Carlson, Laurie: Harry Houdini for Kids
His Life and Adventures with 21 Magic Tricks and Illusions
©2009 Laurie Carlson, Chicago Review Press, Inc., IL
Softcover, perfect-bound, 135 pages
ISBN 978-1-55652-782-1

Carlson: Harry
              Houdini For Kids

Comments: Nicely laid out book about Harry Houdini. The tricks are beginner level and very simplistic.

Contents (items with a * are tricks)

vi Time Line
1 Introduction

4 Chapter 1 Humble Beginnings
4 Coming to America
6 Ehrich Goes to Work
8 *Step Through a Note Card
9 Child Labor: sidebar
10 *Odd Number Trick: center tear

12 Chapter 2 A Star is Born
12 Sports and Fitness
13 Harry Houdini is Born
14 *Linking Paper Rings: Mobius Rings
16 Dime Museums: sidebar
19 Electric Girls
23 *Lift a Person with One Hand: balance stunt
24 Children In Her Hands: sidebar about Lulu Hurst
25  *Four Against One: another physical stunt
26 Mysterious Harry and La Petite Bessie
27 *Balls or Coins Trick: a physics stunt
31 Creating Talent: sidebar

32 Chapter 3 Becoming the Handcuff King
32 A Circus Education
34 Phineas T. Barnum (1810-1891): sidebar
34 Excellent Escapes
35 *Dissolving Rings Trick: removing rings from a cord
37 *Magic Knot Trick: tie a knot in a rope without removing hands
38 Hint of Danger
39 Traveling Medicine Shows: sidebar
41 The Houdinis Get Psychic
43 *Mind Reading With Secret Code: simple mind reading
45 Fame Comes Knocking
48 Vaudeville: sidebar

50 Chapter 4 And the Crowd Goes Wild!
50 How Did He Do It?
52 *Magic Key Trick: magician determines the envelope with the key that opens the lock
53 Crossing the Ocean
55 Wintergarten Houdini Im Oktober
57 Magician's Assistants
58 Adventures in Russia
64 Student, Expert, Writer
65 Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin
68 Fruits of Labor
69 *Make a Magic Box: to produce a handkerchief

72 Chapter 5 Going to Extremes
73 Conquering America
76 Death-Defying Stunts
79 *Milk Can Escape - Measure Volume Displacement
80 Houdini Takes to the Air
85 *Build a Box Kite

92 Chapter 6 Aviator, Actor...Spy?
93 World War I
95 Back Onstage
95 *Magical Money Trick
96 One Big Act
100 The Great Train Robbery
101 The Grim Game
106 Federal Bureau of Investigation
107 *Write an Invisible Message
108 *Make a Secret Spy Safe
109 *Crack a Secret Code

110 Chapter 7 Ghostbuster
113 Harry Exposes Hoaxes and Makes Enemies
114 Davenport Brothers
117 *Make Some Slimy Ectoplasm
122 *Make a Talking Board
123 Thomas Edison
124 Dictaphone
125 *Create Ghostly Handprints
126 *Was it Murder?
127 Fatal Blows
129 *Farmer's Chop Suey
130 Questions Remain
132 Digging Up Houdini?

133 Resources
133 Further Reading
133 Web Sites to Explore
134 Sources

135 Index



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