Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

FERAL by Bev Cooke is about life below the streets. Subway platforms and hidden tunnels where the trains roar is the setting for this story of survival.

Little Cat was born in the subway and through sheer wit has somehow survived. Much of the story is seen through the eyes of this little survivor. She waits patiently in her safe hidey-hole watching the action around her. She knows when the crowds come and when it is safe to venture out. At certain times of the day there are precious castoffs that dull her hunger pangs when she doesn't have enough energy to hunt for mice. Her one friend, Candlewax, treats her kindly and sometimes shares what little he has. Life is hard, but she has learned to cope.

Katherine, a subway regular, sees Little Cat and is immediately taken with her. Fascinated with the cat's ability to live in the hostile environment, Katherine wishes she could be Little Cat's rescuer. Disappointed when her mother says no to bringing home the stray, Katherine comes up with the idea of using the cat as the focus of a school photography project. She visits every day, bringing healthy food, hoping to change her mother's mind by providing nutrition and future vet care for Little Cat. She herself lives in the dark shadow of poverty and gangs, but she finds a place in her heart for the tough little kitten.

In a parallel struggle, readers follow the life of Candlewax. He is a runaway foster kid who survives by sneaking into a nearby church to sleep and stealing candles that he later sells in the subway. Jorge, his buddy and protector, died and Candlewax is left to fend for himself. A gang leader named Big would like to use Candlewax's knowledge of the hidden tunnels to further his drug trade and battle a rival gang. Candlewax knows that becoming involved in the gang lifestyle will only lead to trouble or worse.

Bev Cooke presents a way of life most readers have only heard about through documentary programs dealing with the plight of the urban homeless. Life is rough and unforgiving at best. The two viewpoints presented here reveal the harsh truth of a world given little attention by most. ( )