#60; b #62;A New York Times Bestselling Author #60; /b #62; #60; P #62;When twelve-year-old Xandra Hobson rescues a beautiful wounded bird from hunters, she is convinced that the single glowing white feather it leaves behind must be magical. At school, a weird, unpopular girl seems to know something about the feather. She calls it a key. But a key to what? When Xandra tries to use the key, she becomes aware of an unseen world within our ordinary one . . . Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Twelve-year-old Xandra, the next-to-youngest member of the large Hobson family, feels ill at ease and resentful among her prodigally talented "siblings," the term she prefers ("There was something warm and cozy sounding about 'brothers and sisters' that had very little to do with the way Xandra felt about [them]"). Lacking their gifts, she knows that she is nonetheless in some way special, even "enchanted." So when she rescues a majestic wounded bird from hunters and sneaks it to her secret basement animal refuge, she is not altogether surprised when the bird heals overnight and mysteriously disappears, leaving her a feather. Xandra knows instinctively that the feather must be magical. The weird girl at school, Belinda, tells her it might be a "key," whereupon Xandra's challenge becomes getting Belinda to show her how to use it. Snyder's (The Egypt Game) characterization of Xandra ranks among her most penetrating and psychologically true, and the author performs a rare feat in getting readers to identify straightaway with a not especially admirable protagonist. However, the realistic underpinnings impede the fantasy elements. When Belinda does teach Xandra to use the key, the result is nightmarish but very briefłand yet gives rise to dozens of pages of Xandra's review, speculation and almost repetitious efforts to learn more. These rhythms may be lifelike, but they distend the pacing. This story is better suited to readers whose taste runs to the ruminative, rather than those seeking a fantasy adventure. Ages 9-12. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 5-8-Xandra Hobson likes to escape from her family, where she feels like a complete failure in the company of geniuses, and to embark on imaginary adventures involving magic. One day, while in the woods, she encounters real magic when she rescues a bird from some hunters; the next day, it is gone, leaving a feather in its place. A classmate, Belinda, sees it and realizes that it is a key to the unseen world and that with it, Xandra can enter a reality no one else can see. The girls become friends as Belinda and her grandfather attempt to explain the mystical world of the unseen to her. Xandra is terrified by the horrible creatures that surround her and the physical wounds that they inflict on her, unaware that they are of her own making and fed by her anger and hostility. When she breaks her ankle and is stranded in the woods, her family comes to her rescue and she realizes that her siblings aren't perfect and that she is loved. This book is a wonderful ride into fantasy, with a lot of realistic touches to think about and relationships to ponder. Readers will see, even though Xandra does not, that her perceptions about her family are all wrong. They'll also see that being so wrapped up in yourself can cause you to miss what's right in front of you. This perceptive story is not to be missed.-Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 5-8. Twelve-year-old Xandra Hobson feels like a changeling, growing up alienated in a large family of self-absorbed overachievers. Her parents are rarely home, her siblings seem intolerable, and her position in the seventh-grade pecking order makes her reluctant to be seen with the one girl who interests her, Belinda. In the opening chapter, Xandra saves the life of an injured egret, which leaves her a feather that she believes to be magical. When Xandra learns that the magic is real and that Belinda and her father understand its power, she befriends them but later unthinkingly betrays them. Snyder masterfully portrays Belinda's sensations and emotions in the alternate world she enters with the feather's aid, and she shows how the experience subtly changes the girl's later actions. The novel is too realistically written to let the betrayal of Belinda go without consequences, but neither does the author leave readers without hope. Though less convincing than the magical episodes, the family scenes at the end bring this well-grounded fantasy to a satisfying conclusion. CarolynPhelan. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.