I found this book very engaging. The projects and materials are simple and well presented, and the low cost materials will make them accessible to a broad range of kids. The cute animals in several of the projects brought a nice aspect of play into the learning experiences.
I particularly liked the sections with “what should happen” and “troubleshoot this” to encourage and guide kids through the learning process. Highly recommended to parents, teachers and kids. ( )

Do you like making things? Are you looking for some easy projects to impress your friends? If you are in elementary school this book may help you with some new ideas. The illustrations and pictures make the projects in this book easy to build with stuff that can be found around the house.
I found the projects to be a little simple and would like to see some projects that are a little more challenging.

A nifty little book with projects that ask the young student (6th grade with supervision for tool use) not just to build some cool projects, but to troubleshoot them using an understanding of how they work. I won't use it in my classroom -- I have a curriculum to keep to-- but my own children have enjoyed the projects.

What a cool book. I can't wait to some of these projects. ( )

Engineer This! by Carol J. McBride and Francisco L. Gonzalez is a book of projects for kids with a mechanical engineering interest. Projects range from very simple bat wings to the more complex build of a motorized toy car.

Each project is clearly explained and laid out in the scientific method. Extra facts are added in Think About This! blurbs Troubleshooting sections are offered for each project to help with any problems. Experiments are suggested and there is a note taking section at the end of some projects to record results such as the speed and distance the car traveled or how different materials effect the project outcome. A glossary at the end helps with the vocabulary used in the book and there is a reference section at the back.

I think most of the projects would be easy for a young child working with a parent. Concepts such as kinetic energy, fulcrums, and the laws of motion are explained in a way that anyone could understand. Projects toward the end of the book might be better for an older child as they are a bit more involved. I wish there were more diagrams for the process of building these machines, but other than that, I think the book is very clear with instructions so that kids and their parents will not be disappointed. ( )