Tom Swift and His Giant Robot

Robots fascinate us, that was true for me when I was an adolescent and that interest has not waned. Therefore, this is one of my favorite Tom Swift books. Tom Sr. is building an atomic energy plant and Tom Jr. is building robots that can be used for the dangerous aspects of maintenance. However, an evil genius that is capable of making devices that can be remotely controlled is battling with Tom. His primary weapon is small planes that look like crows. They launch several attacks; nearly killing Tom and his friend Bud Barclay. While robotics has not yet advanced to the stage where they can play tennis, some of the robotic actions described in the story have come true. There are robots that can walk on two legs and carry out a limited set of grasping and moving actions. Chow Winkler of course also makes an appearance, talking about and cooking up some wild meals. While the action is predictable and we know that Tom will triumph in the end, the book was still exciting to read, even though it was written a half-century ago. I still recommend the books in the Tom Swift junior series to young children who are interested in science and adventure.