• 5 Star Reads
  • Audiobooks
  • Books on Screen
  • Children’s Books
  • Christian
  • Fiction
  • Giveaways

5 Minutes For Books

  • Home
  • About
    • Who Are We? Reviewer Bios
    • 5 Star Reads
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Join In
    • 5 Minutes for Books Bookclub
    • Children’s Classics
    • Kids’ Picks
    • What’s on Your Nightstand
  • Link To Us
  • Contact
    • Advertise

Horten’s Incredible Illusions

August 22, 2012 by Jennifer

Last month I fell in love with Stuart Horten and the other delightful characters in Lissa Evans Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms. I couldn’t wait to read the second in the series, and I hoped that it would hold up, because there’s always the danger that the second one won’t. Please click through to read my review of that first book to see why I love Horten so much. And keep reading here to see if the sequel lives up to the 5-Star standard set by that one.

There are ways in which Horten’s Incredible Illusions: Magic, Mystery & Another Very Strange Adventure is better than the first. There’s more excitement and adventure which is something that always make a book better to my kids. However I do think that it lacks some of the charm that made me fall head over heels with the characters in the first one. Since I had read the first book, the warm feelings carried through, if that makes sense, but for that reason and to insure that you get the whole background of the fun story, I’d definitely recommend that you read the first one first.

In Horten’s Incredible Illusions, we get more of April (and even May and June), the nosy triplet girls next door who make perfect partners to Horten’s plans (even if he wouldn’t necessarily agree).

This book picks up pretty much exactly where the first one left off. Uncle Tony’s illusions have been found and are on display at the Beeton Museum. Stuart has been asked to be a junior curator, and of course April is there beside him every step of the way to cover the story. As they are trying to figure out the magic tricks, they uncover a message from Uncle Tony that they have to decipher. On top of that, Stuart gets a strange call from someone wanting to buy the tricks. But first, Stuart has to find Uncle Tony’s will to prove him the rightful owner.

Finding the will requires mastering each illusion, and when he does that, he’s transported to a magic place where he has to solve a puzzle to get back out and also to collect a part of the clue.

This is a story full of action and suspense, surprises, suspending reality and lots of magic. I highly recommend these two books to lovers of middle-grade fiction of all ages.

You can buy this book now on amazon or at Barnes and Noble.

I’m happy to report that the publisher has offered one of you a chance to win Horten’s Incredible Illusions (U.S. shipping addresses only). Just leave a comment below, and we’ll announce the winner in our giveaway column on September 5. The giveaway is closed.

  • The winner of The Deposit Slip is #8 Marjorie.
  • The winner of the Soar with Reading JetBlue pack is #13 Staci A.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Jennifer Donovan still enjoys reading middle grade fiction, and will probably continue to enjoy it even after she doesn’t have a middle-grade reader in her house. Now that her daughter is in high school and has left the demographic, she’s pleased to share books like this with her 3rd grade son. She blogs at Snapshot.

Filed Under: Children's Books, Jennifer, Middle Grade Chapter Books

« The Color of Tea, a 5-Star Read
Size 12 and Ready To Rock »

Comments

  1. Leilani says

    August 22, 2012 at 1:14 pm

    Oooh, this sounds like a book my son would like. Thanks for the review and giveaway!

  2. Cindi says

    August 22, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    Triplets? I love it. My mom was one of triplets
    that were born in 1920~
    This book sounds delightful…
    Many thanks, Cinid

  3. Anne says

    August 22, 2012 at 5:42 pm

    An ideal book for my grandson. thanks for this giveaway.

    • Jennifer says

      September 4, 2012 at 10:42 pm

      Anne–

      You won this book. Please reply to this email notification with your address.

  4. Angel S. says

    August 22, 2012 at 7:57 pm

    Sounds perfect for my son! Thanks!!

  5. Tammy Gordon says

    August 22, 2012 at 9:13 pm

    Sounds like a good book

  6. Jessica T says

    August 22, 2012 at 11:31 pm

    Sounds like a good read

  7. Chris says

    August 23, 2012 at 12:53 am

    I bet my rising middle schoolers would love this!

  8. Amy says

    August 23, 2012 at 9:59 am

    Yep! Sign me up!

    By the way, should I have already received my prize copy of Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms? I haven’t, and it sounds like just the thing for me to read right now!

  9. Christine W says

    August 27, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    My son would love this…thanks for the chance!

  10. Staci A says

    August 28, 2012 at 1:24 pm

    This sounds like a book my son would love to read with me!

  11. Beth C says

    August 30, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    My grandson would enjoy this.
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

  12. april yedinak says

    September 3, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    This looks like a book my son would love. Thanks for the giveaway.

  13. nannypanpan says

    September 3, 2012 at 11:04 pm

    would be great for my nephew
    [email protected]

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to 5 Minutes for Books. We are a team blog dedicated to sharing reviews and information about children's lit, fiction, memoir, and more. Read More…

Reviews

5 Minutes for Books

Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor

MEET OUR TEAM



Connect With Us


Pinterest

Community

Cybils Logo Draft 3

Disclosure:

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

Recent Posts

  • Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
  • The House of Eve
  • Bright and Deadly Things
  • Long Story Short
  • Stone Cold Fox

Categories

Privacy Policy    |     Disclosure Policy
Terms & Conditions
© 5 Minutes for Mom

Let’s Socialize

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!

Find and Follow Us at
pinterest.com/5min4books

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316