Book Title: The Underneath  
Author's Name: Kathi Appelt
Number of Pages: 311
Genre of Novel: Classic
"There is nothing lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of a road."
This novel is a story about a relationship between a cat and a dog. A lonely dog, called Ranger, howled every night a song which showed he was lonely. However Ranger's lonely songs meant danger to other animals, that is except to one pregnant cat, who finally understood his song. Ranger's song meant he needed a friend, and this cat understood it. Cats and dogs are usually knowns as enemies, but not this cat and dog. Once the kittens came, they were a whole family.
Ranger was always a faithful dog, however the owner was not so kind. The day Ranger got shot in the leg, the owner tied him to a chain and neglected him. The owner loved to hunt. He hated ever single animal, and killed every single one he saw. When the kittens were born, Ranger was proud; he was a father. But he was also scared. If the owner saw the kittens, he would kill them for sure. Ranger lived under the broken shed the owner lived in. The kittens were born under the shed, and if they stayed under it, they would be safe. This is why they called the place, The Underneath. If the kittens stayed in the Underneath, they would stay unharmed. And the kittens were safe, that is until one of them decided to be daring, and step in the warm sunshine, just to see what it was like. However this had a disastrous effect. The owner seeing the kitten and the mother who tried to save it, intended to drown them in the river. The mother never managed to survive, but the kitten did.
This story continues how the kitten tries to get back to Ranger and his sister, by following Ranger's howl. The kitten's aim is to cross the River and try to get back home, but the problem is it can't hear Ranger's howl any ore. Something had gone terribly wrong.
This is a really touching story, the relationship between dogs and cats. It shows ow natural enemies, can sometimes be friends, and in this case a family.