Houdini and Me

January 11, 2021
Having been born in the New York City house in which Harry Houdini lived the last years of his life, 11-year-old Harry Mancini has become obsessed with the famous magician, learning the illusionist’s history and picking up magic tricks of his own. When Harry is injured trying to flatten a coin on the train tracks near his home, he wakes up from a coma and finds a gift box with an old flip phone inside, and soon he is getting texts from none other than Houdini himself. The texts are exciting until Houdini seeks to re-create his most famous trick and switch lives with Harry for one hour, sending Harry to Kansas City in 1921, where he’s expected to escape from a straitjacket. Things become truly hair-raising when Houdini suggests taking over Harry’s body again, this time for good—and with or without Harry’s permission. Gutman (the My Weird School series) touches on profound topics through Harry’s chatty narration, such as the boy’s yearning for his late father. Interspersed with New York City facts and photographs of Houdini, this entertaining story ends, appropriately, with a touch of magic. Ages 8–12. Agent: Liza Voges, Eden Street Literary.

January 1, 2021
Grades 3-6 Not only does Harry Mancini know an incredible amount about Harry Houdini, he actually lives in the magician's former home in New York City. After a poorly executed prank lands Harry in the hospital with a concussion, he finds a weird, flip-top phone that allows him to exchange text messages with Houdini. Initially suspicious, he's soon convinced that it really is happening. The two magically trade places in a time-travel swap, with the magician discovering the twenty-first century as an 11-year-old and Harry performing a hair-raising straitjacket escape as Houdini in 1921. But when Houdini insists on trading places permanently, Harry rebels and tries to figure out how to outsmart the brilliant but terrifying illusionist. Harry's first-person narration includes facts about Houdini's life and famous feats, illustrated with intriguing vintage photos. This chapter book delivers a fast-paced, amusing tale, followed by an informative and very readable author's note. It's hard to say whether Houdini's or Gutman's name will draw more readers, but with both on the cover, along with eye-catching jacket art, consider multiple copies.

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February 1, 2021

Gr 3-7-Harry Mancini, an 11-year-old living in the New York City apartment once inhabited by Harry Houdini, and his friend venture to the railroad tracks one night to see if they can flatten a quarter on the rails. When Harry gets to close to the tracks, he's knocked into a coma and wakes up to find himself the owner of a flip phone that can receive texts from the great Houdini. As Harry and Houdini text, Harry learns about how the magician pulled off his most famous tricks and a little about the nature of fame, fear, and hope. When Houdini suggests the two switch places, Harry must figure out exactly what has caused this contact from beyond the grave. With quick writing and dialogue and fun facts about Houdini, this is an enjoyable read, especially for those interested in Houdini's life or magic. VERDICT While it may not have the wider appeal of some of Gutman's other titles, this is a charming story that can serve as a jumping-off point for further research into the life of the famed escape artist.-Katie McBride Moench, New Glarus Middle and H.S. Lib., WI

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2021
Catfished...by a ghost! Harry Mancini, an 11-year-old White boy, was born and lives in Harry Houdini's house in New York City. It's no surprise, then, that he's obsessed with Houdini and his escapology. Harry and his best friend, Zeke, are goofing around in some particularly stupid ways ("Because we're idiots," Zeke explains later) when Harry hits his head. In the aftermath of a weeklong coma, Harry finds a mysterious gift: an ancient flip phone that has no normal phone service but receives all-caps text messages from someone who identifies himself as "HOUDINI." Harry is wary of this unseen stranger, like any intelligently skeptical 21st-century kid, but he's eventually convinced: His phone friend is the real deal. So when Houdini asks Harry to try one of his greatest tricks, Harry agrees. Harry--so full of facts about Houdini that he litters his storytelling with infodumps, making him an enthusiastic tour guide to Houdini's life--is easily tricked by his supportive-seeming hero. Harry, Zeke, and Houdini are all just the right amount of snarky, and while Harry's terrifying adventure has an occasionally inconsistent voice, the humor and tension make this an appealing page-turner. Archival photographs of Harry Houdini make the ghostly visitation feel closer. Zeke is Black, and Harry Houdini, as he was in life, is a White Jewish immigrant. Funny, scary in the right moments, and offering plenty of historical facts. (historical note, bibliography) (Supernatural adventure. 9-11)

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