Tom Swift
Victor Appleton
Tom Swift
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Victor Appleton
The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Tom Swift zooms through the sky in his brand-new airship, the Red Cloud, ready for an exciting cross-country adventure. But suddenly, alarms blare—he’s being chased, blamed for a bank robbery he didn’t commit! Can Tom clear his name before danger strikes from above?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade adventure follows Tom Swift as he pilots his innovative airship across the country, only to become a fugitive wrongly accused of bank robbery. The story offers suspenseful action and themes of justice and perseverance, suitable for readers ages 9-12. Parents should note the tension and mild peril as Tom tries to prove his innocence.
Why we rated Tom Swift 12ME
Tom Swift is written at a Level 8 reading level across 684 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Tom Swift works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate Tom Swift as 12ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Tom Swift explores adventure, mystery, friendship, and coming of age — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, mystery, friendship.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781557092915
- Pages
- 684
- Publisher
- Double 9 Booksllp
- Published
- March 1, 2008
- Type
- Fiction