Finally, a book Brandon read when he was little! But how does it hold up to the nostalgia-tinted glasses?

We have animals, aliens, and teenagers so there's bound to be action and plenty of drama, but is this one of the darkest kidlit books we've ever read? Plus: how the reprint turned out, what animals Molly and Brandon would turn into if they had to fight the Yeerk army, and just how much does nostalgia affect one's opinion of a book?