Manyebook

The Bullet Catch

When the orphanage he called home burns to the ground, 14-year-old Leo and his three friends turn to larceny, using as their textbook Harry Houdini's The Right Way to Do Wrong: An Expos of Successful Criminals for survival. Leo proves to be a most gifted pickpocket, but when he is cruelly betrayed by his gang, he abandons the life of crime to become the apprentice of a has-been magician named Barzini. With Houdinis help, Barzini is staging a comeback, complete with an improved variation on the bullet catch trick made famous by his arch enemy, Chung Ling Soo. He wants more than to outshine his old rival; he is out for revenge. As Leo struggles to escape his dangerous past, he must confront the possibility that his new mentor may be even more dangerous. This spellbinding mystery chronicles the coming-of-age of a resourceful young man who must refashion his destiny amid murder and misadventure in the golden age of mystery.

"The Axelrods take readers to World War I-era New York City for a tale of magic, mystery and crime." — Kirkus Reviews

"The mother-and-son coauthors have written a cleverly plotted historical mystery that takes the reader inside the world of professional magic." — Booklist

"Loaded with facts about Chung Ling Soo, the magician who invented the infamous trick, readers are also treated to Harry Houdini as an additional character." — School Library Journal, JLG's Booktalks to Go

"Amy and David Axelrod blend history, mystery, and the art of growing up into a middle-grade page-turner with considerable depth." — Hudson Valley Chonogram

Read an excerpt from THE BULLET CATCH here: http://www.holidayhouse.com/excerpts/...

Read an interview with co-authors Amy Axelrod and David Axelrod here: http://www.holidayhouse.com/spotlight...

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Pages
  • 320
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9780823428588
  • Genres
  • mystery, magic
  • Release date
  • 2015