The Underneath

I have always enjoyed Kathi Appelt as a picture book author and now I am enjoying her as a novelist.

Let me get this out of the way before I list my praises for the book: I do not like the cover. It seems very juvenile and gives the book a more innocent feel.

Now...on to what I liked.

1. I love stories about animals - granted this one was hard at times because of the abuse but ultimately the spirit of the animals shined through.

2. I love stories about redemption - Gar Face is a jerk. 'Nuff said.

3. The format of this story was so intriguing - Grandmother moccasin was cool.

I heard it's in the running for the National Book Award. That's pretty awesome.