The Magician's Daughter: A Memoir

Never before has the daughter of a great magician written with such candor and beauty about magic's backstage—and onstage—world, where even the most outlandish dreams are possible.

The Magician's Daughter—A Memoir is a coming-of-age story set within the motion and light of a traveling magic show. Fourteen-year-old Katy is the daughter of Lee Grabel, a former professional magician stuck behind a desk in the suburbs who yearns to rekindle the past fame of his old magic show. When he decides to hit the road again in a grand bid to be a Las Vegas headliner, Katy has her chance for the spotlight she yearns for as his stage assistant. With a truck full of wonderments, the Grabel family and their crew go on tour across the western states, where trouble quickly ensues along with the increasing unhappiness of her mother —The Beautiful Helene—who is disenchanted with the magic show even as she runs it with military precision from her table stage right. Setting up, performing, and packing out of town after town, tensions mount, and betrayal is in the air.

Through error and misstep, Katy struggles to free herself from the show's intoxicating spotlight. Meanwhile, the Grabels and their crew are getting closer to their booking at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where the show's ultimate fate will be determined.

Readers will be captivated by this page-turner where Penn & Teller meets Mission Impossible. It's a tale that delves into the complexities of family dynamics and the enduring power of love, set against the backdrop of a mesmerizing magic show.