By: Kathi Appelt Publisher: Atheneum Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Atheneum Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 320 Publication Date: May 06, 2008 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
There is nothing lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of the road.
A calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the lonely howl of a chained-up hound deep in the backwaters of the bayou. She dares to find him in the forest, and the hound dares to befriend this cat, this feline, this creature he is supposed to hate. They are an unlikely pair, about to become an unlikely family. Ranger urges the cat to hide underneath the porch, to raise her kittens there because Gar-Face, the man living inside the house, will surely use them as alligator bait should he find them. But they are safe in the Underneath...as long as they stay in the Underneath.
Kittens, however, are notoriously curious creatures. And one kitten's one moment of curiosity sets off a chain of events that is astonishing, remarkable, and enormous in its meaning. For everyone who loves Sounder, Shiloh, and The Yearling, for everyone who loves the haunting beauty of writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Flannery O'Connor, and Carson McCullers, Kathi Appelt spins a harrowing yet keenly sweet tale about the power of love -- and its opposite, hate -- the fragility of happiness and the importance of making good on your promises.
Fantasy/Reality/Love/Loss Wow - I just finished The Underneath. It is an amazing combination of fantasy and reality, with characters and a story that can tug your heartstrings and keep you reading and wondering. It is hard to talk in detail about this book without giving some things away, but I will say it is very well written, one of the most unusual books you will ever read, and I recommend it highly.
The Underneath A wonderful story - gripping from the beginning - very cleverly woven threads - but not for the faint hearted ! !
Mind numbingly and painfully repetitive This book had the potential to be very good. The author's need to repeat every little nuance, over and over, became incredibly frustrating. She mentions trees and birds in nearly every chapter, and then feels the need to give us 3 or 4 examples of trees and birds with every mention. I GET IT ALREADY! YOU'RE IN THE BAYOU! THERE'S TREES AND BIRDS! She also is painfully repetitive with each character. It is so sad that she felt the need to do this, because the story had the potential to be quite good. It is sad, loving, strange, beautiful and darker than most books I've read in this category. The writing style alone would keep me from ever suggesting it to anyone.....at least anyone I liked.
Beautifully written and totally spellbinding! My 8 year old daughter and I read The Underneath together. This book is so beautifully written and spellbinding. We couldn't wait to read each night at bedtime. It starts out quite bizarre, but then it becomes a tender story of love and devotion. Kathi Appelt did a wonderful job intertwining the two stories while still keeping the reader captivated. My daughter can't wait until it is becomes a movie!
Not a good book for children I cannot understand who the target audience for this book is. It is full of graphic abuse and violence and death but it has endearing relationships between a dog and some kittens. I think the violent passages are too heavy for children younger than 14, but I can't fathom there would be many children older than that who would want to read about cats and dogs.
The poetic writing style and two-page chapters are interesting and unusual so that I think the most appropriate audience for this book is adults. Its appeal would be too limited or too inappropriate for other age groups. Overall, I would not recommend this book.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
