The Houdini Box

Three reissues highlight different kinds of magic. In Brian Selznick's The Houdini Box, nine-year-old Victor's fascination with the enigmatic magician leads him to lock himself in trunks, hold his breath in the bath and walk through walls, all to no avail. Then one day he meets Houdini at the train station. ""In his arresting, informative blend of fact and fiction, Selznick splendidly captures the sense of wonder surrounding Houdini,"" said PW of the book, originally published in 1991. (Sept.)