Notable: School's out

Kids already getting antsy? Here are two cool hands-on books for them and an updated classic that helps parents and kids love reading together.

Hocus Pocus: A Tale of Magnificent Magicians (Scholastic), by Paul Kieve, combines a novel about a boy who meets time-traveling magicians like Houdini with instructions on how to perform dozens of magic tricks. Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe adds an introduction.

Mission: Space: A Full-Throttle Tour of the Universe (DK Publishing), by Carole Stott, fills round pages (packaged in a star-speckled round box) with colorful graphics and clear text about space, plus stickers, a poster and more.

Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever (Harcourt), by Mem Fox, is an updated edition of the funny, passionate book by a noted children's author and educator.

Colette Bancroft, Times book editor