The title of the book is Big Magic for Little Hands and that’s exactly what it is. For the most part you get magic that could play well for an audience of 25 but for some of the larger effects you could perform them on a stage for an audience of over 100. These are good beginner tricks and I think in almost every case it fits that description.
The book begins with a crash course in magic and theater vocabulary as well as a quick intro to magic and magic ethics.
Levitating your Brother: This is a classic beginning effect that used to be published in one of the cub scout handbooks. A blanket would be thrown over your assistant who lies on a couple chairs and they would rise up about a foot. This seems easier to do than it is, I know from experience with this effect that the type of blanket used, the strength of the assistant and the amount of in show prep you have to do are all factors that make this difficult to pull off in the real world.
Magic Pitcher: This is a do it yourself variation of the staple of children's magicians. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the milk pitcher you can use this to pour milk into a paper cone or hat and then make the milk vanish. This is a work horse for many magicians.
Knot Just Imagination: 3 silks are placed in a clear tube. Upon being blown out they are magically tied together. This one definitely needs some space between you and you audience. Josh has added some nice lines here to help the audience get involved. This would work great at a kids show.
How to Scare the Pants off Your Parents: This is an old gag that you can use to make it sound like you're cracking your neck. This is more of a gag then an actual effect.
It’s a Wrap: This is a fun transposition effect that you can do on stage with a couple assistants and a sheet. You will need a specific performing environment for this but it is a very strong piece of magic for a beginner. Basically the magician wraps a boy in a sheet, upon unraveling the sheet the boy has changed to a girl.
Spook-key: An old fashioned key slowly turns in the magicians hand. This is a classic effect, there are marketed keys for this effect but you can use almost any key for this. It should be noted that there are no gimmicks, magnets or strings.
The Vanishing Teacup: A handkerchief is placed over a tea cup and saucer. The teacup is taken still under the handkerchief and vanishes. This is the same method as the vanishing radio/birdcage(not the Blackstone version) with an adaptation that I think makes a lot more sense.
Rope Escape: The magician’s hands are tied. They are hidden from view for just a moment and he is able to escape instantly. This uses a simplified Keller rope tie and gives the option to do the classic gags of being untied and re-tied again with comic effect.
The Amazing Tube of Mystery: A tube is shown to be empty, with a magical pass it becomes full of candy. This is a classic production tube, most magicians will be familiar with the method.
Coming to Life: Two panels go sweeping across the stage. They cross and the magician appears holding a costume. The panels cross in front of the magician and another person appears, now wearing the costume the magician held.
Egg-Straordinary: A small chinese screen is shown front and back. It is rolled up and when it is tipped an egg falls out. Another piece of classic magic, it will just take a few minutes of prep to get ready.
Pandora’s Box: This is a classic box trick. The box is shown empty and then seconds later the magician’s assistant appears. All you need for this is an assistant and a simple to make box. This is a classic and could easily be used for professional magicians as well as amateurs.
Thumb Thing Cool: The magician grabs their thumb with their teeth and with a pull it becomes twice as long. This is the classic gag, when performed properly it can be very startling.
Breakaway Box: A phone, a scarf or your homework is placed in a box. With a shake the box opens and the object has vanished.
Hat Trick: You make a hat vanish, it is suggested that you use the breakaway box, and the hat appears on the spectators head. The audience will see how you do this but the spectator on whom’s head it appears will not. It is kind of a paper balls over the head effect in that regard
Orna-Mental: This is a Joshua Jay original and was originally published in one of his magazine columns. This is kind of like a card trick that uses a Christmas tree’s ornaments as the cards in the deck. An ornament is selected, all the ornaments are mixed up while you are out of the room. Upon returning you name the ornament and who moved it. This is a fun effect but it is not the kind of thing you can perform one on one.
Notebook of Secrets: You flip through a notebook and it is in black in white, with a little magic you are able to turn the pictures to color. Experienced magicians who are familiar with the magic coloring will understand how this works.
Branching Out: The magician displays a few pieces of newspaper. It is then rolled up and slowly begins to sprout up like a tree. This is a slightly more deceptive version of the classic “newspaper tree”. This handling makes it just a little more magical than the classic version.
Traveling Juice: A cup full of juice is placed in a paper bag. It vanishes and appears the magicians hat. This is a fun little trick that could play well. I’d have a hard time finding the perfect cups for this though.
Sponge Swindle: A small sponge vanishes from the magician’s pocket and appears in the spectator’s hand. This mixes a classic method in sponge magic with a funky ruse to make it easier for young magicians to perform. If you are going to perform this version please don’t use a paper towel as Josh suggests, a cloth handkerchief will work much better. As it is written it seems a little awkward.
Handy Candy: This is a trick that might fool adults as well as children and requires little to no prep. A piece of candy is hidden under one of four mugs and the magician is able to divine it’s location. This is a classic bar trick that could be pulled off by anyone without an accomplice.
Boxed In: Using a handful of dowels and a cardboard box the magician is able to recreate the indian sword basket with the aid of an assistant. This same effect has been used by some professionals as a complete reputation maker and is a real gem.
Wonder-Mint: A tin of colorful mints is dumped into a spectators hand. The spectator names a color and all of the mints change to that color in their hand. This is the kind of small miracle that I would like to make up and try myself.
Crayon Conjuring: While blindfolded the magician is given a crayon. The magician is then able to name the color of the crayon. This is a staple in many beginner books, I could see it really being baffling to those who are uninitiated.
Winter Break: This is the classic method and effect to the “Snowstorm in China”. This will take a lot of practice and will make a big mess. For those who are not familiar with this effect the magician rips up a piece of paper and uses a fan to blow the pieces all over. Slowly the pieces turn into a small snowstorm on the stage with paper confetti snowflakes.
This is the type of magic book I would have liked to have when I was getting started in magic. This is full of stage magic that would fit well in any show or talent show. Some of the methods have been simplified to the point where they are hardly deceptive. This is a great resource for young magicians with a couple small gems that older magicians will appreciate.
The book begins with a crash course in magic and theater vocabulary as well as a quick intro to magic and magic ethics.
Levitating your Brother: This is a classic beginning effect that used to be published in one of the cub scout handbooks. A blanket would be thrown over your assistant who lies on a couple chairs and they would rise up about a foot. This seems easier to do than it is, I know from experience with this effect that the type of blanket used, the strength of the assistant and the amount of in show prep you have to do are all factors that make this difficult to pull off in the real world.
Magic Pitcher: This is a do it yourself variation of the staple of children's magicians. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the milk pitcher you can use this to pour milk into a paper cone or hat and then make the milk vanish. This is a work horse for many magicians.
Knot Just Imagination: 3 silks are placed in a clear tube. Upon being blown out they are magically tied together. This one definitely needs some space between you and you audience. Josh has added some nice lines here to help the audience get involved. This would work great at a kids show.
How to Scare the Pants off Your Parents: This is an old gag that you can use to make it sound like you're cracking your neck. This is more of a gag then an actual effect.
It’s a Wrap: This is a fun transposition effect that you can do on stage with a couple assistants and a sheet. You will need a specific performing environment for this but it is a very strong piece of magic for a beginner. Basically the magician wraps a boy in a sheet, upon unraveling the sheet the boy has changed to a girl.
Spook-key: An old fashioned key slowly turns in the magicians hand. This is a classic effect, there are marketed keys for this effect but you can use almost any key for this. It should be noted that there are no gimmicks, magnets or strings.
The Vanishing Teacup: A handkerchief is placed over a tea cup and saucer. The teacup is taken still under the handkerchief and vanishes. This is the same method as the vanishing radio/birdcage(not the Blackstone version) with an adaptation that I think makes a lot more sense.
Rope Escape: The magician’s hands are tied. They are hidden from view for just a moment and he is able to escape instantly. This uses a simplified Keller rope tie and gives the option to do the classic gags of being untied and re-tied again with comic effect.
The Amazing Tube of Mystery: A tube is shown to be empty, with a magical pass it becomes full of candy. This is a classic production tube, most magicians will be familiar with the method.
Coming to Life: Two panels go sweeping across the stage. They cross and the magician appears holding a costume. The panels cross in front of the magician and another person appears, now wearing the costume the magician held.
Egg-Straordinary: A small chinese screen is shown front and back. It is rolled up and when it is tipped an egg falls out. Another piece of classic magic, it will just take a few minutes of prep to get ready.
Pandora’s Box: This is a classic box trick. The box is shown empty and then seconds later the magician’s assistant appears. All you need for this is an assistant and a simple to make box. This is a classic and could easily be used for professional magicians as well as amateurs.
Thumb Thing Cool: The magician grabs their thumb with their teeth and with a pull it becomes twice as long. This is the classic gag, when performed properly it can be very startling.
Breakaway Box: A phone, a scarf or your homework is placed in a box. With a shake the box opens and the object has vanished.
Hat Trick: You make a hat vanish, it is suggested that you use the breakaway box, and the hat appears on the spectators head. The audience will see how you do this but the spectator on whom’s head it appears will not. It is kind of a paper balls over the head effect in that regard
Orna-Mental: This is a Joshua Jay original and was originally published in one of his magazine columns. This is kind of like a card trick that uses a Christmas tree’s ornaments as the cards in the deck. An ornament is selected, all the ornaments are mixed up while you are out of the room. Upon returning you name the ornament and who moved it. This is a fun effect but it is not the kind of thing you can perform one on one.
Notebook of Secrets: You flip through a notebook and it is in black in white, with a little magic you are able to turn the pictures to color. Experienced magicians who are familiar with the magic coloring will understand how this works.
Branching Out: The magician displays a few pieces of newspaper. It is then rolled up and slowly begins to sprout up like a tree. This is a slightly more deceptive version of the classic “newspaper tree”. This handling makes it just a little more magical than the classic version.
Traveling Juice: A cup full of juice is placed in a paper bag. It vanishes and appears the magicians hat. This is a fun little trick that could play well. I’d have a hard time finding the perfect cups for this though.
Sponge Swindle: A small sponge vanishes from the magician’s pocket and appears in the spectator’s hand. This mixes a classic method in sponge magic with a funky ruse to make it easier for young magicians to perform. If you are going to perform this version please don’t use a paper towel as Josh suggests, a cloth handkerchief will work much better. As it is written it seems a little awkward.
Handy Candy: This is a trick that might fool adults as well as children and requires little to no prep. A piece of candy is hidden under one of four mugs and the magician is able to divine it’s location. This is a classic bar trick that could be pulled off by anyone without an accomplice.
Boxed In: Using a handful of dowels and a cardboard box the magician is able to recreate the indian sword basket with the aid of an assistant. This same effect has been used by some professionals as a complete reputation maker and is a real gem.
Wonder-Mint: A tin of colorful mints is dumped into a spectators hand. The spectator names a color and all of the mints change to that color in their hand. This is the kind of small miracle that I would like to make up and try myself.
Crayon Conjuring: While blindfolded the magician is given a crayon. The magician is then able to name the color of the crayon. This is a staple in many beginner books, I could see it really being baffling to those who are uninitiated.
Winter Break: This is the classic method and effect to the “Snowstorm in China”. This will take a lot of practice and will make a big mess. For those who are not familiar with this effect the magician rips up a piece of paper and uses a fan to blow the pieces all over. Slowly the pieces turn into a small snowstorm on the stage with paper confetti snowflakes.
This is the type of magic book I would have liked to have when I was getting started in magic. This is full of stage magic that would fit well in any show or talent show. Some of the methods have been simplified to the point where they are hardly deceptive. This is a great resource for young magicians with a couple small gems that older magicians will appreciate.