Book Review - Harry Houdini (The First Names Series) by Kjartan Poskitt

 

Harry Houdini is probably the most well known magician in the world. Harry Houdini was actually born Ehrich Weisz and he was an Hungarian-born immigrant. He began performing stage tricks so, he can bring in extra cash for his family. He started off doing card tricks and gradually started doing escape acts. Harry became well-known for his death-defying escape acts. 

He was known to undergo daring feats, such as, being buried alive, being locked in a crate that was thrown into a river, and escaping from a milk can. Harry was able to captivate the audience's interest while entertaining them with magic. 

The children's book comes illustrated and goes into detail about Harry's life. The book provided in-depth facts and stories about Harry along with tidbits on how the tracks were performed. The back of the book included a glossary, timeline, and an index. One thing to note, unlike other biographies about Harry, this one doesn't include the story of his death. Overall, a good read for the kids and fans of Harry.

 

Book Review - Who Was Harry Houdini? by Tui Sutherland and John O'Brien

Photo Credit - Amazon

Harry Houdini is the world-famous escape artist. However, there is much to this great magician than his tricks. Did you know that Houdini didn't like being called a magician but, preferred being called an escape artist? He was also the first pilot to fly a plane in Australia.  Houdini was also a perfectionist when it came to his acts. When his brother, Theo made a mistake during one of the performances, Houdini found Bess, who later became his wife to help him perform his illusions. 

I found the biography to be well written and very interesting. I learned a lot more about Houdini. The book was very easy to read and understand. I also like how the author included diagrams showing how the tricks were done. While the book was well written, I didn't like the drawings. I felt the drawings looked rush and incomplete. 

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**