By Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Mar Delmar
Alfred A. Knopf / Random House, 2026
40 pages
978-0-593-57013-5
Ages 5-9
Harry Houdini’s astonishing magic tricks and escape acts enchanted and thrilled audiences the world over. Houdini himself, though, found magic in something more commonplace: books. He inherited a love of literature from his father, a rabbi with a small but prized library that was packed up and brought along when the family immigrated from Hungary to Appleton, Wisconsin. But it was a secondhand book about magic by Jean Robert-Houdin that sparked Houdini’s passion and life’s work. From there, his library only grew. He acquired books on magic, knots, locks—anything that might teach him more tricks of the trade. He bought entire collections from retired magicians and carried a folding bookcase when he traveled. Eventually, having amassed about 15,000 volumes that lined nearly all the rooms in his Harlem brownstone, Houdini hired his own librarian, who helped him place ads for yet more volumes. “Books [were] Harry’s greatest escape,” and they’re given their due in this skillful account of his fascinating life. Remarkably intricate cut-paper scenes accompany the narrative, and the end matter includes substantial Author’s and Illustrator’s Notes complete with photographs of Delmar’s artistic process. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center