The Great Houdini (Step-Into-Reading, Step 4) Read Free Books and Download eBooks
Harry Houdini was a great escape artist, but perhaps his greatest trick was becoming the famous magician that we have come to know. As a child, Houdini worked hard--and even quit school--to help support his family. But his dream always was to become a great magician and performer. He practiced day and night, thinking up new tricks and more and more dangerous stunts. His intense ambition paid off, and soon Harry Houdini became known worldwide! This kid-appealing Step 3 traces Houdini's life from his poor beginnings to his eventual success as the most famous mystical magician and escape artist of all time.
Lexile Measure: 510L (What's this?)
Series: Step into Reading
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; Later Printing edition (August 17, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0679885730
ISBN-13: 978-0679885733
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.2 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #44,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #17 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Performing Arts #101 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Chapter Books & Readers > Intermediate Readers #165 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Performing Arts
Age Range: 7 - 9 years
Grade Level: 2 - 4
While reading this book aloud to a six-year-old, who had picked it out, I learned a lot about this man, Houdini, who has become a legend. In a classic biography format, this book takes us through Houdini's childhood as a son of poor immigrants who admires acrobats in the cirus and makes up his own act. As a young man, he gets work as a locksmith and learns how to pick any lock... a talent that would come in very handy! Throughout his adulthood, Houdini worked incredibly hard to make a name for himself; sadly, his hard-earned fame indirectly led to his untimely death. Houdini's story is one of perseverence rather than glamour and stardom. The book has a serious tone for a childrens' book; even the illustrations are somber, but it is interesting and well worth a read.
my daughter loves this book. She generally likes non-fiction and wants to read about real people. This story combines the excitement of the magic show, explains some magic tricks with certain suspense. The ending is a bit sad but it is told in a way that did not upset my 7 year old child. The only thing that could have been improved in this book is the pictures. They don't seem as kid friendly as they could have been.
I purchased these books (most of the titles in the series) several months ago, but have been doling them out a little at a time to my daughter, who is currently in first grade. She loves to read fiction, and has devoured many of the chapter books I've purchased for her or checked out of the library. I was looking for an interesting series of non-fiction books for her, and these seemed like the perfect introduction to the genre.The appeal of this reader lies mainly in the way the information is condensed to suit the needs of young readers - informative, yet not overly descriptive nor steeped in jargon. Also, the illustrations on each page motivate young readers, especially visual learners like my daughter.There are lots of illustrations in this book, which help tell the story of master magician and escape artist Harry Houdini. Though long-departed, Houdini's feats continue to inspire and awe people, and my young daughter loved reading about his exploits.The Step 4 readers are described as "reading paragraphs, containing challenging vocabulary, short paragraphs, exciting fiction and non-fiction, and recommended for Grades 2-3", though children who are younger and are at an advanced reading level will find these books interesting and suitably challenging as well.
I love these series. But most important that my son does. I got 40+ books and he loves to read them (usually it is not that easy to make him read). I got mix of 2-3-4 levels for the second grader, second level is too easy, but it creates some fun and he reads them with pleasure. Love it, I would recommend it.
My grandson who is in second grade had to do a non-fiction book report so we started looking for a subject that he was excited about. Lately he's been into magic, so when I found this book, we decided to order it. I thought it might be way above his reading level, and there were guidelines from the teacher about the kids needing to read most of the book by themselves. We jumped in and he did great, loved the story and had lots of good ideas to include in his book report. The author includes bits of what H. Houdini's life looked like that were easy to understand for a 7 - 8 year old.
This book is a good summary of Houdini's life, and is captivating for our kids. It is appropriately rated as a level 4 book. It is probably fair to treat his death as well as his life, but I frankly should not have read this section to them, since it led to infinite questions about why Houdini was punched, what happened inside his body, etc. Could a good book be written just about his exciting life? Probably.
Great non fiction book for my 7 year old Grandson. It is advanced non fiction topic, but with lots of pictures to keep his attention. Typical Step into Reading series style with controlled vocabulary. Step into Reading does a great job at providing higher level topics at easy reading levels. Many young kids want this kind of content. Price is excellent.
Used this book for summer reading project. My son loves magicians so it kept his interest and he actually read it a few times. Liked that it was a good intro to reading biographies too. Illustrations were helpful since he's 7 and still likes to have some pictures.
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