"The Houdini Box" by Brian Selznick
Historical fiction has characters and events based on real people and events in history. Harry Houdini was an actual magician who lived in New York City.
Houdini the magician was very famous. He could do thousands of fantastic tricks. He could escape from chains and jails. In fact, it seemed that he could escape from anything. Everyone was fascinated by Harry Houdini, especially children. Children would like to make things vanish as he did. They too would like to do amazing things.
Ten-year-old Victor wanted to be a magician. When he was eight, he had locked himself into his grandmother's old trunk. He tried to get out in twenty seconds the way Houdini did. But he couldn't get out in any seconds. Finally, he yelled and cried, and his mother undid the locks and got him out. She was upset that he had done it. He was upset that he hadn't.
Victor tried other Houdini tricks. He tried holding his breath for minutes at a time under water. He tried walking through walls. Of course he was not successful.
To distract him, Victor's mother took him to visit his aunt. In the bustling train station, something really amazing happened. Victor saw Houdini! Victor ran over to him. He had so many questions! How could he escape from his Grandmother's trunk? How could he hold his breath longer? Why couldn't he walk through walls? How could he become a magician?
Houdini listened. He said no one had ever asked him so many questions in such a short time. He asked Victor for the luggage tag from his suitcase. It had his address on it, and Houdini promised to write to him. Victor kept trying so many tricks he drove his mother almost crazy. Finally the letter came. Houdini asked Victor to come to his house. "You will discover many secrets," the letter promised.
Houdini's wife answered the door. It was Halloween, but Victor wasn't in costume. He told her he was a magician, and he showed her the letter. She began to cry. She asked Victor inside and told him to wait. When she, not Houdini, came back, she gave him a little locked box. Then she told him softly that Houdini had died that morning. Victor would never see Houdini. And this box wasn't even his! When Victor examined it later, he saw "E.W." on the bottom. Someone else's initials.
Victor put the box away. Years went by. He grew up and got married and had a little boy of his own. One day Victor and his son were playing ball near a graveyard. Victor's son hit the ball so hard that it landed by a big monument—Houdini's grave!
Victor stared at the monument. Two words were under the name Houdini. Victor realized it was Houdini's real name. Ehrich Weiss. E.W.! Victor laughed out loud and ran home, carrying his son.
That night, he waited until his wife and son were asleep. He found the old box in a leaky corner of the attic. As he dusted it off, its lock crumbled. The water had rusted it. Soon after, Victor locked himself into his grandmother's trunk once again. And he escaped in less than twenty seconds!