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THE UNSEEN Zilpha Keatley Snyder Hardcover | Delacorte Books for Young Readers | April 2004 | $15.95 | 0-385-73084-5 | Ages 9-12 Hardcover Library Binding | Delacorte Books for Young Readers | April 2004 | $17.99 | 0-385-90106-2 | Ages 9-12

Other people might think Xandra Hobson leads a charmed life—with talented, siblings, almost-perfect parents, and an enormous mansion in an expensive neighborhood. Xandra, however, hates her life. Feeling like she is constantly overlooked, she comforts herself by pretending the woods behind her house are enchanted and spends all of her free time there. One day, she rescues a bird that has been shot and brings it home to help it heal. When the bird leaves without her knowing, she notices it has left behind one white feather. With the help of a classmate, Belinda, Xandra finds out that this feather is actually a key that lets her into the world of The Unseen—a world where the things around us that we don't know about become visible. Thinking this alternative world will be full of pleasant images and sounds, Xandra is shocked when she is attacked by blob-like monsters who grab and scratch at her until she bleeds. When Belinda tells her the reason why she sees these undesirable creatures is because they reflect the meanness in herself, Xandra doesn't believe her. Belinda warns her not to use the key again, because there is a chance she won't be able to escape The Unseen. Ignoring her warning, Xandra decides to go one last time, but will it really be her last time for everything?

COPYRIGHT

Prepared by Brenda Day, Library Media Specialist, Crowley Middle School, Crowley, TX

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