My First Magic Book

Shows six to nine year olds how to do tricks using materials found round the house using step-by-step, illustrated instructions, and features visual checklists of necessary materials and photographs of finished magician's props.

Grade 4-6-An appealing presentation. Full-color photographs show multiethnic children making life-sized props and doing tricks, with explanations of how they are done and bits of appropriate patter. Most projects require the use of scissors; when an X-Acto knife or razor (referred to as a scalpel in this British import) is needed, youngsters are told to ask an adult to do this part of the cutting. Each step in the preparation and in the execution of the tricks is shown and explained, with a section at the end on giving a magic show. The instructions are detailed, and although none are really complicated, some have to be read several times. The youngsters depicted appear to be the appropriate age to understand these tricks, but even with the clear photos and directions, this will not be a book for first-time prestidigitators. Although nothing here is really new or original, the volume is a good, colorful addition that will brighten any library's shelf of magic books.
JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-5. Leyton offers aspiring magicians a great change of pace by requiring them to make their own props (most magic books rely on props found around the house). What's more, the book's large format enables a lot of what's made to be shown full size, and the enlarged type makes instructions easier to read. The design is a little cluttered--trick directions, though clearly numbered, are not always placed in logical sequence on the page, and you'll have to look closely to spot the suggestions for magician's patter. But the photographs are sharp and colorful, and their youthful, smiling models provide plenty of visual encouragement. Leyton includes a complete listing of tools and equipment and step-by-step directions for prop making, as well as sequenced photos that demonstrate how a trick works. Stephanie Zvirin