First Names: Harry Houdini -nonfiction that young readers can believe in

Books that capture the attention of elementary or middle school readers need to be entertaining. It’s a bonus if said books can fun and leave those young readers with a smile on their face or a sense of wonder. Rare is the book that can be entertaining and fun, all the while doing it in a non-fiction book that upper elementary aged readers will enjoy. First Names is a line of books from Abrams Books for Young Readers and if this first book is any indication of their things to come it’ll be a go-to series for this age group. First Names: Harry Houdini by Kjartan Poskitt with illustrations by Geraint Ford is a book that has you smiling from couple pages into the book and weaves a breathlessly true tale that you don’t know.

Sure, you know the name, Harry Houdini, but it’s his background, work history and work ethic that makes this man of mystery really stand out. There’s a threefold reason why upper elementary through middle school readers will devour First Names: Harry Houdini and they’re divided between the layout, word and illustrations.

Of course, I state the obvious that well crafted words are necessary to make a great book. In addition to being a well written book, in this case, it’s a perfectly paced book with great chapter length. The chapters vary in length with the longest one being 15 pages. However, each individual chapter is further broken down into smaller bits that are separated by a bolded title and a photo.  Older readers will most likely blow right past these breaks and continue until the end of the chapter.

That’s because Harry Houdini reads like an adventure-comedy. This is a covert page turner for ages 8-15 that will have them reading for the joy of reading. They’ll simply find themselves being caught up in the story and want to see how it ends. Older readers might have some insight into Houdini’s life and the behind-the-scenes, how he did it hijinks will have them (and you) looking at magic tricks from an entirely new perspective.

The illustrations by Geraint Ford also complete the book. They’re realistic and complimented with comedic dialogue that propel the pages that you’re on and make you curious about the pages you’re about to read.

We hear from teachers quite often that they’re searching for non-fiction books that younger readers can get behind. This series is a great option. There’s a sly sense of humor about the book that will hook in young readers regardless of their knowledge or interest in Harry Houdini.