The Magic Misfits

I LOVED THIS!  Read it in one sitting.  It is written by Neil Patrick Harris, one of my favorite actors - yes, I said actors.  He also loves magic.  This is the first in a series which I will definitely continue to buy for my libraries.  It felt to me like a cross between Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events (at the beginning) and Mysterious Benedict Society, with its special kids.  Carter, a boy whose parents disappeared, runs away from an "uncle" who wants him to use his skills as a magician to steal from people.  He ends up in a small town where he finally makes friends and fits in, and they stop a horrible criminal!  It is full of magic tricks you can learn, codes to decipher on the pages, and a great message about what magic really is.  (FIC HAR)