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Magic for Kids

Perpetual Notion

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Apr 6, 2005
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Hello all. My friend's 11 year old son was got to participate in a magic act last night and has learned how to do a rope trick. He's now crazy for anything magic and I'm wondering if you would have any suggestions about websites or books for kids who are just starting out. Thanks in advance.
 
1. Stay away from the magic kits.

2. Mark Wilson's Complete Course of Magic (title may be a little off, but it is Mark Wilson)

3. The Magic Book (by Harry Lorayne)

You could make a career reading no books besides these, and they will help him focus his interests.
 
I agree, stay away from magic kits. (There is a company that has just started putting out some really good magic kits, but so far their availability is limited. Most magic kits are crap.)

I recommend Larry Anderson's "Jawdroppers" videos. The tricks there are not big stage illusions, but they are suitable for showing friends, and some of them can be done close up. Most of the tricks require very little skill. But some of them, even though they are not difficult to do, require quite a bit of practice to do really well.

Also, you get a lot of bang for your buck. Many magic videos have one or two really good tricks, and the most of the rest are stinkers. But Larry Anderson has a pretty good wow-to-dud ratio.
 
For card tricks, get "Scarne on Card Tricks." This book has its share of duds, too, but there are more than a handful of tricks in there that are very good.
 
I second all of the above comments.

There are two Mark Wilson books -- one is the Complete Course in MAgic, and the other is the Magic Cyclopedia (or similar) -- you want the Complete Course (much better book).
 
He's old enough to start practicing sleights. Get The Royal Road book.
 
"Now You See It, Now You Don't" by Bill Tarr

I wish I had gotten that book as a kid!
 
Thanks so much. I picked up the Mark Wilson "Complete Course in Magic" for starters and sent this thread to his dad for other ideas. "Now you see it. Now you Don't." sounds fun. He needs some new ideas because the disappearing salt shaker trick is getting a little old :)
 
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