Book Review: Mr. Mysterious & Company
Author: Sid Fleischman
Date: 1962
Publisher: Little Brown & Company
ISBN: none
Length: 151 pages
Illustrations: line drawings by Eric von Schmidt
Quote: “Have you ever seen a cow lay eggs?”
Sid Fleischman was a stage magician before he was a writer. His first book explained tricks he did on stage. Later he wrote several comic novels about magicians, entertainers, and storytellers.
Mr. Mysterious & Company is vintage Fleishman. A fictional family travel around the partly settled but still wild Western States, offering “wholesome family entertainment” featuring Pa’s magic tricks. Using a combination of tricks, showmanship, and basic niceness, they rescue a dog, make friends, and strike a balance between a settled-down lifestyle and their love of performing.
Even third grade students will see the happy ending coming, but the comedy is funny enough that people tend to read (or listen to) the whole story once.
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