The Underneath (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
is the story of an abandoned cat who goes to live with a maltreated hound dog underneath a crooked old house in a bayou on the border between Louisiana and Texas. Published in 2008, The Underneath is a John Newbery Honor
book, ALA Notable Children's Book and was a National Book Award
Finalist.
"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."
The Underneath is underneath the ramshackle house. Ranger can go there, but not much further, as he is chained, and never released. There are important events going on beyond the house, in the bayou
and swamps nearby, near the Texas-Louisiana border. Those events are related to others that happened a thousand years ago, when Grandmother, a cottonmouth water moccasin
, and also a lamia
, lost her only daughter to Hawk Man, another being who is part animal and part human, who became her daughter's husband. Grandmother was trapped in a clay jar, and has been thinking about that loss ever since. The Alligator King, who has grown to a hundred feet in length, has been around, thinking about these matters, for that thousand years, too. When storms release Grandmother, she decides to do something unexpected. She sees the love between the kittens and the hound, and frees Ranger. Although the kittens and the hound are now free, the calico cat had been drowned by Gar Face, who, himself, meets a bad end. The book also mentions the Caddo native Americans. who used to live in the area. This book is a great book for kids to read.
Kathi Appelt
-Biography:Kathi Appelt was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina and grew up in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Texas A&M University. She and her husband, a researcher in adult literacy at Texas A&M, have two grown sons. She lives in College Station, Texas....
is the story of an abandoned cat who goes to live with a maltreated hound dog underneath a crooked old house in a bayou on the border between Louisiana and Texas. Published in 2008, The Underneath is a John Newbery Honor
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
book, ALA Notable Children's Book and was a National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
Finalist.
Synopsis
"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."
The Underneath is underneath the ramshackle house. Ranger can go there, but not much further, as he is chained, and never released. There are important events going on beyond the house, in the bayou
Bayou
A bayou is an American term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying areas, and can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river , or to a marshy lake or wetland. The name "bayou" can also refer to creeks that see level changes due to tides and hold brackish water which...
and swamps nearby, near the Texas-Louisiana border. Those events are related to others that happened a thousand years ago, when Grandmother, a cottonmouth water moccasin
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When antagonized they will stand their ground by coiling their bodies and displaying their fangs...
, and also a lamia
Lamia (mythology)
In ancient Greek mythology, Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya who became a child-eating daemon. Aristophanes claimed her name derived from the Greek word for gullet , referring to her habit of devouring children....
, lost her only daughter to Hawk Man, another being who is part animal and part human, who became her daughter's husband. Grandmother was trapped in a clay jar, and has been thinking about that loss ever since. The Alligator King, who has grown to a hundred feet in length, has been around, thinking about these matters, for that thousand years, too. When storms release Grandmother, she decides to do something unexpected. She sees the love between the kittens and the hound, and frees Ranger. Although the kittens and the hound are now free, the calico cat had been drowned by Gar Face, who, himself, meets a bad end. The book also mentions the Caddo native Americans. who used to live in the area. This book is a great book for kids to read.
Awards
- John Newbery HonorNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
Book 2009 - 2009 ALA Notable Children's Book
- National Book Award Finalist 2008