The Great Houdini: World Famous Magician & Escape Artist

By Monica Kulling

Book Overview

Harry Houdini was a great escape artist, but perhaps his greatest trick was becoming the famous magician that we have come to know. As a child, Houdini worked hard--and even quit school--to help support his family. But his dream always was to become a great magician and performer. He practiced day and night, thinking up new tricks and more and more dangerous stunts. His intense ambition paid off, and soon Harry Houdini became known worldwide This kid-appealing Step 3 traces Houdini's life from his poor beginnings to his eventual success as the most famous mystical magician and escape artist of all time.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679885730
• ISBN13: 9780679885733
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 7 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 4

Customer Reviews

Best book ever

I think Harry Houdini is one of the best books I have ever read. I think it is good because it's about a true story and they write it in a very good way.

An interesting biography of this fascinating man....

While reading this book aloud to a six-year-old, who had picked it out, I learned a lot about this man, Houdini, who has become a legend. In a classic biography format, this book takes us through Houdini's childhood as a son of poor immigrants who admires acrobats in the cirus and makes up his own act. As a young man, he gets work as a locksmith and learns how to pick any lock... a talent that would come in very handy! Throughout his adulthood, Houdini worked incredibly hard to make a name for himself; sadly, his hard-earned fame indirectly led to his untimely death. Houdini's story is one of perseverence rather than glamour and stardom. The book has a serious tone for a childrens' book; even the illustrations are somber, but it is interesting and well worth a read.