A review by onceuponacarm
Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman

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.