Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A middle-schooler writes a kids' novel; an author writes an engaging, amiable read--and, presto, a tale about a boy nicknamed Houdini turns out magical. When your name is John Smith, you need to have something going for you. What this 13-year-old--alas, no relation to the dude of Pocahontas fame--has is a fascination with the master escape artist. After an author's visit to his classroom, John creates a novel, formed from the very novel kids are reading, and devises a series of lists to guide him. He also relies on adventures with his two best buds; a misunderstood Vietnam vet and his pit bull; and the neighborhood bully. By turns poignant and downright hilarious, Houdini's story/novel is delivered in a voice that's wonderfully authentic. Johnson expertly handles real male middle-school friendships, issues and angst and doesn't avoid some tough contemporary realities: Domestic troubles, the prospect of Dad losing his job and the pain arising from his older brother going missing in Iraq are handled realistically but sensitively. In the end, Houdini realizes that writing has changed him and altered his perspective on people and life. Readers will feel the same way. And just try to get kids not to make their own lists or attempt their own novels. (Fiction. 9-12)

School Library Journal Starred Review

Gr 5-8 East Providence, RI, is the rundown hometown of John Smith, Jr., 13, nicknamed Houdini by his friends Lucky and Jorge. Hoping to make some money, Houdini undertakes writing an "authentic" kid's book about life in the neighborhood, featuring his buddies; his hardworking parents; and his admired older brother, Franklin, a Marine serving in Iraq. Rounding out the diverse cast of local characters are Angel, a narcoleptic bully; Gregory Gregory, a power-hungry city councilman; and Old Man Jackson, a memorable and complex one-armed Vietnam vet with a pit bull called Da Nang. Houdini and friends start a leaf-raking business, which is halted when Lucky's leg is badly injured in an act of sabotage. When another suspicious act imperils Da Nang's life, Angel, the likely perpetrator, is defended by Lucky, who knows too well the realities of his harsh home life. Franklin is briefly reported MIA, then returns home with an arm wound and damaged spirit. The Smiths' handling of Franklin's military service is portrayed with nuance and dignity. More burdens come when Houdini's father is laid off from his job. Franklin then organizes his father, Houdini, and others from the neighborhood to fix Old Man Jackson's shabby house, which Councilman Gregory had been maneuvering to tear down. Humorous Top-10 lists on various topics are interspersed within the well-paced plot, and ample coverage, including a reading list, is given to the life and work of the great Harry Houdini, as a sense of hope and possibility renews this hard-luck community. Pair this fine upbeat novel with Barbara Kerley's Greetings from Planet Earth (Scholastic, 2007).— Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT

ALA Booklist

Inspired by the prospect of money and comments made by a writer visiting his middle school, 13-year-old Houdini (nicknamed for his hero) decides to write a "kid's novel" and finds that it enables him to understand the people around him differently. He has a pretty good handle on his two best friends, but he is less understanding of the people he fears in his working-class Providence neighborhood mely a classmate with a bullying streak and a one-armed Vietnam veteran known as Old Man Jackson. A bit grittier and more believably boylike than most contemporary first-person narratives, this novel has a lot of heart as well. And while a narrator who makes lists is common enough, Houdini's are decidedly more amusing than most. With Houdini's concerns at school and in the neighborhood, not to mention his brother being missing in action in Iraq and his father's fear of losing his job, the story extends in many directions at once, but Johnson pulls it all together in the end. A Harry Houdini related bibliography is appended.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A middle-schooler writes a kids' novel; an author writes an engaging, amiable read--and, presto, a tale about a boy nicknamed Houdini turns out magical. When your name is John Smith, you need to have something going for you. What this 13-year-old--alas, no relation to the dude of Pocahontas fame--has is a fascination with the master escape artist. After an author's visit to his classroom, John creates a novel, formed from the very novel kids are reading, and devises a series of lists to guide him. He also relies on adventures with his two best buds; a misunderstood Vietnam vet and his pit bull; and the neighborhood bully. By turns poignant and downright hilarious, Houdini's story/novel is delivered in a voice that's wonderfully authentic. Johnson expertly handles real male middle-school friendships, issues and angst and doesn't avoid some tough contemporary realities: Domestic troubles, the prospect of Dad losing his job and the pain arising from his older brother going missing in Iraq are handled realistically but sensitively. In the end, Houdini realizes that writing has changed him and altered his perspective on people and life. Readers will feel the same way. And just try to get kids not to make their own lists or attempt their own novels. (Fiction. 9-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Johnson (Loserville) delivers a strong contemporary urban novel with cross-gender appeal, thanks to his likable, kind, and clear-eyed narrator, John Smith Jr. Nicknamed Houdini due to his obsession with the magician, the 13-year-old lives in Providence, R.I., in a neighborhood sandwiched between an affluent section and -the one people won-t walk through after midnight unless they have a bodyguard.- Presented in the guise of a novel that Houdini, inspired by a visiting author, is writing, the story traces the events of one autumn when Houdini-s beloved older brother, Franklin, is stationed in Iraq, and Houdini and two friends start a leaf-raking business. Houdini-s daily challenges-facing the local bully, befriending a scary Vietnam vet, fearing for Franklin-s safety-are set against a realistic background of urban decay, broken families, and impending job layoffs, but his humorous edge and the well-paced action create an easy tone. While the overly palatable ending falls short of credibility, Johnson offers solid insights into the varied well-drawn characters, and readers will appreciate Houdini-s realization that -writing makes you think very hard about things.- Ages 8-12. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Feb.)