La cosa meravigliosa dei racconti e' che puoi far accadere qualunque cosa desideri. (71) ( )

Another beautifully illustrated book by Brian Selznick. Brian has a way with words and pictures that can be seen through all of his novels. This one is shorter than his other books but still just as magical. ( )

A young boy is inspired by the escape artist Houdini, and actually gets to meet him. Houdini sends him a letter, when the boy goes to his house, he has died. Houdini's widow gives the boy of box with Houdini's (real) initials on it, which the boy realizes only years later, when he is a father and comes across Houdini's grave along with his son. Luckily, he has saved the box. ( )

Quick easy enjoyable read with beautiful pictures. As the typical Selznick form. And even learned a little something....well, I did anyway. Don't always give up on people so easily even if you don't get what you expect from them, you may miss out on something and even forgiveness! At least that's what I got out of it. :-) ( )

Summary: The Houdini Box is about a young boy named Victor who wants to be just like his idol, Harry Houdini. He tries to perform the same tricks as Houdini, but ends up trapped in his grandmother's trunk, or nearly drowned in the bath tub. He meets Houdini one night on the train station, and is invited to his house, however, when he arrives, Houdini has passed away. Houdini's wife gives him a box left to him with the initials "E.W." on it. However, Victor buries the box and forgets about it until many years later, when he comes to find out that "E.W." stands for Ehrich Weiss- Houdini's true name. He opens the box and finally learns of Houdini's secrets.

Personal Connection: I have always been infatuated with learning about magic, and could relate to Victor's interest in learning about Houdini. I also found it especially helpful to have more information about Houdini in the back of this book, to tell the true story of Houdini's life.

Extras:
-Selznick's first book, and his hero- Harry Houdini
-Information in back of book explains how the information was found and utilized for this text

Application to Teaching: This book would be a great read aloud to any children interested in learning about Harry Houdini, and very relatable for a young audience. It is too difficult for an independent reading text at the K-1 level, however, it pairs fiction and nonfiction together well and would work well in either sort of unit. ( )