Friends of Montclair Library

Looking for some books about old fashioned rabbit-out-of-a-hat stage magic to get you warmed up for Goofball the Magician’s appearance at the Montclair branch tomorrow, January 25th, at 3pm?

Adults might enjoy Glen Gold’s Carter Beats the Devil, available as an e-book or in hard copy at several other branches. Partially set in Oakland, this mystery novel delves into the 1920s golden age of stage magic.

For kids interested in learning magic tricks, check out one of these titles from the Montclair collection:

Magic Tricks from the Tree House: A Fun Companion to Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce (J 793.8 OSBORNE)

Magic Up Your Sleeve: Amazing Illusions, Tricks, and Science Facts You’ll Never Believe by Helaine Becker (J 793.8 BECKER)

Harry Houdini for Kids: His Life and Adventures with 21 Magic Tricks and Illusions by Laurie Carlson (J BIO HOUDINI)

Kids Make Magic!: The Complete Guide to Becoming an Amazing Magician by Ron Burgess (J 793.8 BURGESS)

Simple Sleight-of-Hand: Card and Coin Tricks for the Beginning Magician by Paul Zenon (J 793.8 ZENON)

The Most Excellent Book of How to be a Magician by Peter Eldin (J 793.8 ELDIN)

If you’re in the mood for fiction, check out a picture book, like Hey, Presto! by Nadia Shireen or Anton Can Do Magic by Ole Könnecke, or the easy reader Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole by Wong Herbert Yee (J READER YEE).

If you’re an educator with a magical bent, you might want to look at the reference book Leading Kids to Books Through Magic by Caroline Feller Bauer (J REF 027.625 BAUER). According to Booklist: “…Bauer shows how she uses magic tricks to entertain children as she leads them to good books and challenges readers to bolster their courage and try a bit of magic to promote reading….Each section includes instructions for performing at least one trick as well as a short, annotated list of related books and, occasionally, a story or poem to present as part of the magician’s patter.”

Photo by Eva Peris via Flickr