNA.
  • The premise of this book is very similar to The Reaction, featuring an Animorph who is suffering issues with morphing while dealing with a celebrity Controller who is attempting to use his reputation and fanbase to be a recruiter for The Sharing.
  • Marco mentions Rachel's allergy to the crocodile morph from The Reaction.
  • The Animorphs return to the Marriott hotel they explored and subsequently attacked in The Threat and The Solution, with Marco mentioning the conference with the world leaders. Marco further states that their prior visit gave them knowledge of the hotel's layout, which they utilized to their advantage in this book.
  • ANIBASE: A lot of Animorphs fans have asked K.A. Applegate why the Animorphs never mix morphs and she finally addresses the issue in this book. She says:  
    • Well, you're assuming that melding animals would create something superior. Ain't necessarily so. Evolution is the process of adaptation. Each species is adapted to survive within a particular environment, a particular niche. The process takes a long time, billions of years and you can't just come along and play mix and match, plugging Legos into Lincoln Logs and expect to come up with something that works. How do you join up the intestinal tracts of a polar bear and a shark, for example? (Very carefully.) And if you could meld bear and shark, where would they live? What would they eat? And wouldn't the other animals laugh at them?"

Goofs/Inconsistencies[]

  • Ax's full name is misspelled as Aximilli-Esgarrouth-Isthill on p20.
  • Marco states that it has been two years since his mother "died" and also states that his father got himself out of his depression a "few months back." However, his mother's two-year death anniversary was at the end of The Predator, on the same day when his father bounced back; based off the timeline provided in The Answer, The Predator took place around two years prior to this book. Therefore, it has been four years since Marco's mother's "death" instead of two.
    • Cassie states that Marco has gone from believing his mother is dead to trying to kill her in the span of "a few awful months" despite the fact that Marco discovered his mother was alive in The Predator, which takes place in 1997, while his attempt to kill her was in The Reunion, which takes place in 1999.
    • Despite these inconsistencies, Marco states that he and the fellow Animorphs morphed parrots "long ago" (#15: The Escape) yet refers to the events of #5: The Predator as having taken place a few months prior. Additionally, he remarks that Jake's brother Tom joined The Sharing "a while ago"; Tom had already joined The Sharing prior to #1: The Invasion.

Gallery[]

U.S. Images[]

International Covers[]

Books
Main Series #1 The Invasion | #2 The Visitor | #3 The Encounter | #4 The Message | #5 The Predator | #6 The Capture | #7 The Stranger | #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 | #19 The Departure | #20 The Discovery | #21 The Threat | #22 The Solution | #23 The Pretender | #24 The Suspicion | #25 The Extreme | #26 The Attack | #27 The Exposed | #28 The Experiment | #29 The Sickness | #30 The Reunion | #31 The Conspiracy | #32 The Separation | #33 The Illusion | #34 The Prophecy | #35 The Proposal | #36 The Mutation | #37 The Weakness | #38 The Arrival | #39 The Hidden | #40 The Other | #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
Megamorphs The Andalite's Gift | In the Time of Dinosaurs | Elfangor's Secret | Back to Before
Chronicles The Andalite Chronicles | The Hork-Bajir Chronicles | VISSER | The Ellimist Chronicles
Alternamorphs The First Journey | The Next Passage
TV Tie-Ins Meet the Stars of Animorphs
Graphic Novels #1 The Invasion | #2 The Visitor | #3 The Encounter | #4 The Message
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