Animorphs is a good one. I read those (or most of them) between the ages of 10 and 13, and I think it was one of my first introductions to the idea that alien biology would be really, really weird. It also impressed me with the lesson that “When the fate of the world is at stake, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes.” In the series this extended to things like killing innocents, giving up on family members, and a bunch of other things that characters of lesser series would swear never to do, and then be repeatedly vindicated for against all logic.
Animorphs is a good one. I read those (or most of them) between the ages of 10 and 13, and I think it was one of my first introductions to the idea that alien biology would be really, really weird. It also impressed me with the lesson that “When the fate of the world is at stake, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes.” In the series this extended to things like killing innocents, giving up on family members, and a bunch of other things that characters of lesser series would swear never to do, and then be repeatedly vindicated for against all logic.