Books with author Victor Appleton

Tom and his dad are in the park testing out Tom's new invisibility suit when suddenly a van pulls up -- and kidnaps Mr. Swift! Tom is panicked -- who would want to abduct his father? A strategy meeting is held and the FBI is called. But things get tricky when it looks like the kidnapping was an inside operation. Despite the FBI's insistence that Tom stay out of the investigation, Tom and his sister, Sandy, are determined to find their father -- and whoever is responsible for taking him, whether it's TRB, their rivals at FUG, or even the FBI itself! One thing is certain -- Tom will test the limits of science to save his family.

Can Tom avoid a rocket wreckage disaster? Tom is teaming up with his pals Yo and Bud to test out his new Swift-Racer, a rocket-powered plane built for speed. There's a competition coming up and Tom thinks the Swift-Racer is advanced enough to set a new record in the world of rocket racing. He and Yo can't wait to see how it stacks up to the competition. Plus the contest will reunite Tom with some of the friends he made when he competed in the Robot Olympics. But as practice for the contest gets under way, disaster strikes. Some of the most powerful planes start crashing during their test runs. To Tom, it looks like more than just faulty technology. Could someone be sabotaging the competition? Tom's going to need more than rocket fuel to figure this one out -- and he'd better act fast, before someone goes down in flames.

HIGH ELEVATIONS EQUAL HIGH STAKES FOR TOM! Tom is headed to Mount Everest. Not only will he get some sweet practice time in on his new foil kite snowboard, but he and Bud are going to put his latest invention -- a robot Sherpa -- to the test. At Everst's high elevations they will really be able to run the Sherpa through its paces. But Tom can't quite focus on the tasks at hand because while there are always rumors of the mysterious Yeti, Tom thinks he's seen one. And what's more is that there's a nasty bunch of hunters on the prowl to capture the yeti "at any cost." Tom knows that some things are better left a mystery and vows to do what he can to protect this natural environment -- and any mysterious species inhabiting it.

Tom and his friends attend a science camp in this fourth novel in Tom Swift Inventors’ Academy—perfect for fans of The Hardy Boys or Alex Rider. Every year, Swift Academy students go to a nearby summer camp to field-test their inventions. Tom and his friends have been working hard on all their projects, but they’re most thrilled about Noah’s new virtual reality simulation. They can’t wait for it to go live, and everyone is looking forward to running tests at the camp. Nothing dulls their excitement, not even when a mysterious prankster starts messing with people’s inventions. But things take a nosedive when the pranks turn into vandalism. To make matters worse, clues point to Tom’s friend, Sam, as the one responsible. With Sam’s reputation and student projects on the line, it’s up to Tom and his friends to unmask the true vandal. And when Noah’s simulation enters the arena, they quickly discover they’re not the only ones meeting in virtual reality…

Tom Swift's father has been working diligently on a secret project, which he reveals at the beginning of the book as a submarine. With the submarine, named the Advance, he plans to enter a contest for a government prize of $50,000. While in New Jersey to launch the submarine, Tom reads in a newspaper that a ship named the Boldero sank off the coast of Uruguay during a storm, taking down with it the sum of $300,000 in gold bullion. Tom persuades his father to pursue this treasure as opposed to competing for the government prize. While picking up a hired sea captain, Tom's plans are overheard by a contestant in the government contest, and a rivalry for the treasure begins. The other submarine, named the Wonder, soon sets off to follow Tom and his crew after they embark on their journey.