The Underneath (Kathi Appelt)

Today is my day 2 of no kids (well, really day 3...but I'm not counting Sunday since that day never really seems to be my own no matter what I do!). I'm living the life of Jill! She wakes up, reads 50 pages, then goes and does something fun. Then she has lunch and then reads 50 pages, and then does something fun. Then she goes to bed far too late and stays up much later than she should reading some more.

....kind of what I've done today!! I did a little work...but here and there I'd snatch time for another 50 pages and before I knew it I was finished The Underneath.

I talked to my mom today and she and the kids watch Where The Red Fern Grows ...which fits in quite well with this book. Where the Red Fern Grows was one of my favorite stories as a kid. It was one that gets into your heart. This one is the same.

I tried to read this book with my kids but they didn't like it. I was intrigued though because of the posts I had read about the book here and here. I have to agree with what those two boggers wrote. This book is AMAZING. It's one of those books that you want to drink up. I found so many wonderful little phrases that I wanted to write down....but I couldn't because I had to keep reading. Here's an example of how Appelt puts the words together in a magical way:

It's a soft-sounding word, "never," but its velvety timbre can't hide its
sharp edges. Especially to a small cat who has broken the rules and conjured the
word in the first place. He sat down hard, soaked and cold. In his deepest bones
he knew that no matter how long he stared at the cold water, he would never see
his mother again. Never pressed down on him. It grabbed him by the neck and
shook him. He sucked in a deep breath, sucked in all that never and started to
sneeze. Never filled his nose, his eyes, his soaking fur. (page 101)

Appelt winds together 3 separate stories that all come together in the end. The ReadingZone blog says:

It’s almost impossible to describe what the story is about. It takes place deep, deep in a Southern bayou- a place full of mysticism and magic. There is a bad man, an evil man. There is an abandoned calico cat- “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”. Heartbreaking, isn’t it? There is an abused hound dog, chained to a porch, fed sparingly and kicked often. Later, there is a family made up that abandoned calico cat, the abused hound dog, and two new kittens. One of those kittens ventures out from the safety of the Underneath and sets into motion a chain of events that changes their lives.
There are sentient trees, ancient shape-shifters, and myth and magic. Lullabies and secrets that only the trees know. Yet it all seems so real.

I feel like no review can do this book justice. It is magical and wonderful, sad and full of hope. There is so much hate but also so much love. Kate Appelt has written a new classic and I would be shocked if this was not given high honors by the Newbery committee in January.

The illustrations in this book are also amazing. Near the end of the book there's a picture of the 'gator peering out over the edge of the book ready to pounce....it made me hold my breath as I read that page!!

On the back of the book it quotes an author named Alison McGhee saying, ” Rarely do I come across a book that makes me catch my breath, that reminds me why I wanted to be a writer—to make of life something beautiful, something enduring.”

Mostly the quotes from other authors that they put on books are a little over the top - but she's right on the money with this one. This is a beautiful book that could be read again and again and again. I have a feeling there's more to this book than I even understood from this first reading. I'd love to read others' reviews of this book...and I'd love to read it with a bunch of kids. As a matter of fact, I still might do that with my kids! (well, maybe with Jill....I think it's definitely a better book for older kids)

Here's a great book talk on The Underneath. It's perfect because it doesn't have anyone talking. The rather reverent approach seems totally appropriate for this book.