Introducing the astonishing, the unforgettable ... HOUDINI!

He made himself a living legend and became the most famous name in magic. But Harry Houdini, like his acts, was fascinating and mysterious. As a child, he was often on the edge of homelessness, so he would charge crowds to watch him perform tricks he knew no one else could do. After leaving home to seek his fortune, Houdini mastered every form of magic available-- card tricks, juggling, illusions-- and travelled the world over to make a name for himself.

But true stardom came to him only when he began to focus his act around daring, heart-stopping escapes. By sheer force of will, Houdini trained his body to withstand the torturous demands of the elaborate acts he created.

How did he do it? Magicians never tell. Yet acclaimed author Kathleen Krull and award-winning illustrator Eric Velasquez combine their talents to reveal the remarkable story of the World's Greatest Mystery Man and Escape King.

Kathleen Krull is a prominent biographer for young people. Her Wilma Unlimited was named an ALA Notable Book; her Lives of the Musicians was a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Award winner; and her other nonfiction has won countless other awards.

Kathleen also wrote A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull for Walker & Company. She and her husband, illustrator Paul Brewer, live in San Diego, California.

Eric Velasquez won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for his illustrations in The Piano Man. Of his illustrations in Champion: The Story of Muhammad Ali, School Library Journal wrote, "[they] capture the action in the ring like a series of photographic snapshots."

Eric grew up down the block from Houdini's Harlem brownstone and has had a lifelong fascination with him. Eric is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts. He lives in Hartsdale, New York.