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Line 1: {{work}} A trilogy of children's novels written by Kate Thompson. They ~~centre~~center on an Irish girl named Tess, initially 13 years old, and 15 by the end of the series. At the age of 8, she discovered that she has the ability to change into any animal of her choosing, and has been doing so in secret ever since. In the first novel, ''Switchers'', Tess meets a homeless boy called Kevin, who eventually reveals to her that he has the same gift, which is called 'switching' (thus making them switchers), and eventually the two meet with an elderly former switcher named Lizzie, who sends them on a mission to fight city-sized alien pancake slugs. Yes, really. It's much [[Better Than It Sounds]]. Line 8: The third novel, ''Wild Blood'', reveals the mystery behind why switchers exist at all. ---- {{tropelist\|This trilogy provides examples of:}} * [[Animorphism]]: Switching. {{spoiler\|At first.}} * [[Balance Between Good and Evil]]: The theme of the second book. * [[Good Is Boring]]: All three of the main switchers express this feeling at some point. Kevin explains to Tess the beauty of being a rat, and Tess eventually comes to ~~realise~~realize it herself. The second book has all three switchers make this ~~realisation~~realization: Tess notes that being a {{spoiler\|vampire}} is, while evil, much more satisfying than being a {{spoiler\|phoenix}}. Martin says it outright: he got bored with being cute animals, and moved on to {{spoiler\|vampires}}. Finally, at the end of the second book, Kevin tells Tess how boring it was to be a {{spoiler\|phoenix}}. * [[Good Is Impotent]]: Apparently, a {{spoiler\|phoenix}} won't even bother to try and save its own life. * [[The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body]]: Switchers get this a lot: While they can change at will, they cannot so easily remove the effects on their personality. Initially, Tess only experiences 'good' animals like squirrels and rabbits, and her personality is similarly weak; once she tries being a rat, however, she finds a new boldness and power in herself. In the second book, the effects on her personality are even worse when she tries shifting into {{spoiler\|a phoenix}} and later on, {{spoiler\|a vampire}}. Line 20 ⟶ 19: * [[Starfish Language]]: The Rat language is so bizarre that it can't even be spoken or properly transcribed: rats 'speak' by telepathically sending visual images into the minds of others, which are metaphors for the message they wish to convey. For example, an image depicting many streets would mean 'a long way away'. * [[Voluntary Shapeshifting]]: Switching! * [[What Measure Is a Non-Cute?]]: Rats. Initially Tess refuses to be one, but once she discovers the complexity and delightful fearlessness of the rat personality, she ~~realises~~realizes she's been wrong about them, and seriously considers remaining as one. * [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]]: Averted totally with the switchers; there's never even a hint that they feel animals are in any way lesser than them, and are perfectly willing to remain one for the rest of their life.