The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick

The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick

Summary: When victor was ten he loved magic and he especially loved Harry Houdini, who could escape from anything and anywhere. Victor tired to do all his tricks, and it drove his mother crazy because she was always finding him locked in things and trying to hold his break underwater in the tub. His mom tried to calm him died, but nothing worked. On their way to visit his Aunt Harriet, Victor spotted him. Harry Houdini was just feet away, so Victor went after him. Victor ask question on how to do all his tricks. Houdini was very nice about it, he even took Victor's name and address from his suitcase so that he can write him a letter to answer all his questions. Wen his letter finally arrived, all it said was to meet him at his house on a certain day, but Victor couldn’t way that long, so Victore went to Houdini’s house right then. When Houdini’s wife answered the door and Victor showed her the letter she began to cry, but told him to wait. When she came back, Houdini was not with her, she only  had a box for him. Then Victor heard her say that Houdini was dead. Later that day, when Victor tired to open the box, he saw the initials E.W. and thought that this was not Houdini’s box after all. So he buried the box away and decided that he was no longer going to do magic or think about Houdini again. And then, Victor grew up. He had a wife ana son named Harry. One day Victor and his son were playing with a baseball when Harry it the baseball so hard it flew somewhere in o the graveyard they were in. When he found the ball, it was right in front Harry Houdini’s grave. On his tombstone he saw Houdini’s real name. It was the initials E.W. It really was Houdini’ box! Victor and his son raced home, and without telling his wife or his son, he found the old box and opened it. That night, he escaped from a locked box in under 20 seconds.  

Review: This is fun book I think most 3rd through 8th graders. Magic is always such an interesting topic. And it’s important that students find things in history and in books that they like to read about. I would use this in a history lesson about how sometimes famous people don’t use their real names. I would definitely put this in my classroom.