Parents' Guide to

Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Engrossing Houdini bio by kids' author/magician.

Book Sid Fleischman Biography 2006
Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

Son of Leroy
Son of Leroy Parent of 15-year-old
May 17, 2010
age 8+

great for all ages. as a High schooler I enjoyed this book, as well as a younger child would

I loved this book, and you needn't worry about your kids attempting any of his feats, unless your kid is an absolute moron and decides to go eat some needles. The book tells you no more about any of the imitable tricks than their names. Only will you get any type of description from something like the Chinese torture cell. Just simply tell your children he was an expert and even many magicians now wont even attempt some of his tricks. And that is only if your kid is one of those "evil geniuses" who is smart enough to give it a running jump and is willing to do it.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Children's author, magician, and friend of Bess Houdini (the magician's wife) Sid Fleischman sorts out the myths from the reality in the life of Harry Houdini.

Born Erich Weiss, son of a rabbi in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874, he emigrated to American as a small boy, and ended up in Appleton, Wisconsin, which he later claimed as his birthplace. Impoverished, Erich ran away from home at age 12, hoping to make enough money to send some back to his family.

But working at shining shoes, selling papers, and carrying messages earned him barely enough to scrape by. In his teens he began to study magic, and named himself after a famous French illusionist. Eventually he became the most famous magician, escape artist, and debunker of spiritualists of all time. Includes bibliography and index.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Put this one on that special shelf -- so far, it's way too small -- of biographies that kids will actually get excited about.

Author Sid Fleischman has been a professional magician, and he knew the subject's wife. So he has both a personal and professional connection to his material, and it shows on nearly every page. In this lively, entertaining biography, Fleischman does more than just retell the major events of Houdini's life, and even more than separate myth from fact (a tricky job in this case). He carefully walks readers through the evidence and his own reasoning process, making good use of his insider knowledge along the way.

He includes numerous photographs, some from his personal collection published here for the first time. And he uses his well-known humor and some novelistic writing techniques to make this bio what all of them ought to be: an engrossing story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about magic and Houdini's legacy. Why is he still so famous? Why was he so determined to debunk spiritualists? Why are these kinds of tricks so appealing? Kids may want to see modern magicians such as David Copperfield, and they may want to learn some tricks.

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate