Alakazam! 6 Books for Young Magic Fans

Hurry Up, Houdini! (Magic Tree House #50), by Mary Pope Osborne and Sal Murdocca
Time-traveling wunderkinds Jack and Annie are back for another secret mission, this time to Coney Island in 1908! Merlin the magician has enlisted the dynamic duo to find a secret of greatness from none other than world-renowned magician Harry Houdini. When the kids discover that Houdini’s show is sold out, they dream up another way to meet the amazing escape artist, getting a crash course in stage magic along the way. Aspiring tricksters will want to check out the tutorial at the end, as well as the companion how-to book, Magic Tricks from the Tree House.

The Vanishing Coin (Magic Shop Series #1), by Kate Egan, Mike Lane, and Eric Wright
In the series debut, we meet Mike, a well-meaning nine-year-old with a major case of the can’t-sit-stills. He has trouble focusing, he’s a regular in the principal’s office, and he faces constant harassment from the school bully. Just when he’s reached his boiling point, Mike and his smarty-pants neighbor, Nora, stumble upon a joke shop called The White Rabbit. The delightfully enigmatic proprietor, Mr. Zerlin, teaches Mike a magic trick, and shazam!, a whole new world opens up to him. Could it be that the fourth grader’s fortunes—and sense of self—are finally on the upswing? Bonus: Illustrated guides teach kids how to pull off Mike’s tricks.

Dorko the Magnificent, by Andrea Beaty
If Robbie Darko, fifth-grade magician, has mastered one thing, it’s the art of the spectacular disaster. His attempts at magician glory have resulted in an escaped salamander, a shrieking principal, and an AWOL bunny. Robbie is planning his act for the school talent show when his great-great aunt, a sarcastic dame known as Grandma Melvyn, moves in with his family. Unbeknownst to Robbie, Grandma Melvyn has quite a few tricks up her sleeve, and she agrees to share her wisdom. Their deepening bond is a touching counterpoint to an otherwise hilarious story, and it ultimately teaches Robbie a lot more than magic.

The Magician’s Fire (Young Houdini Series #1), by Simon Nicholson
For young Harry Houdini and his friends, Artie and Billie, the mean streets of late-nineteenth-century New York City are a magician’s paradise. While Harry performs death-defying escapes, his pals gather audiences and collect the proceeds. But when Harry’s magician mentor, Herbie, mysteriously disappears, the trio must perform their greatest trick yet in order to find and rescue their beloved friend, testing the limits of their friendship in the process. This page-turning fictional depiction of Houdini’s years as a young Hungarian immigrant is filled with magic, intrigue, and lots of heart.

The Magician’s Secret (Nancy Drew Diaries), by Carolyn Keene
Teenage super sleuth Nancy Drew is back for another perplexing case as she sets out to discover the connection between a magician and a jewelry heist. The world-famous illusionist Drake Lonestar is performing in River Heights, where he will make the local courthouse disappear. His trick goes off without a hitch, except for the fact that the evidence box connected to a recent jewelry caper has gone missing. Will Nancy and her friends pull a rabbit out of a hat and solve the crime before the jewelry thief makes his final getaway?

Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic Mystery, and a Very Strange Adventure, by Lissa Evans
Stuart Horten is less than thrilled when his family moves to his father’s hometown of Beeton, England, at the beginning of the summer. There are no friends in sight, and there’s absolutely nothing to do—that is, until Stuart learns about Great-Uncle Tony, a magician from Beeton who mysteriously disappeared during World War II, and finds a letter that leads him on the hunt for Tony’s hidden workshop. Following a series of elaborate clues, this brilliantly conceived journey leads Stuart down a path that he never could have imagined.
What is your favorite book about magicians?