The Robot Olympics

When I was young, I feasted on the Tom Swift Jr. books written in the sixties. The U. S. space program was in its' heyday and I constantly imagined myself as a real-life Tom Swift. My fantasy was to create a lab on a tropical island in the Pacific called Tropica and invent things that would change the world. I have also read a few of the books in the original Tom Swift series of the early twentieth century and the contrast between the series is as much cultural as it is technological. This is the first book in the latest series that I have read. Being an old-timer, I found the style of the writing a bit difficult to handle, the modern nature is significantly unlike what was used in the earlier series. Bud Barclay returns as a character, only now he is black, a reporter for the high school paper and a bit of a technophobe. I found his lack of technical prowess disturbing, in the sixties series, Bud was an excellent sidekick that could pilot a plane and fight when needed. However, like everyone else, I must accept the changes that take place, so I understand that prose, like technology, must change with the times. As a story about a young inventor, this one works. Tom's relationship with his parents and invention are modern, the villain in this case is a fellow teen in a robotics contest and a violent group that is very anti-robot. Tom has entered his robot "Swiftbot" into a robot Olympics and it is competing against robots developed by fellow teens. Tom's robot struggles in some aspects of the competition; it is not an easy victory. There is also no fighting or other similar violence, the situation is resolved relatively peaceably. If you read this book in the context of the older stories, you may find it difficult to accept. However, if you accept the social changes that require a change in writing style, then you can read and enjoy a story that still fits within the centuries old Tom Swift genre.

The writing is for kids, but the new series is a nice update. My 9yo son love the new over the old. I still like the writing in the older series. Would recommend. Not expensive, OK soft cover.

This is a great book in the newly re-invented Tom Swift series. In fact, this would have made a better book #1 and introduction to this new series (some early cover art shows this as #1 in the Young Inventor series.) Tom and his family, friends, and environment are nicely introduced in this story. We have descriptions of the characters and the town of Shopton (which boasts a "Statemeyer Street" and is said to by quite bustling). Another great nod to the original Tom Sift and Tom Swift Jr series is the lobby of Swift enterprises, which holds a museum to Tom's father's early inventions (including the Giant Robot., G-force inverter, triphibian atomicar, etc from the Tom Swift Jr series of the 50's and 60's.) Mr. Swift is married to Mary Nestor, and Tom's little sister is Sandy. I feel these are nice touches to long-time fans of the series. Tom's friends are funky and fun, and they make a well rounded trio for todays readers. Overall, a great book, with books #1 and #2 a perfect introduction to the new Tom Swift, Young Inventor series!