The first time I read this book, back in 1991, I was captivated by the verve and mystery of the story and awed by the many whimsical full-page, cross-hatched black and white pen drawings.
It's not until he is an adult, married, with a son of his own (named Harry), that Victor learns the truth about the box and the man who gave it to him. engraved on the bottom of the box, Victor assumes the box is not Houdini's, and he buries it at the bottom of his closet, vowing never to think about him again. Houdini tells him, "Houdini died today," and hands him a small locked box.
He keeps his promise, sending the boy an invitation to meet with him, with the words "A thousand secrets await you." Victor shows up at Houdini's house that very evening. He pummels the man with questions about magic, and Houdini promises to send him a letter. Heading for a week in the country to visit his aunt, Victor is stunned to see Houdini himself at the train station. Since then, Victor has tried, just like the great magician, to hold his breath for 5,000 seconds, and to walk through walls, but success has eluded him. Locking himself inside his grandmother's trunk, Victor was unable to duplicate Houdini's success, and his mother had to rescue him. When he was eight, Victor read about Houdini's escape from an iron milk can in under twenty seconds. Awed by the feats of escape artist Harry Houdini, ten-year-old Victor aspires to be a magician, too.
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