Dahl, Michael. The Trouble With Abracadabra. (Hocus Pocus Hotel #4)

Dahl, Michael.  The Trouble With Abracadabra. (Hocus Pocus Hotel #4)  Capstone/Stone Arch 2013  112   ISBN 978-1-4342-4102-3  elem  Hardback    VG  Fantasy

This is the fourth title in the Hocus Pocus Hotel series.  Brack, the elevator operator, tells the public that he is also the magician Abracadabra and will be doing one final show.  He invites all the magicians to a party at his rooftop mansion.  There, Theopolis challenges Brack to figure out how he does his illusion.  The hotel and mansion are the prizes at stake.  Theopolis appears to juggle while being levitated over the pool, amid thick smoke and other special effects.  Brack, Charlie and Ty are perplexed as to how he did it.  They think about it and question people all week.  On the last day, Ty figures it out and the hotel is saved.  The solution is a bit too simple to have confused them for such a long time.

Supplemental material includes discussion questions, writing prompts, a glossary and one trick, easily mastered by a young magician, that is illustrated and explained.  The story is fast-paced and full of action.  Sentences are kept short and direct, and the vocabulary is simple to fit the needs of young readers.  This title will appeal to grades 2-6 and struggling older readers.  It is easy to read without seeming condescending.  Readers will enjoy the Hocus Pocus Hotel stories, and each one builds on the others with familiar characters.  It is highly recommended for grades 3-6.

Summary:  Fourth in the Hocus Pocus Hotel series.  Brack (a.k.a. Abracadabra) is faced with a challenge, with the hotel and his home on the line.  Ty and Charlie must figure out how a magic trick was done, and the solution is almost too simple. Elementary grades.           

Magic tricks-Fiction, Easy readers                                --Joan Theal