Tom Swift Inventors’ Academy 4 – The Virtual Vandal

Victor Appleton's The Virtual Vandal, the fourth Tom Swift Inventors' Academy book, is a techy school mystery for 9 year olds with rockets, lasers and a prankster who's getting nastier.

What happens

It opens with a T. rex stepping out of a poster and chasing Tom, Amy and Sam through their school at night. Don't panic. It's a virtual reality program Noah has spent months building, and the dinosaur only exists inside their visors.

Tom's dad founded the Swift Academy of Science and Technology, so inventing is just what everyone does there. Tom and Noah are building twelve two-stage rockets to seed rain clouds. (And, more importantly, a water balloon launcher for the end-of-trip battle.)

But someone is tampering with other students' inventions. Mia's fog fluid goes missing. A pane of glass explodes during Simone's laser test. Evan's giant dew-catching tree has been cut through and crashes over in the gym.

Then Tom jokes that his friend Sam must be the vandal. Somebody overhears. By the time the bus reaches Camp Northwood, it's a rumour. It's a really good bit, because it's the kind of mess real kids make. A silly joke, the wrong listener, and suddenly your friend is the one in trouble.

Tom tells the story himself and he's good company. He's cheeky, a little bit smug, and quick to own up when his dad points out what he's missed. There's a lovely scene in the garage where Dad asks what colour the rockets will be. It turns out neon green matters when you've got twenty-four pieces to find in a forest!

The science is real and explained as it goes. Cloud seeding. Laser microphones. A solar-powered well digger. If your reader likes knowing how things work, there's plenty to chew on.

It's an American series, so expect flashlights and cell phones. Tom, Noah, Amy and Sam are twelve or thirteen, but the scrapes they get into suit this shelf nicely, and once you know the T. rex is make-believe, the opening is more fun than frightening.

What to read next

It works on its own, but there are nods to earlier adventures (a mishap involving drones and the FBI, for one). If they'd rather start at the beginning, The Drone Pursuit is where Tom and Noah fly their home-made spy drone through the school corridors before the first bell.