Young Reader Reaction: "This was a good book, mom." Interestingly enough, our daughter was drawn more to the secondary characters Lucky (who was anything but), Jorge, and Angel (the neighborhood bully). We were surprised that she stayed with it until the end.

Adult Reader Reaction: Enjoyable story, modern plot elements. It took me a couple chapters to get into the book, because I felt bogged down by all of Houdini's explanations (i.e., setting the stage). But once we got past that, it was fun to read.

Pros: Lighter moments and realistic vignettes combine for a thoughtful, well-written story. Kids will easily see themselves in these characters and their situations.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®

John Smith Jr. aka Houdini is thirteen and lives on the East Side of Providence. He’s obsessed and has read every book about the real Houdini. John helps his friends Lucky and Jorge rake leaves in their neighborhood, but this book is really about feelings, the war in Afghanistan, parents, trouble, enemies, and most of all change.

Wait, I almost forgot, it’s also about a boy that writes a book.

Author Peter Johnson teaches college level creative writing and children’s literature in Rhode Island. ( )

Thirteen-year-old John "Houdini" Smith Jr. is inspired by a visiting author to start chronicling the events of his life, because he can certainly write about being a kid better than a lot of the authors he's read, whose thirteen-year-old characters are nothing like the real thing. And he has a lot to write about. His parents have big-time money worries; his older brother is a Marine in Iraq; his two best friends and he have just started a lawn-service business, courtesy of a sleazy politician; and the class bully has Houdini in his sights.
This story was such a refreshing surprise-- I was expecting a pleasant if predictable story, and what I got was something slightly reminiscent of the best of Jerry Spinelli and Gary Paulsen, but quite original. Houdini is a pretty cool kid-- and Peter Johnson is an author who definitely has a handle on authentic middle school voices. ( )

Thirteen-year-old John "Houdini" Smith tries to write a book about what is happening in his life, from his parents' worries about money and his brother in Iraq, to his new understanding of people while he and his friends rake lawns in their East Side Providence, Rhode Island, neighborhood. ( )

I won this as a giveaway from another site and was looking forward to it based on the publisher descriptions.

However, I was rather disappointed once I got into it. The positives of the book were the fact that the language was easy to understand, and the chapters manageable, especially given the recommended reading ages of 3rd to 7th grade. The author also has a good knack for being able to bring places alive through his descriptions. I cannot say the same about the characters though. The only one who was truly intriguing was Old Man Jackson, and I would love to learn more about him. The others, including Houdini, come off as shallow representations of those from a stereotypical teen novel. They went through the motions to get through the author's idea for a story arc and even that seemed a little contrived. I was most disappointed in the very predictable climax and then let down of an ending. I will avoid spoilers, but can safely say that the author either ran out of time or gave up here.

This would probably be suitable for a short time as an upper grade hi-lo read, but the reliance on contemporary news events to drive some of the story would out date it quickly among those readers. I don't see the lower end of the recommended ages enjoying this for the language, dry humor, and current events may be above them. ( )