Yes, Macaulay's _The Way Things Work_ is a wonderful book. He's a little bit older than I think you may have guessed he is. His younger siblings like that book too.

Libraries in general are where I spend much of my life. I definitely like to bring all my children to libraries at every opportunity. Thanks for mentioning The Teenage Liberation Handbook in your reply. Some older hackers may find that very interesting as a way to hack getting an education.