| Title | : | Harry Houdini |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0756612454 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780756612450 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published July 1, 2005 |
Supports the Common Core State Standards.
Harry Houdini Reviews
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Very nice short bio of this amazing man from the last century. Great pic and information layout throughout the book. excellent starter to learn about this great man. Recommended
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I thought Harry Houdini was a great book. It was very interesting for a biography. I usually don’t get into these types of books but I did for this one. This book is written in third person view by Vicki Cobb.
This book is about a little boy named Erich Weiss that was born in Budapest, Hungary on March 24, 1874. He was the third born of six children. His dad’s name was Rabbi and his mother’s name was Cecilia. In 1876, Rabbi left home and immigrated to Appleton, Wisconsin with two of his six kids. They left because of restrictions put on Jews with land and business owning. Rabbi took Erich with him. Rabbi couldn't find a job so he moved to Milwaukee. Erich ran away to Kansas City and did odd jobs and sent money home when possible. The rest of the family went to Wisconsin. Erich changed his name to Harry Houdini after reading a book by Robert Houdin. This inspired him to become part of the magic career. He performed at dime shows with his brother Theodore. Harry started taking apart handcuffs and became good at opening them without a key. He met Bess and married her. She replaced Theodore in the magic shows. They started to tour all around the US and they made a lot of money. After becoming the "King of Handcuffs", he invested in an airplane for five thousand dollars and became the first pilot to fly in Australia. He never flew after that, but he did do stunts on planes while they were moving. He made his handcuff tricks more elaborate by escaping handcuffs that were made by very good designers and by trapping him in a box, handcuffed, and thrown off a bridge into a river. He also debunked people that said they could talk with the dead. He died by getting punched in the stomach and his appendix blew up. He died on Halloween.
I would recommend this book from ages of thirteen and up, males and females because it is very informational and interesting all at the same time I wouldn’t recommend this book from under thirteen because it would be too hard to read. -
Harry Houdini has always been a fascinating individual to those inclined to magic and death-defying escapes. Vicki Cobb's photographic biography of Harry Houdini will not disappoint young fans looking to learn more about the greatest escape artist that ever lived.
Rich with photographs, this biography tells Houdini's story from beginning to end, and offers many interesting facts (did you know that Harry Houdini wasn't born Harry Houdini at all - but Ehrich Weiss?). Organized into 14 chapters which are chronological yet independent of one another, young readers can read from cover to cover or browse as they please.
Complete with an easy to understand timeline in the back covering the most important events in Houdini's life, book suggestions for further study, and an alphabatized index, this book also makes a great reference. -
Very informative, yet easy to read with plenty of pictures to boot. I like the fact that it contained definition boxes and sidebars to help explain words or give more information on historical events so as to not to confuse younger readers.
This book may be aimed at younger readers, but I found it highly enjoyable myself. So much so that I'm planning to seek out a more comprehensive biography about Mr. Houdini at a later date. -
A well illustrated guide to the life of the brilliant Harry Houdini. It's a great starting point for those wishing to learn more about this amazing man, but for an excellent & very in depth look at his life check out The Secret Life Of Houdini: The Making Of America's First Superhero by William Kalush & Larry Ratso Sloman.
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I learned a lot about this incredible magician. I wonder how he breaks out of all those handcuffs and prisons!
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Đây là một cuốn sách trong series sách DK Biography về tiểu sử cùa ảo thuật gia lừng danh Harry Houdini. Thú thực là mình chưa hề biết đến tên tuổi ông cho đến khi nhìn thấy cuốn sách này trên Tiki. Sách khá ngắn gọn súc tích với một số ít hình minh hoạ, nhưng đã rất thành công trong việc trình bày tiểu sử của Harry Houdini chỉ trong vòng hơn 120 trang. Là một người Mỹ gốc Hungary, Harry đã phải nỗ lực rất nhiều khi còn trẻ để tạo dựng tên tuổi của mình không chỉ ở nước Mỹ mà còn trên khắp thế giới.
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Houdini's death was sudden and abrupt. Who was the stupid kid who punched him?! No, I really don't want to know; he lived with enough (assuming he didn't take it as a badge of honor). Houdini really was a real-deal. I never thought of magicians as athletic until this book. But, yes, the quickness and agility for some basic tricks is still a lot of physicality and then add on the truly life threatening things he did....
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Such a wonderful book. I love D.K. Publishing books! They are so informative and full of lots of photos! It is a great way to learn for kids of all ages. I have always been infatuated with the life and death of Harry Houdini and was lucky enough to be given this book. I highly recommend to everyone especially ones who love magicians, magic and vaudeville shows.
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Okay so this might sound a little weird but this short biography changed me. I've read this like 8 times. The way its written is amazing. Also the wonderful photos. OMG the photos are great. Idek why I like this book so much.
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Everything you need to know is here with excellent pictures.
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I learned a lot about Houdini that I didn't know. There were lots of editing issues with this little book, which I've noticed in DK books before.
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Andrew Meyers
November 24, 2014
Non-fiction Book Review
In the non-fiction book Harry Houdini, the author, Vicki Cobb, wants the reader to understand that a person does not have to be born into wealth and fame, but rather they can achieve such accomplishments by working hard. This is shown through the life of Harry Houdini because Harry left his family at age twelve to pursue his dreams of becoming a famous magician. Harry had hopes of becoming famous so he started working in a factory where his talent became aware. It started from him having to do magic tricks on his own in his house or the factory, to him being a world celebrated magician. It explains his life and goes into the detail how he struggled to become famous but the outcome was worth it in the long run. One Harrys most famous magic trick is when he Harry did a death-defying escape from am iron can filled with water which was fastened with metal locks. While he was doing this he had handcuffs around his wrists and he was faced with the obstacle of having to escape with out dying. This was very nerve-racking for the audience to watch because Harry was putting his life at risk.
In the biography, the author does a good job making the reader be filled with suspense. He does this by showing that the audience at the time was nervous which makes the reader of the book nervous as well. An important quote from the biography is when Harry Houdini exclaimed “I will now perform the best escape I have ever invented.” Then, “The audience members glanced at each other expectantly. The Great Houdini was going to show them his latest and most dangerous death-defying feat yet.” As a reader, this made me very curious to see if he was going to be able to pull of the hard task of getting out with out dying or even being injured. As I would suspect, many other readers or audience members would feel the same way watching a man who could possibly be taking his own life. I would recommend this book to everyone but especially to people who love magic shows just like me. This biography kept me interested at all times whether it was about his eventful life becoming famous or when he was famous and performing amazing tricks. This novel is also very easy to understand with many intriguing pictures to keep the reader fascinated as well. Everyone, including my close friends, should read this to change your perspective on hard work and magic. -
Cobb, Vicki. Harry Houdini.
Rating: **
Summary: The book takes the reader through the life of Harry Houdini. The book starts off with the history of Harry's family. The book talks about how his parents met and the struggles they had growing up. The book continues on with show business in the late 1890's.
Harry also known as Enrich Weiss left his home when he was twelve years of age. He went off on his own to learn. His father passed away at age 18. Enrih and his brothers decided to set up shop and start off as an act called "The Brothers Houdini." They traveled around to different dime museums and fairs. As the months continued, different tricks were added to the act.
The rest is what is called history. He met his wife through her song and dance act. They traveled around , but always supported their family when possible. The book is filled with facts on Harry Houdini. He was always trying new tricks that were risky. He longed for the risky tricks. The pictures show the history. -
A Young Adult biography of one of America's most famous magicians/escape artists. The text is a thorough trip through the life a premier showman. The book dabbles in the history of magic acts both in Europe and the US. There is mention of contemporary magicians both rivals and friends. The novel is filled with interesting personal information, like the foray into flying in 1909 during a tour of Australia and break that began his ascent in show business. The material also presents the strange imbalance of a man fixated upon exposing mediums as frauds, but believed in his own power to transcend the barrier of death.
p.93 To this day, Houdini is given credit for his pioneering aviation work in Australia. After packing up the Voisin to leave Australia, Houdini never flew again. -
It was an interesting story on his life though I a sad it was not 1000 pages no one have everything in life. I am really sad that he died just because some stupid kid went up and punched him, not in a weak way 3 times in his stomach area so several days later of pain and grief for everyone he died from ruptured appendixes. And that only caused more grief. all his stories are so cool.
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This is one super book for anyone who wants to learn more about the Great Houdini. What a remarkable individual Houdini was to have help financially supporting his family as a child, to keeping his dying father's wish that Harry look after his mother for the rest of her life, to becoming perhaps the greatest escape artist and magician of all time. This is definitely a Must-Read.
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I really liked this book because it was about this man named Harry Houdini who not only did magic but also was an illusionist, an aviator, and also an inspiration to many people looking to do what he has done and what he has accomplished.
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I read this book with my son, Jackson and we both really liked it. It has amazing photographs and funny litte stories of Houdini's life. It was a little introduction on his life... I would like to read more. It is a DK (Dorling Kindersley)book for children, but really a great little read.
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I knew quite a lot a bit about Houdini, including the fact that he died from a ruptured appendix. However, I didn't know that his appendix was ruptured when he was hit three times in his abdomen before he had the opportunity to prepare himself. (This stunt was one of his 'feats').
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A charming and informative biography of the world's most famous escape artist. A great way to get teens into nonfiction. The photographs in the book are stellar.
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Really informational... Great for a Famous Person Report;)
