Harry Houdini for Kids

February 2, 2009
This comprehensive biography–plus–activity book on the famed magician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries illuminates nearly as much about the era as about Harry Houdini. Supplying sidebars on such topics as vaudeville, Ouija boards and the Wright Brothers, Carlson (More than Moccasins
) puts Houdini's career squarely in context. Her writing is detailed but conversational as she offers engrossing facts and tidbits: Houdini also worked as a spy, movie actor and stuntman, and ground-breaking aviator; his wife and performing partner once saved Buster Keaton from a fire. Readers will come away viewing Houdini as much a product of his time as of his own wits and making. The narrative seems dauntingly long, but is interspersed with explanations and diagrams of magic tricks, b&w photos and ephemera, and imaginatively chosen, decorative line art. The magic tricks are clearly explained and easy to do: make a Magic Box (it has a trick bottom) out of milk cartons, secretly pass messages to a partner, etc.; some activities reinforce the science behind many of Houdini's tricks. Ages 9–up.

January 1, 2009
Harry Houdini may be the most famous magician ever. He began his career working as a sideshow act in carnivals but, by virtue of talent, study and very hard work, elevated his craft to an art, making his name a household word. A few of his more clever illusions have never been fully explained; when he died at age 52 in 1927, he took many of his secrets to the grave. This biography includes a wealth of detailed information on both Houdini and a wide variety of only marginally related subjects. Page-long text boxes include biographies of the Wright brothers, Jack London and Theodore Roosevelt, and a description of the rambling Winchester Mansion. Although period photographs and advertisements add interest, the narrative is, unfortunately, often repetitive, sometimes almost word for word. The cover promises "21 Magic Tricks and Illusions, " but some of those are how to build a box kite, a recipe and an explanation of how to measure volume displacement of solids in water. An editor 's magic would have benefited this average effort. (further reading, source list, index) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 1, 2009
Gr 4-8-Carlson does an admirable job of capturing the character of the man who enthralled the world with his magical illusions and mystifying escapes. She carefully traces Houdini's roots and his laborious path to international fame, emphasizing the personal integrity that guided his decisions. Many people, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, longed to believe that Houdini possessed supernatural powers, but he was determined to resist this notion and elevate magic to an art form. The author discusses the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death as well as current efforts to exhume the body to determine if foul play was involved. Throughout the book, Carlson has inserted 21 of Houdini's magic tricks and illusions for children to practice as well as text boxes that explore important people or events of the time. The volume is liberally laced with photographs, illustrations, and posters advertising Houdini's act. This is a well-written book on a fascinating topic. Libraries, especially those in which Sid Fleischman's "Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini" (HarperCollins, 2006) is popular, will want to consider it for purchase."Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2009
Grades 4-8 Reluctant readers (as well as budding troublemakers) will flock to this biography/handbook hybridabout one of the most famous magicians who ever lived. Even for those familiar with Houdinis fascinating story, Carlsons snappy writing gives it new life. Raised in poverty, the immigrant born Ehrich Weisz began as an $18-a-week circus act but in20 years would pull in $1,800 a week as the worlds premiere death-defying escape artist. According to Carlson, Houdiniaka Cardo the King of Cards or the King of Handcuffstook advantage of the publics distrust of authority figures by mastering everything from straitjackets to underwater manacles, along the way acting as a movie-stunt pioneer, ghost buster, and U.S. spy.Nearly every page is enlivenedwith period photographs, boxed sections containing biographies and definitions, and, most important, 21 magic tricks that will have readers breaking out their deck of cards and practicing their sleight of hand. The text is light on criticism, but most readers wont carethis is one book that will magically vanish from shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)