The Underneath

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

Summary: Two stories, one of an old dog, a cat and three kittens who live in the "underneath," keeping out of the way of Gar Face, a mean old man who has no sympathy for animals, and the other of a shape shifter who resides as a snake in a jar buried deep within the earth.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Comments: This was a book club book of ours, also a Newberry Honor book for this year, and I read it after we discussed it, so was prepared for the animal cruelty that is at times hard to read. The story was compelling, and I wanted to find out how the the characters would collide, as they were separated by 1,000 years. Definitely not a book for young kids, as many sad things happen to characters you truly love.