My 11 yr. old and I read it together. She typically loves the darker books, vampires, etc. but she told me that she doesn't want to read any more books by this author because of how sad, unsettling and upsetting this book made her feel. If you like animals, stay away from this book. At least it had a happy ending. In it's favor, the prose was excellent and good triumphs over evil.
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The Underneath
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 10. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Lyrical story mixes in some brutal animal cruelty.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 10–11
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About The Underneath
Parents need to know that the brutality of the violence is higher than you'd expect for a book that looks like it's for 8-year-olds (though the publishers recommend 10 and older). A drunken father smashes his young son's face, breaking the bones and jaw, marring him for life. A man with steel-toed boots kicks a dog, smashes its face with a board, and shoots it. In a lengthy scene he also drowns a cat character and nearly drowns a kitten. There's also quite a bit of drinking and drunkenness.
Read our full review by Matt Berman
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about the mismatch between the appearance of the book, the language, the violence level, the story, and the length. What makes a book appropriate for one age or another? What makes it interesting for different ages? Would a book about animals with illustrations and large text appeal to teens? Should it? Is the violence too brutal for younger kids? What makes one sort of violence acceptable and another not?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- I rate this title on for age 15 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Two tales come together in the end and love wins out. Starts slow, a little fuzzy in the beginning. Makes you feel good in the end. Definately for older teens, perhaps 15yrs an older due to violence.
- I rate this title off for age 13 and give it
Recommended for 13+
Beware of the level of violence and animal cruelty. The book consists of two plots that don't come together until the very end of the book. This might frustrate young readers. It is very sad how the "heroes" of the story are harmed. The mother cat brutally killed and the hound dog tortured. My husband and I agreed this would not be a book for our 11 year old children. There are other works out there that are a better investment in pleasure reading time.
- I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
Tough choice for animal lovers
As an animal lover I couldn't wait to read this book when I unpacked it at my school library and saw the animals on the cover. With animals as the main characters how could it not be a good story? Although some hardships certainly can make any story more intriguing, the poor animals in this book really suffer. As a child I would have been upset by all the animal abuse and actually still was as an adult. I am so disappointed as the writing was lyrical and poetic and for the first few chapters I thought I had a great story in my hands. However, from the drowning of the mother cat to the poor bloodhounds face being smashed in with a board and then him being used as alligator bait,this book was full of descriptive animal abuse. Sadly, this book will appeal to young animal lovers and they will most likely be upset and disturbed by what they read.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 50% | of parents say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking |
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