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Read the following Reviews:
• Wand Kit
• Scholastic Ultimate Magic Club Sets
• Magic Science Kit

Here is a review of the Wand Kit:

There are six tricks in the Wand Kit:
Two Card Monte - Only two cards are used. One card switches places with a card placed behind the back.
Shrinking Magic Wand - With careful handling, it can appear that this wand shrinks in size. It can also be made to look like the wand is removed from a small bag or box.
Ball and Vase - A classic of magic: A ball removed from a vase and hidden, reappears in the vase.
The Dice Tube - A small die dropped through a narrow tube somehow changes spots even though the tube is too small for the die to rotate.
Ring & Spring - A great puzzle: Only the Magician can remove the ring from the spring.
Coin Drawer - Any coin placed in the drawer can vanish or re-appear.

Summary: This is a great, inexpensive kit for children ages 5 - 10. And kids may really like that the kit is inside of a Jumbo Magic Wand, which could be used to "make the magic happen".

Plus there is now a FREE DVD included. The tricks are taught by a young looking 11 year old boy so that kids can relate to him. The other advantage of having tricks taught on the DVD is that some additional uses for the tricks are included. High value!
BUY WAND KIT w/DVD NOW! for $21 each. 

Here is a review of the new Magic Kits from Scholastic Books.
Reproduced from M-U-M with permission of the Society of American Magicians: www.magicsam.com

High Scholastic Standard

Ultimate Magic Club Sets
From www.scholastic.com/ultimatemagic. Ten month subscription for $17.48/month.

Review by Jim Kleefeld

   Scholastic has been successful for years because they keep their fingers on the pulse of kids' interests. So it is no surprise that their current magic sets are appealing products.
The Scholastic Ultimate Magic Club consists of a subscription including 10 separate magic sets that are mailed to customers' homes a month apart. The "club" is aimed at 8 to 12-year olds. Each magic set comes very attractively packaged in a sturdy 8 by 10 by 2 inch box with a molded plastic insert. Each box contains props for four standard juvenile tricks, a 32-page book of instructions and a performance DVD. Each kit is themed around a magic category or child interest such as Animal Magic, Money Magic, Liquid Magic, and Spooky Magic.
   The props are mostly standard items that are found in toy magic sets: Spikes Thru Coin, Drawer Box, Money Maker. A few are specially printed or manufactured to provide some novelty or fit the theme. Teh classic Rattle Bars trick, for example, has been transformed into three skulls, and the Sponge Bunnies are goldfish.
   Writers Danny Orleans and John Railing have done an admirable job of selecting and expanding on the tricks props. There are 11 separate tricks for the Drawer Box and 14 for the Money Maker. The instructions are plainly written and succinct, with clear photographic illustrations. The photos use children with a "real look, wearing jeans and tennis shoes, and would be appealing to the average youthful reader. Each book also includes a page on magic history.
   In addition to the book, each kit has a DVD that shows children performing the tricks. These are kids doing small tricks for other kids, so they ring true to the props and the tone of the kits. There are no explanations on the DVDs, allowing the buyer to show them to non-magicians. Each DVD also has Orleans and Railing performing a trick from their professional repertoires, sample performances from other kits in the series, and a bloopers section. I especially like these out-takes, as they focus positively on the children and do not appear to be contrived.
   While I found the kits well-produced and very appealing, the club subscription runs $17.48 per month for the 10 months, making an investment in the total package close to $175. It's not an unreasonable price to pay for the opportunity to cultivate a skill or hobby for a youngster. You could pay a lot less if you bought the same number of tricks in a single large magic set. But kids are prone to dropping their interests quickly, and having the magic delivered in small doses over a period of time is a great way to re-enervate them regularly and keep the interest alive. For the collector, these kits are definitely worthy of consideration. They are a nice departure from the majority fo magic sets currently available. The specially-themed tricks, creative and clever artwork that focuses on children, rather tha staid top hat and rabbit images, and high quality of the instructions make these sets stand out.

This kit is available at Everything Hobby, Rochester, MN

Magic Science Kit Ages 8+. This is a Magic Kit with a science emphasis. There are 6 well-illustrated tricks in it. The explanations are clear, and they also include Patter Suggestions (what to say.) The Tricks: 1. The Magic Cube - Objects can be produced from an "empty box." Ease of performance: Easy. Deceptiveness: Poor. 2. The Mystery of the Bolt - A wing nut unscrews itself from a screw while inside of a matchbox. Ease of performance: moderate.  Deceptiveness: Good. 3. The Rising Ring - A ring threaded over a pencil slides upward. Ease of performance: Easy   Deceptiveness: OK. But it could be improved. See notes on "Invisible Thread." 4. The Haunted Box - A matchbox drawer opens while resting in your hand. Ease of performance: moderate.   Deceptiveness: Good 5. The Disappearing Dinosaur - A dinosaur temporarily hidden behind a screen, disappears. Ease of performance: Easy.  Deceptiveness: Good Setup: You'll need to prepare for this trick with a weight (like a washer), not included. Provide your own "screen." 6. The Penny Puzzle Betcha - Bet: to move one of three pennies without touching it. It's not really a magic trick, it goes under the category of a bet or stunt. Included Props:    "invisible thread" - not very invisible. It is a thin, clear, plastic thread that is used for a number of tricks. You'd be better off to use some thin, black thread. It will be less visible in most lighting conditions.     Production Box - It needs to be assembled from two included parts. This box uses an old, standard magic principle. But the result is not deceptive at all.     Small Matchbox - The box is used in two of the tricks, both of which are pretty good if performed correctly.     Wing nut on a screw - These are used for the Mystery of the Bolt    Plastic Dinosaur - it's lightweight. 4" long.    Plastic Ring- used for the rising ring.    Instruction Book - It's a good illustrated booklet that includes methods and words for each trick. Each trick also has a "Science Magic Explanation." A couple of introductory pages give performing tips. Overall Review: Younger kids will need help setting up and assembling some of the tricks. But, once explained by an adult, they should have no problem attempting to perform these tricks. I say "attempting" because the most difficult part of most tricks for kids is learning how to present it. Negatives: The Production Box isn't deceptive, and the Clear thread is not very invisible. The three best tricks also are basically the same effect: an object moves on it's own. Positives: The three tricks that demonstrate the ability of objects to move by themselves: The Rising Ring (on pencil), The Mystery of the Bolt, and The Haunted Box, are all good tricks (if used with black thread, as listed above.) Bob Miller MAGICIAN! Rating: 4 out of 5 for 8+ age.