Houdini and Me

Product Description

Harry has always admired the famous escape artist Houdini. And when Houdini asks for help in coming back to life, it seems like an amazing chance…or could it be Houdini’s greatest trick of all?

Eleven-year-old Harry Mancini is NOT Harry Houdini–the famous escape artist who died in 1926. But Harry DOES live in Houdini’s old New York City home, and he definitely knows everything there is to know about Houdini’s life. What is he supposed to do, then, when someone starts texting him claiming that they’re Houdini, communicating from beyond the grave? Respond, of course.

It’s hard for Harry to believe that Houdini is really contacting him, but this Houdini texts the secrets to all of the escape tricks the dead Houdini used to do. What’s more, Houdini’s offering Harry a chance to go back in time and experience it for himself. Should Harry ignore what must be a hoax? Or should he give it a try and take Houdini up on this death-defying offer?

Dan Gutman is the award-winning author of series including
My Weird School,
The Genius Files, and the baseball card series, including
Honus & Me. He uses his writing powers for good once again in this exciting new middle grade novel.
 

Named a New York State Great Read by the Empire State Center for the Book!

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-7-Harry Mancini, an 11-year-old living in the New York City apartment once inhabited by Harry Houdini, and his friend venture to the railroad tracks one night to see if they can flatten a quarter on the rails. When Harry gets to close to the tracks, he’s knocked into a coma and wakes up to find himself the owner of a flip phone that can receive texts from the great Houdini. As Harry and Houdini text, Harry learns about how the magician pulled off his most famous tricks and a little about the nature of fame, fear, and hope. When Houdini suggests the two switch places, Harry must figure out exactly what has caused this contact from beyond the grave. With quick writing and dialogue and fun facts about Houdini, this is an enjoyable read, especially for those interested in Houdini’s life or magic. VERDICT While it may not have the wider appeal of some of Gutman’s other titles, this is a charming story that can serve as a jumping-off point for further research into the life of the famed escape artist.-Katie McBride Moench, New Glarus Middle and H.S. Lib., WIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“magic is at the heart of Dan Gutman’s new middle grade novel,
Houdini and Me. . . . Gutman writes with a strong sense of place, and includes pictures of Morningside Heights along with the Houdini photos, so even non-New Yorkers will come away with a feel for the neighborhood and its charms”—
The New York Times

“[H]umor and tension make this an appealing page-turner. . . . Funny, scary in the right moments, and offering plenty of historical facts.”
—Kirkus Reviews   

“With quick writing and dialogue and fun facts about Houdini, this is an enjoyable read, especially for those interested in Houdini’s life or magic.” 
—School Library Journal 
 
“Gutman (the My Weird School series) touches on profound topics through Harry’s chatty narration, such as the boy’s yearning for his late father. Interspersed with New York City facts and photographs of Houdini, this entertaining story ends, appropriately, with a touch of magic.”
—Publishers Weekly

“an amusing adventure that may well entice readers to further Houdini investigation.”
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

 
“[The] first-person narration includes facts about Houdini’s life and famous feats, illustrated with intriguing vintage photos. This chapter book delivers a fast-paced, amusing tale, followed by an informative and very readable author’s note.”
—Booklist

About the Author

Dan Gutman grew up in New Jersey loving sports, which inspired him as an adult to write his baseball ca