I came to this book quite by accident - I loved Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret and am presently reading Wonderstruck by the same author. As I was surfing this site, I saw this title pop-up and it captured my attention for two reasons - one, that it featured Houdini, and second, because my daughter had enjoyed Hugo (we read the book and watched the movie), and I thought we might enjoy this too.A cold winter's night afforded us the perfect opportunity to snuggle and read this. The story weaves in fact and fiction. Ten-year-old Victor is inspired by his idol, Harry Houdini and tries in vain to walk through walls, escape from a locked trunk, and perform magic tricks - all of which do not quite turn out right. Then a chance encounter with the great magician leads to Victor receiving a mysterious letter stating, "A thousand secrets await you. Come to my house..."This leads Victor on an adventure of sorts - he comes into possession of a box with the initials E.W., gets all upset that it is not Houdini's box, and vows never to think of Houdini ever again. It is only years later, as a grown man with a child of his own, that young Victor makes a startling discovery!The book is heavily-illustrated with Selznick's wonderful crosshatched pencil drawings, which add to the magical element of this story. There's also a brief biography of Harry Houdini, the author's explanations of his research into the Houdini Box, some early sketches, and even magic tricks that can be easily performed! There's also suggestions for further reading on Houdini. This is a book to inspire and delight!