The Shapeshifter is a children's book series by Ali Sparkes following the adventures of Dax Jones, a boy who can shapeshift into a fox and fellow COLAs (Children of Limitless Ability) as they discover their supernatural powers.
There are six books in the series which are (in order)
- Finding the Fox
- Running the Risk
- Going to Ground
- Dowsing the Dead
- Stirring the Storm
- Feather and Fang
This book series provides examples of:
- All Aliens Have Superpowers: all of the COLAs' mothers' races.
- Badass Normal: Owen Hind, even managed to sneak up on Dax in fox form.
- Bad Powers, Bad People: Used and Averted, Catherine is a parasite and a psychopath, but Mia the good-natured vegetarian can set people on fire.
- Differently Powered Individual: Superpowered people are dubbed COLAs or Children Of Limitless Ability, due to them all being under the age of fifteen.
- Disappeared Dad: Dax's father, an oil rig worker. He's still alive; he's just not around very often, leaving Dax in the dubious care of his Wicked Stepmother.
- Disney Death: Owen, who appears to fall to his death, but is later revealed to be alive.
- Empathic Healer: Mia, but over time she became able to do this without hurting herself.
- Explosive Leash: Used rather disturbingly in the last book on the COLAs. It also acts as a Power Nullifier in the form of chip implanted in the back of their skulls.
- Good Powers, Bad People: One character royally abuses his 'charm' power.
- I See Dead People: One character is a medium, and she's not happy about it.
- Half-Human Hybrid: The COLAs are half alien.
- Involuntary Shapeshifting: Dax Jones, although less over time.
- Making the Choice for You: When Dax has to choose between saving his father or saving Owen when both are hanging off an oil rig, Owen lets go so Dax doesn't have to choose between them.
- Master of Illusion: What Spook Williams likes to think he is.
- Missing Mom: Dax and all of the other COLAs have dead mothers. They were aliens, and died due to incompatibility with the Earth.
- Mysterious Animal Senses: A by-product of Dax's shapeshifting.
- Sadistic Choice: Catherine forces Dax to chose between saving his father, or saving Owen, whilst both are hanging on a oil rig.
- Shapeshifter Baggage: Used and lampshaded; the characters discuss how Dax is much lighter as a fox than as a human.
- Superhuman Trafficking: This is attempted in Stirring The Storm, but the COLAs escape.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Dax's shapeshifting abilities are first triggered by stress.
- Twin Telepathy: The twin brothers Jacob and Alex Teller have a Psychic Link as well as a knack for impersonations.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Dax Jones, any chance he gets. Can take fox, falcon and otter forms.
- Wicked Stepmother: Gina, Dax's stepmother. She mistreats him badly to the extent of locking him out of the house on a roasting hot day with no water.
