How to Fool Your Parents: 25 Brain-Breaking Magic Tricks

by David Kwong, Michael Korfhage (Illustrator)

Overview

Every kid can be a magician with these easy-to-learn, top-secret tricks from celebrity magician David Kwong! How to Fool Your Parents is the essential guide to the mysteries of magic, with more than two dozen illusions perfectly designed for young, aspiring tricksters, using everyday, household objects!

How to Fool Your Parents is the twenty-first-century guide to the magic of magic. Jam-packed with dozens of tricks, this guide features fully illustrated, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to make fooling anyone more fun than ever. Expect to become a master at:

• Sleight of hand
• Card tricks
• Cell phone and technology magic
• Using secret codes and signals
• AND MORE!

This is the first magic book for the digital generation, giving kids all the tools they need to create, explore, and experiment—whether they're making magic with a deck of cards or on their smartphone. And it all comes from the master of the sleight-of-hand himself, David Kwong, whose one-man shows have been selling out theaters and delighting audiences for years.

Get ready to become a true trickster—and to leave your family and friends utterly astonished!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063140585
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/08/2024
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	6
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

David Kwong is a magician and New York Times crossword puzzle constructor. He holds a degree in history from Harvard, where he studied the history of magicians. Kwong was the head magic consultant on the worldwide hit Now You See Me and is the secret code advisor on NBC's Blindspot. Other films he has consulted on include Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation, The Imitation Game, and The Magnificent Seven. A TED Talk favorite, Kwong regularly lectures and performs for companies worldwide. He lives in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

What a brilliant book! I love it! Ideas to fool your parennn… wait a minute. I AM a parent. Why am I reading this? I have to set this book down immediately..! It’s filled with trickery of the highest order! David Kwong, what have you done?!?”  — Neil Patrick Harris, author of The Magic Misfits

A perfect book for any kid who likes making a little bit of mischief! — B.J. Novak, author of The Book with No Pictures  

“An irresistible chance for kids to get the inside track on knowledge and power.” — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2024-07-04
Aspiring magicians, gather round!

Despite the title’s hint at transgression, the tricks covered here are all in good fun, though the first one involves getting parents to promise (in writing) something they’d otherwise probably not endorse. But Kwong assures us that “parentswant to be fooled.” (And none of the tricks requires a rabbit, at least.) The author clearly explains plenty of illusions, from making your cellphone disappear to flattening a quarter to identifying a crayon by color without looking at it. He specifies what supplies are needed, describes the setup, and lays out steps. Korfhage’s drawings offer both careful depictions of the sequence and casual decorative vignettes. Kwong also suggests a backup plan in case readers flub a trick. A glossary defines specific terms, such asditch andload. Sidebars provide tidbits about famous tricks and magicians of the past, such as Talma, known for an illusion called “Asrah the Floating Princess.” Kwong also covers disabled magicians, including Richard Turner, a blind card mechanic. After the first section, devoted to sleight of hand, Kwong branches out to explore technology-based magic, mentalism, and tricks based on codes. Math and chemistry play a role in some tricks; an understanding of psychology is essential. The author urges readers to “practice, practice, practice” before performing, and he warns them “to use your new powers for good, not evil!” Final art not seen.

An irresistible chance for kids to get the inside track on knowledge and power for a change.(Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews