Starred Review for Publishers Weekly (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Newbery Medalist Fleischman (The Whipping Boy) seems to have been keeping his best trick up his sleeve all these years: himself. In this funny, poignant, insightful and thoroughly entertaining autobiography, he proves himself an effortless raconteur, possessed of a rapid-fire wit. Fleischman claims his path to the writing life was accidental (""""I had a childhood much like everyone else's,"""" he states. """"What went wrong?""""). Born in 1920, Fleischman's life in fact has been remarkable, touched by such major events as the Depression (during which he got his first job, fresh out of high school, as a magician) and WWII, where he served in the Navy (""""I liked the idea even in war of sleeping between clean white sheets,"""" he quips)--even the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake (which wreaked havoc at his home in Santa Monica). Chapter headings are followed by brief but memorable lines from fan letters (""""When did you start writing? When are you going to stop?""""), establishing the book's self-deprecating tone right from the start. Fleischman, who is generous with his writing tips, also shares a wonderful collection of memorabilia--from family photos to a handbill from the """"Midnite Spook Frolic"""" vaudeville act he traveled with for two years, to a candid of John Wayne and Lauren Bacall on the set of Blood Alley, adapted from his novel of the same name. Alas, the final page comes all too soon. Encore, please! Ages 10-up. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up--In a chatty style, this Newbery-award winning author of over 30 children's books converses about his "three lives." As a child, Fleischman was introduced to the world of magic, and was so enthralled by it that he read every book about it that the San Diego Public Library had to offer. Later, he traveled the country, performing in town halls, vaudeville theaters, and clubs. When he couldn't make big paychecks appear, he wrote a book of magic tricks, Between Cocktails, which has been in print for 50 years. Then he went back to school to study writing and again utilized the public library's resources. After military service he worked as a screen writer. Had the Hollywood screen writers not gone on strike, children's literature may have been deprived of a great writer. During the strike he wrote Mr. Mysterious and Company (Little, 1962; o.p.), and was amazed by the enthusiastic response it got from young readers. Casual in tone, Fleischman's words sparkle with sly humor and clever phrasing: "In those days, I was no literary diamond in the rough--I wasn't even a zircon." Each chapter is prefaced by choice excerpts from his fan mail. A professional magician to the end, Fleischman does not give away his signature magic tricks; nor does he leave his audience empty handed. Instead, he presents youngsters with his favorite writing tips. This book is the next best thing to having the author visit your school or library and will be a boon to all those assigned to read an autobiography.--Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1996)

Beginning with the confession that he wanted to be a magician, not a writer, Fleischman traces his metamorphosis--performing in numerous backwater venues in the Depression years, a stint in the navy during World War II, a brief career as a newspaper man, ventures into writing movie scripts and detective stories, and finally success as a celebrated author for children. This accessible and invigorating autobiography is a choice example of the art for Fleischman's admirers.

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 1996)

Starred Review Fleischman has two advantages over most children's authors who have written autobiographies. First, his style here is as lively and readable as in his novels, and second, his life has been more varied and intriguing than most. Perhaps the lively writing just makes his story seem more interesting, but how many writers began their careers as magicians, travelling the country to make a living with a bag of tricks? How many panned for gold in the Sierras? How many saw the world from a destroyer escort ship during World War II? How many fell into children's writing by accident, then went on to write a Newbery Medal-winning book? Fleischman's fans will enjoy discovering how people, places, and experiences from his life found their way into his books. Newcomers to his work will soon be searching library shelves for Mr. Mysterious and Company,By the Great Horned Spoon, the McBroom series, and The Whipping Boy. Toward the end of the book, he offers tips for anyone (particularly young people) learning the craft of writing novels. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs, this handsome book is well designed, from its striking jacket to the often hilarious quotations from children's letters that head each chapter. From cover to cover, a treat.

Kirkus Reviews

Subtitled A Writer's Life,'' this is a lively self-portrait of the writer as a young magician turned conjurer ofliterary magic tricks.'' The son of an airy optimist with nimble skills'' and a mother who was acrackerjack penny-ante cardplayer,'' Fleischman grew up enterprising and obsessed with magic. In high school he parlayed ``a certain knack for inventing tricks'' into a slim volume of match tricks that became an enduring classic, then did a stint in vaudeville in a ten-dollar tux and a hitch in the wartime navy. There's a postwar tour of duty in China, and years as a newspaperman, pulp-fiction writer, and screenwriter before a happy marriage and three kids drew him to the realm of children's books. Fleischman offers a gold mine of interesting reflections of writing, and a vivid representation of a life lived adventurously and thoughtfully. (b&w photos) (Autobiography. 12+)"