Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Tom Swift Young Inventor: The Robot Olympics
Fiction Series
For ages 8 to 12
Simon and Schuster, 2006 ISBN: 978-1416913610
Tom Swift and his friend Yolanda have built a robot which they hope will win the prize in the upcoming Robot Olympics. Sponsored by the White House’s Office of Science and Technology, the event is the pinnacle achievement for young inventors who are interested in robots. Tom and Yo’s robot, SwiftBot, has come a long way and the friends have high hopes that it will do well against its three competitors. The robot is going to have to have to compete in an obstacle course, it is going to have lift weights, and it is going to have to play in a series of one-on-one basketball games.
Two things spoil the feel of the event for Tom. One is the fact that his arch enemy, Andy Foger is competing in the Olympics with his robot. Andy has no scruples and no sense of fair play so Tom knows he has to be on the lookout. Who knows what Andy might try to do to win. Then there is the fact that The Road Back, or TRB, an antiscience terrorist group, is making its presence felt and Tom is worried that TRB might try to sabotage the Olympics. When it is discovered that someone has been bugging the trailers in which the competing robots are being kept, Tom is sure that something is going on. Is Andy trying to steal secrets or is TRB trying to attack the event in some way?
In this second book in the Tom Swift series, Victor Appleton takes his readers inside the world of inventor’s competitions. It is a world fraught with fierce rivalry, and in this case outside danger. Anyone who has an interest in science and technology will find this adventure tale entertaining and intriguing. Tom’s gadgets are enough to make anyone with a fondness for such things deeply envious.
