I'm lucky enough to actually have a cousin who is a talented magician. So when it comes to price, I'm not too sure - he entertains all the kids at our family's birthday parties. One thing I can say is that if price is an issue, consider going another route: entertain them yourself! The last time Bryce (my cousin) entertained the kids it was at my daughter's 8th birthday, and the kids absolutely loved this one prop he had. I asked him about it later and he said it wasn't a prop, it's actually a legitimate toy that he and his roommates used to play with in high school! Long story short, I was able to buy one for our family from http://www.vortexflowtoys.com and now I can mesmerize my 2 kids with it myself! It's basically a bunch of interwoven rings that constantly change the shape of the overall object as you move it around.. the faster the better!