My 12 year old son who enjoys Scouts likes this book. He's the type that makes his pinewood derby by whittling and sanding by hand--using none of those modern machinery tools.(and has actually done very well in the pinewood derby races!) He likes back-to-basics construction projects and this book offers lots of neat ideas and projects, some pretty simple, some more involved, & some of which he would not do, but he enjoys reading about it and looking at the diagrams. It's just interesting and because the book was first published in 1882, some of the language is somewhat pioneeristic and so are the ideas and sketches, but that's what makes it so neat! This book will inspire lots of ideas and encourage boys to get out and go play in the woods or make something at home. It's also a good value for a hardback book.