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Reviews
Harry Houdini: The Legend of the World's Greatest Escape Artist by Janice Weaver, Chris Lane
thewenzl's review against another edition
4.0
Audience: 3rd-5th graders who like biographies, magic, life in the early 1900s, or stories about underdogs
Appeal: It has gorgeous real-life pictures and copies of actual posters for Houdini's act. It gives an extremely interesting overview of Houdini’s personal and professional life with vivid imagery and beautiful illustrations. It also has great side notes throughout the book about life in the late 1800s and early 1900s, child labor, and the secrets behind Houdini's tricks.
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Recommended Book 2012
Appeal: It has gorgeous real-life pictures and copies of actual posters for Houdini's act. It gives an extremely interesting overview of Houdini’s personal and professional life with vivid imagery and beautiful illustrations. It also has great side notes throughout the book about life in the late 1800s and early 1900s, child labor, and the secrets behind Houdini's tricks.
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Recommended Book 2012
jaojins's review against another edition
3.0
Audience: 3rd-6th, fans of magic
Appeal: Pictures and drawings of Houdini's life and stunts, good middle biography for those ready for something more difficult but not ready for long chapter biographies.
California Eureka! SIlver Honor Book
Appeal: Pictures and drawings of Houdini's life and stunts, good middle biography for those ready for something more difficult but not ready for long chapter biographies.
California Eureka! SIlver Honor Book
saidtheraina's review against another edition
5.0
LOVE the primary sources and high-appeal layout here. Houdini is a fascinating figure. I took this out to local elementary schools in May/June 2016, and found out that many of them had heard of him from school staff. How does someone become a famous escape artist? Did you know that Houdini had a brother who was also a famous magician at the time?
Great stuff.
Great stuff.
nerfherder86's review
5.0
fabulous biography of Houdini, great research, well-designed, focuses equally on his childhood and adulthood, nice mix of photos and reproductions of contemporary handbills as well as original full-page paintings. Winner of the 2012 Norman A. Sugarman Children's Biography Award Honor.
tami_provencher's review
4.0
This is an EXCELLENT biography of Harry Houdini! It details his early life emigrating from Hungary to the United States, his childhood in Appleton, WI and his subsequent decision to enter the world of show business as a magician, entertainer and escape artist.
The text is clear and concise, easily accessible to children and adults alike. His transformation from penniless immigrant to amazing showman and extraordinary escape artist is vivid and engrossing.
Learning about the way in which he developed his act from its defining moment after a show in my home state of Minnesota to his World Tours and back to acclaim in the U.S. is exciting and fun.
There are numerous publicity photos of Houdini in various stages of his act. I was previously unaware of the lawsuit overseas where he was accused of bribing a policeman to help him fake one of his escapes. I found the story of his unquestionable triumph in that libel suit to be exceedingly interesting.
I also liked the attention given to his work toward the end of his career as a partner with Scientific American to debunk the con artistry of those posing as mediums who preyed on grieving individuals by stating they could communicate with the dead. Harry would attend seances in disguise and expose the charlatans mid-performance. I was surprised to learn that Houdini had also posed as a medium with his wife early in his career but stopped because
Janice Weaver has also successfully included sidebars on child labor and the Dime Museums of the early 1900s along with the secrets to some of Houdini's amazing tricks and a fascinating aside detailing Houdini's place in aviation history when he recorded the first airplane flight in Australia (1910) with himself as the pilot.
If you are a fan of Houdini or would just like to learn more about him this is a great first resource for both adults and children!
The text is clear and concise, easily accessible to children and adults alike. His transformation from penniless immigrant to amazing showman and extraordinary escape artist is vivid and engrossing.
Learning about the way in which he developed his act from its defining moment after a show in my home state of Minnesota to his World Tours and back to acclaim in the U.S. is exciting and fun.
There are numerous publicity photos of Houdini in various stages of his act. I was previously unaware of the lawsuit overseas where he was accused of bribing a policeman to help him fake one of his escapes. I found the story of his unquestionable triumph in that libel suit to be exceedingly interesting.
I also liked the attention given to his work toward the end of his career as a partner with Scientific American to debunk the con artistry of those posing as mediums who preyed on grieving individuals by stating they could communicate with the dead. Harry would attend seances in disguise and expose the charlatans mid-performance. I was surprised to learn that Houdini had also posed as a medium with his wife early in his career but stopped because
I was chagrined that I should ever have been guilty of such frivolity, and for the first time realized that it bordered on crime.
Janice Weaver has also successfully included sidebars on child labor and the Dime Museums of the early 1900s along with the secrets to some of Houdini's amazing tricks and a fascinating aside detailing Houdini's place in aviation history when he recorded the first airplane flight in Australia (1910) with himself as the pilot.
If you are a fan of Houdini or would just like to learn more about him this is a great first resource for both adults and children!
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