Violet and the Pie of Life by Debra Green

At first he thinks it’s a prank, but as time goes on the messages continue and the caller reveals more and more obscure facts about Houdini’s life. That night the phone buzzes to reveal a text message from someone who says he is Harry Houdini. There is no indication who sent the phone and although Harry desperately wants a cell phone, he is embarrassed by it and hides it in his bureau drawer. When he awakes he discovers an old-fashioned flip phone among the flowers, chocolates and get-well cards sent from his many friends and well-wishers. Harry suffers a live threatening accident which leaves him in a coma. There is a plaque on the outside of the building to prove it. Not only has he read every book he can get his hands on about Houdini, but he lives in the same house in New York where Houdini lived.

Review: Eleven-year-old Harry Mancini is obsessed with Harry Houdini, the great escape artist. When someone claiming to be Houdini contacts Harry via text offering him a chance to go back in time and experience some of Houdini’s greatest tricks for himself, will Harry take him up on his offer or ignore what must be a hoax? Eleven-year-old Harry Mancini is NOT Harry Houdini, but he DOES live in Houdini’s old New York City home and definitely knows everything there is to know about Houdini’s life. Household favorite Dan Gutman is back with a new stand-alone novel.

Houdini and Me by Dan Gutman (Holiday House, for ages 8–12, available now)

Violet and the Pie of Life by Debra Green