The Overture
Have you ever read a book that keeps you up so late that you can't hold your eyes open (suggesting that you read in bed). Have you ever read a book that hooked you so that you can't leave it alone? The Tom Swift series are those kinds of books. Now for those who aren't familiar with the Tom Swift series, this is the third book in the series, entitled Tom Swift And His Airship. Now I’ll say something about the main characters.
The Characters
Tom Swift is a teenaged inventor who has a knack for inventing, a fever for adventure and he doesn't lose his temper very quickly and is very polite. Tom’s mother died when he was just 3 years old.
Barton Swift Tom's father and inventive teacher has had a love for inventing since he was just a child. Mr. Swift has many patents, and loves his son dearly but he is now old. That still doesn’t stop him though from producing additional machines.
Ned Newton is a young bank clerk and is usually in on all of Tom's new inventions and encouraging him all the way, as well as accompanying him on most of his adventures.
Mr. Damon, the eccentric man, is yet another person who is always visiting Tom. Mr. Damon won’t let Tom go on an adventure without him and has a very peculiar habit of blessing everything in sight depending on the occasion.
Mrs. Baggart the motherly housekeeper is always remembering to ring the dinner bell and is sure to make an unforgettable meal. She is usually worried about Tom when he is going on another adventure.
Eradicate Sampson, Tom's colored man of all work and his friendly mule Boomerang are always lending a helpful hand around the Swift manor doing jobs like white washing the fences and cleaning the chicken coops.
Mary Nestor is a very pretty young girl whom Tom has his eye on. She never goes on the adventures but Tom visits her alot, and takes her for rides on his new machines.
Andy Fogger is a bully and a coward who has a jealousy towards Tom Swift for his inventive powers. He and his cronies Sam Snedecker and the others usually succeed in causing Tom a lot of trouble and inconvenience.
The Review
This book starts where Tom Swift decides to make an airship. It is not a common thing in the earlier days of Swift, so Tom building an airship is a very neat thing; but Andy Fogger is also making an airship to try to beat Tom’s modules. Happy Harry and his gang are back for revenge and also trying to ruin Tom’s invention. Anyway, Tom ends up building his airship and entering into a race of the top pilots and their best machines. Later on Tom and his friends get threatened by a large forest fire which, by the law of gravity I think, is pulling them and their airship in. Tom and his chums have lots of various adventures through out this book with Tom’s new toy, such as rescues, races, and also times of trouble.
The Reasons
I like this book because, well for one because it’s a Tom Swift book; also because as the author writes more of the series, he really gets better at the quality of his narration. And the books get so much more enjoyable as you progress through the series. I think this book would be good for children from seven years and up (My sister learned how to read when she was three years old) all the way up to young adults. I’m telling you, buy this book; you won't regret it. This book is very interesting and you will be hooked. I stay up very late reading the Tom Swift books on my notebook computer and I really think that you will enjoy this series.
The End
Recommended:
