Candice Ransom (Children's Literature)
Twelve-year-old Zandra Hobson feels shut out in a family of overachievers. She refers to family members as "Helen, the mother, the famous lawyer," or "Darling Little Gussie," her little sister. Because she isn't pretty, bright, or talented, Zandra creates her own family of stuffed toys and rescued animals. When an injured bird leaves behind a white feather, Zandra thinks the feather is magic. Belinda, the outcast girl at school, tells her the feather is a Key. The Key opens a door into a strange, yet terrifying world. With her heightened senses, Zandra sees the invisible world that co-exists with ours. Warm, cuddly creatures remind her of the animals she saved. But more often hooded, ferocious forms attack her. Is the Key good or evil? With Belinda's guidance, Zandra plunges deeper into the unseen to learn the truth, that the attacks are created out of her own anger and bitterness. When Zandra gets into serious trouble, she herself is rescued--by her family. Middle children who sometimes feel invisible themselves will relate to Zandra in this dark fantasy. The narrative packs plenty of action, but is often slowed long blocks of interior monologue. A good choice for motivated readers. 2004, Delacorte, $15.95. Ages 9 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 6))
At 12, Xandra (short for Alexandra) is prickly and at odds with her distracted, emotionally distant parents and her accomplished siblings. She takes solace in imagining enchanted worlds and in privately caring for orphaned animals (a skunk, an owl, and other wild creatures) in a corner of her basement. The gift of a white feather from a mysterious bird she saves from hunters becomes for Xandra a strangely compelling key to a surrounding, separate reality. She immediately senses the feather's intrinsic power and seeks out her classmate, Beatrice, to tell her more. Wielding the key with its possibilities of insight and great danger brings Xandra into contact with terrifying shadowy creatures that threaten and bite, reflections of her own ambiguous feelings, and Xandra seeks both comfort and salvation by reconnecting with her siblings. Snyder tidily braids up the ends (friendship, family, loneliness, the occult) even as her examination of resonance between inner and outer life evokes a clear sense of menace in Xandra's experiences with the unseen. 2004, Delacorte, 208p, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 14. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Patricia Beddoe (Library Media Connection, April/May 2004)
Xandra, short for Alexandra, is a 12-year-old girl who loves fantasy. When she rescues a white bird shot by hunters, she is convinced that the single white feather left behind has some special meaning. Her interest is piqued when a strange new girl at school, Belinda, calls the feather a key. When Xandra uses the key, she becomes aware of creatures, some nice, others not so nice, that begin to bite and scratch her. This book's plot never seems to fully arrive. Still, young readers may find themselves attracted to the ominous cover and title. Additional Selection. 2004, Delacorte Press (Random House), 208pp., $17.99 lb. Ages 9 to 14.

Felipe Baez (The ALAN Review, Spring/Summer 2004 (Vol. 31, No. 3))
One day while wondering through the forest--which she is forbidden from--Alexandra "Xandra" Hobson hears gunfire, soon noticing a beautiful white bird has been shot. Before the hunters can grab it, Xandra takes the bird and runs through the forest. Though she has no idea what kind of bird it may be, Xandra takes it to her home to nurse it to health, as she has secretly done so before in the basement with other animals. The next day, however, she finds the bird is missing leaving a feather, which later becomes a "key" to the "unseen" world. To learn more about this "key," Xandra must talk to the "weird" girl, Belinda, whose grandfather has knowledge of such supernatural things. Xandra becomes hesitant in talking to Belinda, but the two become friends and learn much about each other, and Xandra experiences the "unseen" world, as well. Though Snyder writes few scenes in which Xandra experiences the "unseen," the story follows Xandra's experience in becoming humbler, closer to her siblings, and experiencing a life she isn't used to-- Belinda's life and the "unseen." Category: Fantasy. YA--Young Adult. 2004, Delacorte Press, 199 pp., $15.95. Ages young adult.Tempe, AZ

Krista Hutley (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 8))
Twelve-year-old Xandra Hobson has a secret place in her basement where she takes abandoned infant or wounded animals to nurse. After she rescues an unusually beautiful white bird, it disappears from the basement during the night, leaving behind one feather. Xandra is used to pretending that the world is a magical place, but she's sure that this time she isn't pretending, and that the feather is enchanted, a gift from the bird for saving its life. With the help of Belinda, a school outcast who seems to know more than she's telling, Xandra learns that the feather is a Key, and she learns to use it to open her eyes to the creatures of the Unseen. At first, the Unseen resemble the animal friends that she cared for, but soon, dark and dangerous creatures began to appear. Then Belinda warns Xandra that the Key isn't safe for her to use anymore. What does Belinda know that she isn't telling? Readers will most likely guess before they are told that the problem with the Unseen is actually a problem within Xandra, as Xandra is revealed to be self-centered, jealous, and angry. The mystery of the Key is drawn out too long, and it is never fully solved; the undeveloped concept of the Unseen is disappointing in its vagueness, and it's used more as a vehicle to facilitate Xandra's transformation from nasty to nice rather than a magical element in its own right. However, this transformation is carefully handled, as Snyder manages to make Xandra recognizable (and likable) as a nice girl whose anger at the rest of her family is out of control, and Xandra's positive development as she is unwittingly drawn back into her loving (though busy) family is believable. Both fantasy readers and kids who dream of escaping from their family into another world will enjoy Xandra's story. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Delacorte, 208p, $17.99 and $15.95. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2004)
A feather from a mysterious white bird provides Xandra with a key that reveals the world of the Unseen. Because the Unseen reflects one’s emotional state, the prickly protagonist is bombarded with negative images of birds and animals on the attack. The oblique fantasy element is intriguing and Xandra--a family outcast who learns reach out to her siblings--is a strong character. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2004, Delacorte, 200pp, $15.95, $17.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Sarah Dunham (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 17, No. 3))
THE UNSEEN is about a twelve-year-old girl struggling with feelings of rejection from her family and her search for the answers to mysterious things happening around her. Alexandra, or Xandra as she likes to be called, loves to help abandoned or injured animals. Her adventures really begin when she rescues an injured bird that suddenly disappears, leaving behind a magical feather. The feather is a key to unlock a world that is all around her but is invisible without the key. Xandra befriends an odd girl named Belinda who helps her use the key. Troubles come when the key doesn’t work the way that they had expected and turns out to be dangerous for Xandra. This is an interesting book that even with all the supernatural influences is really about how Xandra relates to those around her. She always expects the worst in people, and in doing this, she sets herself up for disappointment. When she starts to treat those around her with the same respect she feels she deserves, everything around her begins to change. This is a good book for girls or boys who feel like everyone is out to get them and that don’t feel appreciated by their families. It will help them to see that it is not those around them that need to change but that they need to change themselves. Fiction. Grades 5-7. 2004, Delacorte, 199p., $15.95. Ages 10 to 13.