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onceuponacarm's review against another edition
4.0
Sid Fleischman tries his hand at non-fiction, presenting a literary biography of "the great Houdini," a man whom Fleischman clearly respects as a fellow magician. He explores many facets of Houdini's life, including childhood, the stories Houdini invented about himself, his relationships with other magicians and mystics, his amazing feats, and his family life. Also included is a thorough timeline of Houdini's last days. I listened to the audio version, but according to the Amazon Sneak Peak, the printed book includes photographs chronicling Houdini's life and fame. It is highly readable, though Fleischman is frequently inconsistent in his organization of the information and includes many fabricated conversations (which he does, at least, present as being his own imaginings of what might have been said). All in all, this is informative and interesting.
kristenremenar's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting non-fiction from a writer whose fiction I like. The topic is interesting anyway, but Fleischman knows how to spin a biography into an adventurous story. Good especially for kids who have to read a biography and don't know what to choose.
rebelbelle13's review against another edition
4.0
My father always spoke of Houdini with reverence- as if he had known the man or witnessed one of his death-defying escapes. The man is a legend, to be sure. One can hardly breathe the word 'magician' without referencing the escape artist. I knew Harry Houdini's basic story- that the name that gave him such recognition wasn't his birth name, most of his stage tricks, and his death. There were several things I didn't realize going into this biography- one, that he was such a narcissistic, egotistical man, and two, that he seemed to have massive ADD- swapping his obsessions regularly. I suppose it makes sense that he was full of himself. He outdid any other magician of his era, time and time again. Any challenge, he accepted, and beat. I think I might be a little full of myself too. What surprised me was his shameless self-promotion- which, ironically, is what made him the legend his is today. People know his name because he was constantly putting himself out there- on posters, in movies, and in the newspapers. He made sure he was never far from the limelight; which is why he stays there even today, 90 years after his death.
The pictures in this book are plentiful and fascinating. It even encouraged me to look up some clips on youtube featuring some of his escapes.
I have one gripe here. I did not care for how the author presented the information. It seemed to me as if this method of delivery would have been fantastic if orated- like an old crotchety uncle telling a story about his younger days- than written down in a book. The author wavers. Jumps around. Puts in his own two cents. Goes off on tangents. I understand that he knew Bess Houdini personally, which is why he tells the story the way he does. If nothing else, this author has inspired me to read another book on Houdini- one that isn't so tainted with opinions and doesn't have that old-man-long-story flair.
The pictures in this book are plentiful and fascinating. It even encouraged me to look up some clips on youtube featuring some of his escapes.
I have one gripe here. I did not care for how the author presented the information. It seemed to me as if this method of delivery would have been fantastic if orated- like an old crotchety uncle telling a story about his younger days- than written down in a book. The author wavers. Jumps around. Puts in his own two cents. Goes off on tangents. I understand that he knew Bess Houdini personally, which is why he tells the story the way he does. If nothing else, this author has inspired me to read another book on Houdini- one that isn't so tainted with opinions and doesn't have that old-man-long-story flair.
dbrannan's review against another edition
3.0
Houdini's story is certainly an interesting one and Fleischman has done a great job with formatting this book and including some unique details. However, the vocabulary is quite high for my upper elementary and middle school students; in some chapters it seems as though Fleischman is stretching to make metaphors work and use flowery, unnecessary words as well as early 20th century colloquialisms in a book written for children. I'm disappointed that not many of my students will be able to read and understand this great story of Houdini.
sarahcoller's review against another edition
4.0
While this easy to follow biography did not esteem Houdini in my eyes in the least, the author, Sid Fleischman, is superb, bumping up the rating from three stars to four. I easily moved through this book in just a few hours today, despite many distractions and interruptions. The only thing that bugged me about the author was his repeated use of the word, fakir. Is he misspelling "faker"? Is he repeatedly comparing the Jewish American Houdini or his rivals to Muslim or Hindu beggars? It's a weird choice of a word---especially when used over and over.
I think it's good to read biographies of legendary people because it helps us see them in an ordinary light. Houdini sure had his share of undesirable character traits. If Fleischman's research is to be believed, he was a very dishonest person---to the point of embellishing even his own journal to boost his ego! Makes me curious about his relationship with his wife---was she on to him and just loyal or was she ignorant and often mercilessly duped by him?
I resisted the urge to look up most of his tricks as I may someday find myself at a similar show and don't want to be let down knowing all the secrets. However, I just had to look up the disappearing elephant trick and found it to be simple but genius! Other than Houdini's general lack of integrity, I was also seriously disgusted by the story of the sea monster trick. It was hideous physically as well as ethically. Houdini really sounds like a creep.
I think it's good to read biographies of legendary people because it helps us see them in an ordinary light. Houdini sure had his share of undesirable character traits. If Fleischman's research is to be believed, he was a very dishonest person---to the point of embellishing even his own journal to boost his ego! Makes me curious about his relationship with his wife---was she on to him and just loyal or was she ignorant and often mercilessly duped by him?
I resisted the urge to look up most of his tricks as I may someday find myself at a similar show and don't want to be let down knowing all the secrets. However, I just had to look up the disappearing elephant trick and found it to be simple but genius! Other than Houdini's general lack of integrity, I was also seriously disgusted by the story of the sea monster trick. It was hideous physically as well as ethically. Houdini really sounds like a creep.
amyreadsbooks917's review against another edition
3.0
The life of Harry Houdini - born Ehrich Weiss - was very interesting to learn about. I'm not sure if it was the grade level this was written for or simply the author's style of writing, but I noticed a surplus of cheesy metaphors. The writing was also a bit clunky and wordy at first, though it got better as the book progressed, and the vocabulary used was very rich.
Ages 9+
Ages 9+
jrobinw's review against another edition
3.0
Fleischman has written a thorough story of Houdini. I like that he showed the human side of Houdini (flaws and all) as well as his greatness.
whenlexiemetbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I had to read this book for school and I have to say I didn't like it. It's not like I wasn't into non-fiction it's just that I didn't have so much time to read it and I was confused on many parts.