Book Review: 3D Printing Projects
Katie 
This book is full of amazing ideas to design and make. As I’ve probably mentioned here before, I really want a 3D printer but have yet to be able to come up with enough things that I would want to make to make buying one worth my while. This book gave me a good starting point at some potential projects! The book goes through how 3D printers work, what materials you need, and some tips in how to use the 3D printing software in order to make shapes. There’s also information on what to do after your item has been printed. Some of the items I would like to try to make that are featured in this book include: a desk caddy, an impossible box, stamps!, coat hooks, frames, magnets and a troll family!
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
This user-friendly family guide to 3-D printing is packed with exciting ideas for how to design and print your own toys, gadgets, models, and ornaments, and doesn’t even require any specialist software.
Using freely available software, 3-D Printing Projects provides inspiration and step-by-step visual instruction for both simple builds and more complicated pieces—from key rings and money boxes to chess boards and model cars. From designing to scanning to modeling to digital sculpting to slicing to printing, this how-to guide covers it all. Information on the 3-D printing revolution and the science behind how it works is also included, so kids can learn even before doing.
Supporting STEAM initiatives and the Maker Movement, 3-D Printing Projects is sure to get young makers creating and innovating.
Stan Lee is the man behind Marvel. Born Stanley Lieber he decided to create the original superhero team and risked it all by creating the Fantastic Four. Stan was born in 1922 and started out as the assistant at Timely Comics when he was a teen. He then enlisted in the military. Fantastic Four #1 did not debut until Lee was 39 years old. Some fun facts on some of Lee’s other projects: Spider-Man was a fan favorite that become a series, Thor was drawn on from Shakeapeare, when Marvel decided to create another team, The Avengers were born. Stan Lee tried to create Stan Lee media but failed.
It’s All A Game is a book about the history of the board game and features a lot of fun games and looks into details about why the games were created and why they have been such a staple in households for so many years. My favorite board game is Monopoly so reading more about that one and how it helped prisoners escape the Nazis was pretty interesting. There were a lot of games I have played featured as well as some that I had never heard of mentioned in the book as well. It goes without saying that this book was a FUN read and if you have any interest in games you might want to check it out!
Songs About a Girl is about Charlie Book, a photographer and Olly – band member from Fire and Lights. The boyband was put together by TV and Charlie is not a big fan, but Olly knows her and knows that she is a photographer so he asks her to take backstage photos of the band as a favor. Charlie’s Mom died when she was 3 and all she has left of her is a journal with songs and poems in them. She ends up realizing that the songs in her Mom’s journal and the lyrics to Fire and Lights songs are eerily the same. She finds out that Gabe, another member of the band is the one who writes all the songs. In typical boyband book fashion – a love triangle erupts between Charlie, Gabe and Olly. Charlie has to keep lying about where she is going because her father is very over protective of her and he wouldn’t want her to be hanging out with the band like she is. She lies and says she is hanging out with her friend Melissa – who is a big fan of Fire and Lights. When things heat up between Charlie and Gabe, a photo of them together ends up on a fan site which causes a lot of drama. But the more Charlie gets to know Gabe, the more she finds out about her Mom. Gabe’s Dad was in Little Boy Blue and it is their lyrics that he is re purposing for Fire and Lights songs. Charlie’s Mom was a groupie of the band and Gabe even has a photo of himself and Charlie together as kids. The book ends a bit abruptly but I am hoping that is because there is a sequel in the works. Also, bonus points for there being a Hanson mention in the book.
The High Note is the second book in the Girl vs Boyband series. I had previously read the first book. Lark is hanging out with Abbey Road – British Boyband that recently had a member replaced by Lark’s crush from school. Mimi is a budding singer and songwriter, but has stage fright so the only way her songs make it out to the world is when Lark and her friend Mimi make videos for the song under a moniker on YouTube. Lark’s Mom gets mad when a record label shows interest in Lark, since her Mom runs a record label as well – which is the one Abbey Road is signed on to. Abbey Road has taken off and they are being primed for fame and Lark may be finding some fame of her own as well. Meanwhile, she has a crush on Teddy and Max says that Teddy has a crush on her as well… The book ended a bit abruptly after Lark’s first show – of course to set up the reader for the next book in the series!
Paper Hearts begins with a cupcake for Rose’s birthday – she has run away and been gone for 4 years. Felicity is at a ball in handmade masks and she meets a guy after he spills on her dress. He tells her that his name is Aaron, but he is actually Alec and he plays bass in the band the Heartbreakers. Felicity and Alec get photographed and end up in a gossip magazine. She expected to never hear from him again and ends up looking around at her house and finds letters from Rose in the closet – she hadn’t run away at all and Felicity is going to try and find her. Alec ends up showing back up and helping her out with her quest to find her sister. The last letter is from San Francisco so they start there, but end up going up the coast and finding her in Seattle. It turns out that Felicity’s Mom had sent Rose away and told her not to try and contact Felicity until after she had graduated. Felicity and Alec seem to be getting closer, but all the gossip mags keep saying that he is dating an actress named Violet. Can Felicity straighten things out with her Mom, sister, and Alec?
If You Give a Man a Cookie is a parody book and is by the same author as the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” book that you may be familiar with. There is a series of events portrayed in the book between a husband and a wife – if you give a man a cookie he will ask for milk (god forbid he gets it himself) and then things just spiral completely out of control from there. A lot of fun to read and good for a quick laugh if you’re looking for one!
Lady Stuff is a book of secrets to being a woman. The book is a series of comics that are all very funny and relatable! The topics covered include: grooming and habitat maintenance, life ambitions, mating habits, self care and social conduct. This was a really quick read since it’s a comic, but I found myself laughing a lot and relating to pretty much everything!
Clay Lab for Kids is a book that includes 52 projects to make, model and mold. The clay used in the book are air dry polymer and homemade clay. Unit 1 is all about creating with kids and clay. Unit 2 is Air Dry clay and learning the basics. Unit 3 is Clay sculpture. Unit 4, polymer clay and learning the basics. Unit 5 is polymer clay sculptures and 6 is making your own clay. For each project there is a list of supplies and a lot of info on the differences between the types of clay. There are some simple projects using textures to get used to using the clay, ways to add color to the clay and a lot of really cool projects throughout like fairy doors and colorful polymer clay animals. Clay is definitely something that I want to try to work with more in the near future so this book really gave me a lot of information that will eventually come in handy!
This book includes 20 easy to craft adventures using cardboard. Explore the world, travel through time, put on a show or work a cool job! Each project has a list of materials and supplies needed in order to make the project and the how to instructions for each. Some of the ones that I thought were pretty cool included a paper towel roll space shuttle, claws, a sled for toys, dinosaurs, a banjo and a ukulele for a rock concert and a construction vest. These are a lot of ideas for a rainy day and you can use your imagination to build upon the projects already in the book to come up with even more great ideas!