Marc
I'll add my review here. Full disclosure, I read this book at a bookstore (yes they still exist) while searching for some age-appropriate magic material for my 6.5 year old. Spoiler alert, though I thought the book was excellent, I did not ultimately buy it. Why?
In the end, I felt that this would be PERFECT for a slightly older (or more mature/developed) kid getting ready to perform for a talent show at school. All good magic requires patience and practice, plus this one required at least a small amount of construction, crafting AND sometimes an assistant. Don't get me wrong, these are important things for kids to learn, but you've got to have the right kid at the right developmental stage to make it work.
A kid or parent who wants instant gratification is not going to love this book. And while I definitely value the importance of teaching these kinds of lessons to my boy, I've already got him in three other after-school activities where structure, focus, discipline and working together is required, and I wanted something a little "easier" for him to manage/explore by himself.
(By way of reference/comparison, In my mind, the "perfect" beginner magic trick for young and old alike is the Buddha Papers. Simple to handle, EXTREMELY visual, clever and feels like real magic, very satisfying, even to the presenter.)
This book is filled mainly with big, showy tricks for the stage. Which in a way is nice. A lot of "kids magic" tricks are small devices/pieces that might show well up-close for family and friends at a party, but get lost (and be virtually invisible) on the big stage.
That said, the writing in this book is excellent, steps are clear and a fair amount of attention is focused on the presentation or patter. A nice feature that is normally, and frustratingly absent from other "beginner magic" kits and the like. Kids (adults too frankly) need all the help they can get with the presentation, building drama, in magic tricks. Put more simply, they need to know what to say. Some kids may be natural presenters, can develop a story/narrative to go along with the magic, but most, I'm going to guess, not so much.
I expect, if my boy continues to enjoy magic, this book will eventually find its way onto our shelves. Maybe when he's in 2nd grade though!
