STICKY FINGERS

Clear directions for nifty-looking duct-tape crafts abound in this guide, featuring items that can be made for school and home, to wear and to carry tablets, phones and even lunch.

A brief introduction details the evolution of duct tape as it moved from its utilitarian but dull silver hue at the hardware store to its ubiquitous availability in a rainbow assortment of colors and patterns. Maletsky efficiently breaks down the basics of what readers will need to get started and pragmatically suggests how to organize supplies into a portable bin. First comes instruction in the core techniques that are needed, plus tape-saving methods for using tarpaulin material and felt as a backing and a handy evaluation of which brands and types of the sticky stuff offer users the most bang for their buck. Then 58 different projects are offered, each one coded for its level of ease and estimated completion time. Though many will appeal broadly, there are some that are geared most readily to young teens who favor the traditionally girly—such as a watermelon-slice–shaped clutch purse and an earring tree that uses a toilet-paper tube as its trunk. Also included are plenty of clever ideas for how to create embellishments like tassels, stickers, rosettes and ruffles. 

Chock full of appealing ideas, with a thorough table of contents, index, and a colorful, illustrated layout, to boot. (Nonfiction. 9-16)