Synopses & Reviews
Who was this man who could walk through brick walls and, with a snap of his fingers, vanish elephants? In these pages you will meet the astonishing Houdini magician, ghost chaser, daredevil, pioneer aviator, and king of escape artists. No jail cell or straitjacket could hold him! He shucked off handcuffs as easily as gloves.
In this fresh, witty biography of the most famous bamboozler since Merlin, Sid Fleischman, a former professional magician, enriches his warm homage with insider information and unmaskings. Did Houdini really pick the jailhouse lock to let a fellow circus performer escape? Were his secrets really buried with him? Was he a bum magician, as some rivals claimed? How did he manage to be born in two cities, in two countries, on two continents at the same instant?
Here are the stories of how a knockabout kid named Ehrich Weiss, the son of an impoverished rabbi, presto-changoed himself into the legendary Harry Houdini. Here, too, are rare photographs never before seen by the general reader!
Review
"Fleischman's tone is lively and he develops a relationship with readers by revealing just enough truth behind Houdini's razzle-dazzle to keep the legend alive." School Library Journal
Review
"[T]errifically engaging, delivered in a taut sideshow patter packed with delicious vocabulary." Booklist
Synopsis
In this passionate biography, the Newbery Medal-winning author of The Whipping Boy turns his eye to the greatest magician of them all: Harry Houdini. Includes an index, Author's Note, and bibliography. Photos.
About the Author
"I'm too lazy to retire," says Sid Fleischman, author of more than sixty books for children, adults, and magicians. His tales have been translated into nineteen languages. Among his many awards is the Newbery Medal for his novel
The Whipping Boy.
Sid Fleischman hesitated to write a story about the Holocaust until he found the right characters and plot. "The Jewish sense of humor miraculously survived the Holocaust," says Mr. Fleischman. "The Entertainer and the Dybbuk captures not only the inhumane tragedies but the human comedy of the recent past."
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in San Diego, California, Sid Fleischman is the author of the pirate epics The Ghost in the Noonday Sun, The 13th Floor, and The Giant Rat of Sumatra. His most recent books are The White Elephant, a novel, and a biography, Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini.
Sid Fleischman lives in Santa Monica, California.