Make A Secret Book Safe

October 21, 2023

MAKE A SECRET HOLLOW BOOK SAFE

The main problem with living a life fraught with intrigue and mystery is that you’re always running out of places to hide top-secret documents. Are you a protective detective whose filing is ineffective? Do you prefer your international espionage with a healthy dose of home crafts? Well LOOK NO FURTHER. We’ve got just the project for you!

Here at AQUILA HQ we don’t usually approve of destroying books (no, not even really old, boring ones with no pictures) but you can make this secret book safe without having to do any of that. Absolutely no books were harmed in the making of this secret spy receptacle.

YOU WILL NEED:

– Thin cardboard (from a cereal box)

– Corrugated cardboard (from a packaging box)

– Coloured paper

– Ribbon (approx 15 cm)

– Stickers

– Old magazines

– Glue stick

– Ruler

– Pencil

– Scissors

– Glue gun (or strong craft glue)

– PVA glue

MAKE THE BOOK COVER

STEP 1

Measure and cut three pieces of cereal box card. Two pieces should be 20 cm x 30 cm. The third should be 1.5 cm x 30 cm.

STEP 2

Measure and cut a piece of paper 48 cm x 33 cm.

STEP 3

Using the glue stick, attach the three pieces of thin card to the paper and fold over the edges.

STEP 4

Turn over and decorate the cover. We made our book about bugs, but you can let your imagination run wild. What will your book be about? Use stickers, hand-drawn pictures or images found in old magazines to create your cover.

STEP 5

Paint the whole thing with a nice thick layer of PVA glue to seal your book cover and protect it from bumps and scrapes. Leave to dry.

TOP TIP

Why not make your book title into a clue? Suggestions include:

– The Big Book of Secret Hiding Places

– Conspiracies!

– The Bumper Book of How to Get Away with Stuff

If you really want to keep the contents a secret, the best thing to do is to give your book a title so unappealing it will never arouse suspicion. How about:

– Spreadsheets that Changed the World

– Duvets I Have Known

– Literally Watching Paint Dry, A Decorator’s Memoir

What can you come up with?

MAKE THE INSIDE WITH SECRET COMPARTMENT

STEP 1

Using the thick corrugated card cut four pieces. Two should be 28.5 cm x 2.5 cm, and the other two pieces should be 19.5 cm x 2.5 cm. Cover with paper.

STEP 2

Glue gun the cardboard strips edge down on to the back cover.

STEP 3

You now have the outside wall to your box. Cover it all the way around with a long strip of paper.

STEP 4

Using a glue gun, stick the spine to the left-hand side of the box.

STEP 5

Place a piece of paper at the bottom of the box.

STEP 6

Cut four pieces of corrugated card. Two should be 28 cm x 1 cm, and two pieces should be 19 cm x 1 cm. Glue them edge down, inside the box to make an inner wall.