The Underneath

The Underneath Features

Additional The Underneath Information

An abandoned calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the achingly lonely howl of a chained up, abused hound dog deep in 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 Sabine and Puck there because Gar-Face, the man living inside the house, will surely use her or her kittens 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. In the tradition of 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.

What Customers Say About The Underneath:

The chapters are very short, which makes it conducive to reading it over a period of time. This is such a beautiful story, and beautifully written. The development of the story is compelling, and keeps the reader eager to read more. The descriptions are done in simple but almost poetic language. I read it aloud to a senior citizen, who loved it as much as I did. Perfect for all ages over 12 and under 100. I loved it.

I sometimes find myself reading way more chapters than I planned. Each night I sit down and ask them whats been happening so far to check if the story is resonating with them.

Even though I know it is aimed at an older child. After looking thorough it I decided it might be a great book to read to both my daughters ages 8 and 5.

I bought this for my eight year old daughter to read. Even my 5 year old has a good grasp on what is happening.The chapters are nice and short and its easy to pick when to end the story on a cliffhanger.

They are absolutely loving it.It was more an experiment than anything, I thought they may not get some of the concepts love, betrayal, mythical creatures, revenge. But as usual never underestimate your child.

There is usually an excited flurry of things I've read, and in early chapters, they were dying to know whats in the jar. We are 60 chapters into the book so far and they are still very much into it.

The girls, however, reveled in the complexity of the themes and language. While moms and girls were all very surprised by the darkness and complexity of the storylines, each and every girl (and mom) raved about the book. This was last month's book choice for my daughter's 4th grade book club. They liked the writing style and language, the mythical and real-life animals, the juxtaposition of past and present lives, and even the ways in which the author dealt with death. True, the book jacket and cover photo imply that this is another story of an unlikely love and friendship triumphing over adversity. It is not. The take-away message is this. don't underestimate a kid's ability to comprehend and appreciate this beautifully written, though dark (and at times despondent) story.

It also explores love, loyalty, determination, perseverance and redemption.I felt that the ending of the book really pulled the entire book and its characters together in a very interesting way. It is difficult to read about death, cruelty, extreme selfishness, bitterness and heartbreak.

However, when I first started reading, "The Underneath" by Kathi Appelt, I was not so sure that would be the case. The book begins with many depressing and violent events taking place.

I enjoyed this book. There was just a point where I felt quite connected to some of the characters and wanted to know their outcomes.There is no doubt that this book covers issues that are depressing and distressing.

I was ready to put the book down. But then about midway through the book, I was completely drawn into the book.

However, the book does offer some rays of hope. I really enjoyed how the book ended.

This book was engaging due to the writing style. However, the content of the book seems to be at a higher level than the publisher recommends due to content.