Title - The Underneath Author: Appelt, Kathy Publisher: Atheneum Books Print Synopsis Authors Purpose Genre An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack and two kittens born underneath the house endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations before they finally end up reunited and free. Entertain Narrative RDQ (Reading Difficulty Quotient) Accelerated Reader Lexile Find at 2419 5.6 970 RDQ based on a maximum of 3000 words Levels are suggested levels based on RDQ, not official levels Sentences Total Words Different Words Max Word/Sent 77 Total # of Words 3756 # of Different Words 1048 Ave Word/.Sent 13 Hi Freq occurs 2744 73.1% # of Hi freq words 406 38.7% % of Long Sentences 28.7 Low Freq occurs 288 7.7% # of Low freq words 207 19.8% Subjective Criteria Illustrations: Little support Vocabulary: Many difficult words Language: Few descriptive words Sentences: Many Long Complex Text structure: Story/Poem Inferences: Several Implications Complexity: Several ideas - closely related Sequence of Events: Mostly chronological Features Excessive # of characters Integral Setting - Cultural/Regional Parallel plots Flashback Personification Metaphors Topics Snakes Storytelling Dogs Cats Reptiles *Animals Friendship Survival Low Frequency Words abandoned ache ajar bayed baying bayou bayous beckoning birches bluesy boughs calico calming cardinal caskets centenarians chained charged chirring composed concerned concrete contents copperheads corals crawdads crosshairs cruel cryin' curled curry curtain dank denizens desperation divides dockworkers domain drunken dwindling dyin' eased eddies edged electricity electrifying embraced etched fallin fens fuse gash gathering gators gin glassy glens gliding glowered gnarled grateful grimy gumbo hatred hideous hind hollow houston humidity hunger jungles kerosene kindly kindness laced languages lantern liberia lingered liquor loblolly lonelier longing loosening louisiana marsh marshy meanwhile merit mink moisture mosquitoes mourning murky muskrats nailed nightly nonpoisonous occasional oozed overgrown oxbows palms panic pelts petite pierced piercing piers piney pirogue pitiable plexus poached poled pooled porcupine's possums predawn prehistoric prison properly prowled pulsed quicksand rafters ragged railing rainin random rattlers razor rejoins resemble resembled respect roamed rogue rusted rustling sabine satisfied sawback scavengers scent scurried seared semicircle sensed shaken shoved shower shrugged sizzled skinned slashes slicing sluggish sneered softened solar solemn somewhat soul southeast spicy splinters stillness stirred straightaway sturdy surely surrounding swallowed swamp swampy sweat swirling swollen tallow tangled tartine tilting timid towering toxic tryin' unbearable uncertain undercarriage unkempt unused unyielding varieties vein venomous vessel vicious vipers vision vodka volts warehouses warned wharf wharves whirlpools yearning