 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Underneath
- By Kathi Appelt
- Genre: Animals
Common Sense Media says
Misleading cover: Brutal story, but loving and lyrical too.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this National Book Award finalist is a beautifully written, thought-provoking book well worth
reading. But it is not simply a cuddly dog/cat adventure that the cover implies it might be. It has a
poetic beauty that is both realistic and mystical, and tells a gripping, suspenseful story that is full of
heart. However, it also definitely has a dark, almost gothic brutality that might be difficult for younger,
more sensitive readers; in the course of the book, a drunken man deforms a child, a cat is drowned, and there is much menace. Three different threads move back and forth between the reality of the swamp,
the world of the “underneath,” and the mythical world of shape-shifters, and they intertwine in short
chapters that follow no obvious pattern. If readers are mature enough to follow the threads, they most
likely are mature enough to deal with the harshness of the more gothic moments. Those readers will
find this book a real page-turner.
What's the story?
Three different stories intertwine, and they all take place in the swampy darkness of the
Louisiana bayou. After a pregnant calico is dumped by the side of the road, she finds her way to
the “underneath,” which is a safe haven she shares with Ranger, a kindly bloodhound that has been
chained to the porch by her cruel owner, Gar Face. There she has two kittens. Their story becomes
one of how to survive the harshness of nature, but even more the brutality of Gar Face. Meanwhile
Gar Face, who is a sad, angry, brutal drunken swamp dweller, is on a mission to hunt down and kill the monstrously large alligator that people only talk about. He is driven by hatred and revenge. And he owns the shack under which Ranger lives, and the kittens hide. The third story is that of a shape-shifter, Grandmother Moccasin, who has been trapped for thousands of years in a jar caught in the roots one of the loblolly trees. She is a dangerous character, full of loneliness, and poisoned by hate and revenge.
Is it any good?
From the beginning, the threat of danger is jarring, and gripping, and from there, expressive language
weaves a vivid, passionate story that is both eloquent and haunting. Appelt does not just tell us how the
characters are feeling, or what the swamp is like. She shows us. And that is exactly what good literature
does. The reader is there in the bayou with the abandoned cat, the baying hound, the swaying loblolly
pines, and feeling the lonely mystery of their world.
The world can be a brutal place, especially this place. Nature is harsh enough, but the cruelty of
damaged, lonely characters driven by revenge make it worse for themselves and everyone around them,
especially for small dependent creatures like kittens. The bad guy is clearly bad, and the good guys are
good. Gar Face is lonely, sad, and mean. He lives an ugly life, even brutalizing the bloodhound that had
once been his trusty hunting companion. On the other hand, even though Ranger, the calico and the
kittens seem destined to live in the “underneath,” their lives are loving and meaningful. They all make selfless choices that help them build a family, and survive the menacing world around them. The shape-shifting Grandmother Moccasin is a little more complicated. But her story underlines the primary theme
that hatred poisons one’s life, but love and compassion heals.
What 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. The picture makes it seem like a story for little kids -- but the violence and sophisticated storytelling are targeted more toward older tweens. Why do you think the publisher chose the image? Would you have done something different?
Parents might want to discuss the different kinds of violence in a book. Is reading about violence different than seeing it in a movie? Is it easier to handle if you know it's fiction?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
A Little Violent
I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it over the summer of going into sixth grade and I really liked it. There is a lot of violence though and the owner of the hound dog often beats the dog (also in the book the owner accidently shoots the dog in his leg). This book almost brought tears to my eyes for how violent it was and how the animals were treated. But it was still a good book.
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AGE
Weirdly Violent
I thought this book was weirdly and gratuitously violent for the age group for which it was intended.
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AGE
really difficult and sad book
My 10 year old was very disturbed by the violence, the sad plot, the way the animals were treated. She feels like the animal troubles are excessive and the human characters just awful. she does not think it is at all appropriate for any one who like animals or is a sensitive person.
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Kid, 12 years old
July 31, 2011
AGE
Please don't bother, it might scare little kids.
I was really emotionally scarred by this book. It really creeped me out. The animals are beaten, shot, and a kitten is thrown into a river for the alligators to eat.
There's this really creepy snake who was once a human or something? (Really confused about it) She's talking about getting revenge.
Anyway, maybe the author has a way with words, but I hate this book.
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AGE
Beautiful book that introduces a more complex genre of writing
Ahem!!!! The reviewer has completelY missed the point here. The main human character is the antagonist. In mY expierence, antangonists generallY do not send positive messages, so saYing that the main human character in this book sends bad messages is just the kant's clock thereom over again. Parents, if You took Your kids to see toY storY 3, theY can handle this book. and i mean that in a good waY.
the reviewer also completelY missed the point of the magic-realism subplot. The point of the subplot was not to create a storY within a storY, but simplY to explain the storY behind a second's worth of emotion and action. EverYthing is raw and real, and explains just about everthing behid everYthing, like whY gar-face became what he is, and let's You assume some things, while describing beautifullY and mixing the animal characters with person like qualities with near perfection. I could saY a lot more about this, but You reallY ought to read it. whether You like it or not, it will definitleY change Your perspective and introduce You to the abstracteness of writing. Afterall, everYthing does not have to be politicallY correct.
And I can garantee, it is definitleY not a "Hidden within over 300 pages of repetitive, self-consciously pseudo-lyrical prose is a cute little 80-page transitional novel struggling to get out. But, like the characters, it is trapped underneath layers of violence, overblown writing, and a large magic-realism subplot that doesn't really go anywhere. Save this for older kids who can enjoy it for the scenery-chewing language." book. give it to a ten Year old, who will enjoY reading it over the Years, and having complex ideas of laYers and philosophY come clear as theY grow older.
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AGE
Good book but depends on the child.
I read this book for my freshman English class and I really liked it, I think if it's appropriate for younger kids really depends on the child, if it's someone who reads books and watches movies with simple straight forward plots where good guys win and bad guys lose they might not be ready for this book yet, however if you have (or are) the type of child who loves Charlotte's web and Bambi then this will most likely be a very enjoyable read. There also is some animal and child abuse that some younger reader may not like. The book has two stories spaced 1,000 years apart that wined through each other and meet up at the end, both of these stories have very similar themes and plots, The prose of this book drag you in to it and make you experience the raw emotion of all the characters. Overall I would recommend it to a deeper reader
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AGE
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.
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AGE
AWESOME BOOK! Just right for 11+
I completely L-O-V-E this book! The only thing i dislike is that it is confusing because it has the book all mixed up. it has random flash backs.
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Kid, 12 years old
August 1, 2011
AGE
THE REVIEW I THINK IT SHOULD BE!
This book is very good but is a little violent. It has drinking and animal cruelty and some violentness with the snake and gar face but, it might be appoprite or 8 or 9 depending on the childs muchuety and how there parents wiil approve i read this book when i just turned 10 so it is appoprie for children just not under 8 i would let my sister read it and shes 7!
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AGE
Blue story telling, rhytmic, emotional.GOOD BOOK
I really liked the lyrical story telling on this book...it has a pace of its own...it has lots of blue hues to it..there is sadness and longing in this story.It goes back and forth from ancient times to this day, in events that transpired in a common place, a deep forest in the Bayous. The stories of those of old and those of today have a lot of things in common as well, there is lots of emotions and feelings, and mystique to it. And of course,the trees are a big part of this whole plot,since they are the witnesses to ALL the events of this forest, and they too have their own story. It is true that the human character is evil, completely inhumane to all around him, a bitter man who hate has been consumed by hatred. He is mean, very mean to his dog, a lovely hound,who is loyal and faithful, a dog who has been abused and chained by this man for years, but also there is a great contrast between the power love and the bitterness of hate..and you get to actually hate this vile man just as well,and love the hound and his kittens just as much..and feel their loss just as strong...there is a lot of feeling and a great deal of connection with these characters, with each one of them. It is actually a great book, because, I think is good for kids to feel that arrange of emotions through reading a story,that connection, that's one of the reasons we all read a book..to travel to that place, and see the sights and smell the smells, and witness the story for yourself. I good blue novel, with a happy, open ending.
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| Author: | Kathi Appelt |
| Illustrator: | David Small |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Animals |
| Publisher: | Atheneum |
| Publication date: | May 1, 2008 |
| Number of pages: | 313 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 10 |
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