Customer Reviews

The Houdini Box

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I opened my desk drawer at 7:30 one summer morning to find an annonomously placed copy of "The Houdini Box," I'd no idea that I was connecting with my muse. I sat in the serene silence before the stirring of a workday and read through this children's book about the loss and regaining of a dream. As a children's book, it's delightfully written and beautifully illustrated. I know several children who've enjoyed the tale. For adults, Brian Selznick's book is a parable about the obstacles that turn us from our passions and the serendipitous moments that call us back on track.

My son is 9 and dislikes reading but he read this book in about a half hour and liked it! The Houdini Box has many pages with great pictures and also many pages with a few short paragraphs. A child who dislikes reading becomes overwhelmed when faced with page after page of WORDS and this was not like that. It kept him turning the pages! Also the story was interesting and to the point- no unnecessary babbling on and on to discourage a child with a short attention span. I thank the author for seeming to understand how to grab the attention of the tough to grab!

Victor's hero is Harry Houdini. He tries, in his own little ways, to emulate him, but without success. His exasperated mother and aunt quickly grow tired of watching him bump into walls and locking himself into trunks and holding his breath. But one day, he sees his hero in a train station, and everything changes for him.

This sweet story simply tells us how important hero figures are to a child, and how urgent are those feelings to emulate him or her. It reminds the reader how important our dreams are and of the importance of never giving up hope. Nicely written and illustrated.

I purchased this book for my classroom library (I teach middle school Reading/Language Arts) because many students have read and enjoyed "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." All of us who have read this book have liked it very much. It's especially good for students who might read at a slightly lower than grade-level, but are aided by the excellent pictures.

Brian Selznick, of The Invention of Hugo Cabret fame, illustrates this earlier book with similar black-and-white pencil sketches. In this historical fiction book for middle graders, a boy who wants to become a magician has a chance encounter with the famous Harry Houdini. At the back of the book, the author has added a magic trick, additional biographical information about Houdini, and more.

Written with a simple reading level and an abundance of illustrations; the interest level is probably about 3rd-4th grade.

Fans of Harry Potter as well as fans of prestidigitation will definitely enjoy this short book. Of course, it's (kind of) about Houdini -- particularly a young boy's fascination with the magician and his feats; and there's a wonderful twist at the end. The illustrations are also terrific, soft but detailed, with lots of things to look at. A fine "read to me" book that everyone will enjoy again and again.

I came to this book quite by accident - I loved Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret and am presently reading Wonderstruck by the same author. As I was surfing this site, I saw this title pop-up and it captured my attention for two reasons - one, that it featured Houdini, and second, because my daughter had enjoyed Hugo (we read the book and watched the movie), and I thought we might enjoy this too.

A cold winter's night afforded us the perfect opportunity to snuggle and read this. The story weaves in fact and fiction. Ten-year-old Victor is inspired by his idol, Harry Houdini and tries in vain to walk through walls, escape from a locked trunk, and perform magic tricks - all of which do not quite turn out right. Then a chance encounter with the great magician leads to Victor receiving a mysterious letter stating, "A thousand secrets await you. Come to my house..."

This leads Victor on an adventure of sorts - he comes into possession of a box with the initials E.W., gets all upset that it is not Houdini's box, and vows never to think of Houdini ever again. It is only years later, as a grown man with a child of his own, that young Victor makes a startling discovery!

The book is heavily-illustrated with Selznick's wonderful crosshatched pencil drawings, which add to the magical element of this story. There's also a brief biography of Harry Houdini, the author's explanations of his research into the Houdini Box, some early sketches, and even magic tricks that can be easily performed! There's also suggestions for further reading on Houdini. This is a book to inspire and delight!

I went through a phase as a child where I was really interested in Harry Houdini and magic. I read this book several times, and it really sparked my imagination. I remember being totally drawn into the story and being left with a deep feeling of wonder.

I found this book since it appears in our fourth grade reading series. Most of my fourth graders love this story. They especially love to discuss Houdini and Magic. This is a wonderful piece of Historical Fiction for young readers.

I was read this book when I was in 2nd grade. I absolutely loved it and checked it out from the library repeatedly. Now that I'm about to become a mom, I wanted my little boy to have it. But, I couldn't remember the name, just that it was about Houdini and a little boy. After about 4 months of searching, I finally found what seemed like it was the right book on amazon. I wasn't positive, but I bought it anyway. When I got it, I was so happy. It's the exact book, and is still as entertaining today as it was when I was 8.