oh my fucking god! i must have this book! i am breathless.

Short, sweet, and purely magical!

No matter how old you get, there are few books /stories which have touched our childhood lives and we wish to read them again or re-live those moments again.For me, children’s books are one of the best ways to escape the real world and indulge myself in amazing fantasies. (:If you all see my blog or the reading list, I have read quite a few books written and illustrated by Brian Selznick and I must say he has made it to my favorite author list! 🙂The Whole idea for “The Houdini Box” came to brian...

This is, believe it or not, the first book I've read written by Brian Selznick. This is surprising since it's September and I've been trying to read his complete works all year long. Mostly, I've been reading books he's illustrated. That said, Selzinck did illustrate this book as well. And, as always, it's gorgeous.This book tells the story of a young boy who is obsessed with the magic of Harry Houdini. He lives during Houdini's lifetime and finds himself constantly getting locked in boxes and r...

I love pretty much anything Selznick does and this book did not fail to impress me. However, I find myself at a loss as to how to review it. I was touched by the story, yet a little frustrated, too. I don't think this has anything to do with Selznick as a storyteller or artist--I think it's just because I haven't figured out what "lesson" I want to take away from the book. And I found the author's note at the end was heartbreaking!For a much better review than I can manage, please see my friend

The mystery of Houdini is the subject here. A boy named Victor wants to be just like him. The art is amazing, the story is good. I think this will help kids get interested in Houdini. He was a master of PR if nothing else. I do wish this story was more fleshed out. It could have been a longer more involved book. Still, children will enjoy this.

I read this to see if I felt any better about it than Hugo Caberet. It was slightly better, at least the story was then the last 3/4 of the book were basic TMI.

Selznick's artwork, as always, is breathtaking. The story could use a little help, however. It is a simple tale that could have become memorable had he included the real-life story about Houdini's box, adding mystery and excitement. It was still fun to look at the drawings, though.

I can't imagine not being fascinated by the magic and greatness of Houdini, but I do hold a particular bit of bias: the claim-to-fame of my hometown Queens neighborhood is that Houdini is buried there. Whenever I see this fact in print, I admit that a small shock of pride goes through me. Picture my thrill, then, when I discovered that Selznick not only includes mention of my town in a photocopied newspaper clipping in the back pages, but SETS his simple, heartwarming, magical, story there and c...

Delightful - very touching and love the ending!

I am on the fence with this one. Having read some of Selznick's longer books and thoroughly enjoyed them, I was hoping to find more, but this one just didn't resonate with me as much as Hugo Cabret or Wonderstruck. I also kind of wish Selznick had chosen a different image of Houdini for the cover. While the one he chose does capture the intensity I imagine Houdini had, it is just plain disturbing to have staring out at me. (I know, I know--goofy on my part, but it is, after all, my opinion.) I m...

Charming. Review to follow.

Not as good as the other ones... but great read :) Recommend it!

Texas Bluebonnet Award: The Houdini BoxThis is a delightful little book that Selznick “experimented” with before The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I liked it as a good choice for my 6th graders that read at a 3rd/4th grade level, who might be afraid of the size of HUGO, but who would enjoy the same creative approach. In fact, they might like it so much that they may enjoy moving on to HUGO.It also gives you an opportunity to see Brian Selznick‘s talent develop. Please note that this is an award winn...

Walking home after a nice meal of sushi, I found this laying on the ground in front of the Salvation Army. I feel like I may have stolen it, but then I had a feeling it would have been taken by someone, gotten ripped up or destroyed in some similar way if I had left it there till the Salvation Army opens tomorrow. So, free books are nice, and this book was pretty nice too, so everything worked out. A book about Houdini, kind of a biography, kind of not. The book's moral I think, is don't be a st...

I love this book!!!!!!!!

Amazing illustrated piece by Brian Selznick and a wonderful biography-fiction piece. A boy who loves magic tricks tries to unlock the secret to Houdini's Box. It has a nice story inspired by the magician and it devotes a small biography about Houdindi the last few pages. I recommend this to young students doing biography reports. You can pick this material up at the Colona Public Library. ~AshleyIf you like illustrated historical fiction I would recommend Matt Phelan to read next!

This is a really good story, and very obviously a precursor to what Selznick would do with The Invention of Hugo Cabret about a decade and a half later. It's a short book (took me no more than 20 minutes to read), and one that I would love to see him return to and extend now that he's gotten a couple of really massive graphic/written hybrid novels under his belt. The story is fine in its current form, but I really feel like there's a novel buried in there, one that could be every bit as riveting...

These early books are a really good segue into the longer pieces ahead. Again, Aniyah read this with a lot of enthusiasm and gave the story highest marks.

Impressed with Selznick's illustrations in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, The Doll People, Meanest Doll in the World, The Runaway Dolls and Wonderstruk, when I saw The Houdini Box on the library shelf, I spent a pleasant time relaxing in a quiet corner of the library, reading The Houdini Box.As mentioned previously, I cannot draw a straight line, even with a ruler! Thus, I am very impressed with the artistry and beauty that flows from the imagination and lands on paper.In this wonderfully illustr...