Module 12: Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini

Summary:
In Escape, Sid Fleischman, a magician and long time Houdini fan, presents the life story of the famous magician. Despite his claims otherwise, Houdini was born in Hungary during the late 1800's. Erich, as Houdini was named, eventually emigrated to Appleton, Wisconsin, and would come to claim it as his birthplace- his first illusion. Fleischman follows Erich as he completes a number of odd jobs to scrape by, running away from home, and eventually beginning to study magic, particularly the magic of the famous French illusionist Robert Houdin. Harry took on the name of his idol, and began perfecting his craft, with dangerous escapes getting top billing in his show. He promoted himself with daring jail breaks across the United States, but knew that there was more he could do. While the time may have seemed right for Houdini to become as famous as he thought himself to be, it seems that America was not ready for him after all. Harry and Bess (his wife) headed to Europe, and with the help of a savvy manager, secured a great paying position in London. Houdini slowly but surely moved up the bill, and soon found himself as the main draw. Harry traveled through Europe perfecting his routine of escapes and tricks, making more money than he thought possible. Eventually, at the urging of Bess, the Houdini's returned to the United States. Ever the self promoter, Houdini used his European fame to promote his traveling US show. The Houdini's kept a grueling pace, traveling from city to city, reinventing the show to keep the interest of the people. Eventually, Houdini turned his attention away from his own magic, and on to the outright tricks of others. He focused on exposing the trickery of psychics and healers that were popular at the time. He showed audience after audience the ways that were being used to deceive them, which of course angered many in the field. Even going into death, Houdini found ways to prove the so called mediums wrong. He and Bess made a plan, a special code that would be said when one of them passed to the other side. Little did he know that passing would come sooner than anyone thought. Houdini, self-promoting again of course, invited a few local boys to test his strength. One of the boys delivered several particularly hard punches straight to Houdini's stomach. Not wanting to show weakness, Houdini took the blows and even went on to perform a show that night. Sadly, those blows would eventually cause Houdini's death. As was his MO, Harry was too proud to admit defeat, and sought treatment for the blows too late to be saved. After his death Bess tried on several occasions to contact Harry, always remembering the special words they had planned to say from the other side. As was suspected, those words never came. Even in death Houdini was able to make a statement, which is surely what he would have wanted.

My Thoughts:
I checked out this book in the audio version, but quickly picked up the paper version as I wanted to see the pictures that went along with the story. (My favorite was the "Sea Monster" that Houdini sewed himself inside. Ew!) Not knowing much of anything about Houdini to begin with, I found this book quite interesting. The author did a wonderful job of telling his life story in a way that was as exciting as the man himself, and with just as much flair. I appreciated the reverence that the author seemed to have for Houdini, wanting to protect the air of mystery that Houdini worked so hard himself to protect. However, I also felt at times that the author had a slightly patronizing tone, talking about some of the illusions as if they took little talent, requiring more flare than ability. At points I thought the author's passion for the subject was an essential part of the story, while at other points I felt the author was too close to the subject to be objective. (Particularly when he made up conversations that never occurred.) While I did go back and forth on my feelings for the book, overall I think it was enjoyable. More importantly, I think it will be enjoyed by children- particularly young male reluctant readers.

Their Thoughts:
Excerpt from Kirkus Reviews, June 2006-
"What sets this biography apart from and above others is the author's personal involvement with his subject; it's a mesmerizing configuration of both lives. When Fleischman found a forgotten box of photos of the magician that Houdini's wife had personally given him, they ignited his curiosity-could he unveil the illusions of the great man? Cunning chapter titles, spacious format and the black-and-white photos that profile the man's unique mystique are tied together like a string of silk scarves spilling from a sleeve that fascinate, intrigue and amaze. What do you get when you put two prestidigitators, one a spellbinding escape artist, the other a magician with words, into a black hat and wave the wand? Abracadabra-a feat that's pure magic."

Awards and Accolades-
5 State List Selections
YALSA Best Book for Young Adults 2007
Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year 2006
Booklist's Top 10 Youth Biographies 2007

My Ideas:
I would love to incorporate Escape as part of a grouping for a themed month, "Magical March." Children of every generation have been infatuated by magic, and the current generation is no different. A biography such as this would go well with other books on the subject, both fiction and non-fiction. The main focus of the display would be biographies such as this and how-to books like the popular Klutz series. A wikipage would also be created to link excellent online resources on the subject. Speakers and presenters would be brought in as the budget allows to demonstrate some basic magic skills and to talk about the profession. The month would culminate in a student run magic show using skills learned from books displayed, presentations, and listed websites. Even reluctant readers would magically appear for this group of programming!