Andrew Lost facts for kids

Andrew Lost is an exciting series of children's science fiction adventure novels written by J. C. Greenburg. These books were published by Random House between 2002 and 2008. The stories follow a young inventor named Andrew Dubble. His inventions almost never work the way he plans!

There are 18 books in the series. They tell five complete stories, with each story spread across several books. The first four books were illustrated by Debbie Palen. Mike Reed illustrated books 5 and 6, and Jan Gerardi drew the pictures for books 7 through 18.

Meet the Characters

• Andrew Dubble — Andrew is the main character and he's ten years old. He seems to come from a rich family, as they have their own helicopter! Andrew loves to invent things. He built the Atom Sucker (in books 1–4) and the Goa Constrictor (in books 13–16). His inventions usually go wrong, leading to all sorts of wild adventures. Andrew spends most of his time trying to fix the messes his inventions create.
• Judy Dubble — Judy is Andrew's 13-year-old cousin. She doesn't always like Andrew very much, but she usually ends up stuck with him. She's with him for most of their adventures.
• THUDD — Thudd is a super smart robot! Andrew's Uncle Al gave him Thudd for his seventh birthday. THUDD stands for The Handy Ultra-Digital Detective. He's small enough to fit in Andrew's pocket. THUDD talks in a squeaky voice and always starts his sentences with a "meep." He knows everything and loves to share scientific facts with Andrew and Judy. Judy sometimes gets annoyed by THUDD's endless knowledge. THUDD's most important rule is that he must never get wet!
• Uncle Al — Andrew's uncle is a brilliant scientist. He has probably invented even more things than Andrew! Uncle Al sometimes gives Andrew cool gadgets, like Thudd. He often plays a part in the story's plot. However, he's usually not around when Andrew, Judy, and THUDD are off on their wild adventures.

Exciting Plots

Books 1–4: The Shrinking Adventure

These books were illustrated by Debbie Palen (2002–2003).

The first book, Andrew Lost on the Dog, starts right after Andrew builds his Atom Sucker. He's testing it when he accidentally shrinks himself, Judy, Thudd, and even their helicopter! They become as tiny as a dust mite. Andrew and Judy are then accidentally breathed in by a dog named Harley. They spend hours trying to climb up Harley's head.

In Andrew Lost in the Bathroom, Harley's owner, Mrs. Scuttle, gives Harley a bath. Andrew, Judy, and Thudd fall off the dog. Andrew then uses his Umbubble, a special bubble gum that can grow big enough to hold a person. They float around the bathroom in the Umbubble, trying to get back to the Atom Sucker. But before they can escape, Mrs. Scuttle accidentally flushes them down the toilet!

Andrew Lost in the Kitchen begins with them floating through the sewer pipes. Luckily, they manage to come out of a kitchen drain. The Umbubble pops when it hits a tomato. Now, Andrew, Judy, and Thudd must find their way back to the Atom Sucker without it. They catch a ride on a housefly and fly outside into the garden.

In Andrew Lost in the Garden, Andrew and Judy try to walk through the garden. Mrs. Scuttle is having a garden party. They meet many garden insects and tiny microorganisms. Eventually, they find their helicopter. They fly to the Atom Sucker and return to their normal size.

Characters in Books 1–4

• Harley: A friendly basset hound who belongs to Mrs. Scuttle.
• Mrs. Scuttle: Andrew's grumpy neighbor and Harley's owner.

Books 5–8: Under the Sea

Illustrated by Mike Reed (2003) and Jan Gerardi (2004).

Andrew Lost Under Water starts with Andrew and Judy in Hawaii with Uncle Al. They accidentally get locked inside the Water Bug. This is a car that Uncle Al turned into a submarine! As they explore underwater, they find a giant squid. A villain named Soggy Bob Sloggins and his robot parrot, BURPP, are chasing it. BURPP stands for Bob's Ultra Robot Parrot Partner. Soggy Bob wants to capture the squid.

In Andrew Lost in the Whale, Andrew and Judy are swallowed by a whale! They escape by crawling through its digestive system.

In Andrew Lost on the Reef, they explore a beautiful coral reef.

Finally, in Andrew Lost in the Deep, they travel to the deepest part of the ocean. At the end of this book, they learn that Soggy Bob Sloggins isn't truly evil. He was hypnotized and forced to do bad things. They discover the real enemy is the man who hypnotized him: Doctor Kron-Tox.

Characters in Books 5–8

• Soggy Bob Sloggins: A villain who tries to capture the giant squid.
• BURPP: Soggy Bob's robot parrot.

Books 9–12: Time Travel Trouble

Illustrated by Jan Gerardi (2004–2005).

Andrew Lost in Time begins with Andrew, Judy, Thudd, and Uncle Al in a cabin in Montana. Doctor Kron-Tox kidnaps Uncle Al! He sends him back in time to the ice age. Andrew, Judy, and Thudd jump into the Time-a-tron, Uncle Al's time machine. They go back in time to rescue him. They accidentally go too far back, ending up just three minutes after the Big Bang! They quickly travel forward in time.

In Andrew Lost on Earth, they watch the Earth being formed. They stop in the Carboniferous period. There, they rescue a boy named Beeper. Beeper is Doctor Kron-Tox's nephew, and his uncle had left him stranded there.

In Andrew Lost with the Dinosaurs, they stop in the Late Cretaceous period. They rescue Doctor Winka Wilde, a woman who was stuck just before the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Finally, in Andrew Lost in the Ice Age, they reach the ice age. They rescue Uncle Al. They also stop Doctor Kron-Tox from building a theme park with animals he captured from different times. Then, they all return to the present day.

Characters in Books 9–12

• Doctor Kron-Tox: An evil scientist who wants to capture rare animals for his amusement park. He travels through time in his Tick-Tock Box. In book #12, we learn he also uses the Tick-Tock Box to store his captured animals.
• Beeper: Doctor Kron-Tox's nephew. He's very friendly but can sometimes be annoying, especially to Judy.

Books 13–16: Tiny Again!

Illustrated by Jan Gerardi (2006–2007).

Andrew Lost in the Garbage starts with Andrew, Judy, and Thudd shrinking to about an inch tall. This isn't as small as they were in the Atom Sucker incident! This happens because of an accident with Andrew's newest invention, the Goa Constrictor, and his classmate, Jeremy Bogart. They end up in the city dump. When they try to escape, they are thrown onto a flying bat.

Andrew Lost with the Bats begins here. The bat flies them to a cave. They travel deep inside and find an opening to the ground. They then climb onto an Arctic tern to escape bug-eating snakes and other dangers. The tern flies them to an Australian jungle.

This is where Andrew Lost in the Jungle begins. Andrew and Judy contact Uncle Al. He flies to Australia and tells them to get into a river. They need to float downstream to where he can pick them up. Andrew and Judy use the Umbubble (which first appeared in book 2) to float to Uncle Al. He picks them up, but a mysterious force makes them shrink down to a microscopic size. This might be even smaller than the Atom Sucker incident! Then, a mosquito bites Uncle Al right where they are sitting on his hand. The mosquito's snout pushes them inside Uncle Al's body. This is where Andrew Lost in Uncle Al begins.

Books 17-18: Final Adventures

Illustrated by Jan Gerardi (2008).

In these last books, Andrew, Judy, and Thudd are shrunk to the size of ants. They face dangers in the Australian desert when caught by a dust devil (in Andrew Lost in the Desert). They also face dangers in a pond full of frogs (in Andrew Lost with the Frogs).

The Books

• Andrew Lost on the Dog (2002) 86 pages, illustrated by Debbie Palen (1–4)
• Andrew Lost in the Bathroom (2002) 88 pages
• Andrew Lost in the Kitchen (2002) 88 pages
• Andrew Lost in the Garden (2003) 86 pages
• Andrew Lost Under Water (2003) 88 pages, illus. Mike Reed (5–6)
• Andrew Lost in the Whale (2003) 90 pages
• Andrew Lost on the Reef (2004) 90 pages, illus. Jan Gerardi (7–8)
• Andrew Lost in the Deep (2004) 90 pages
• Andrew Lost in Time (2004) 90 pages, illus. Jan Gerardi (9–12)
• Andrew Lost on Earth (2005) 90 pages
• Andrew Lost with the Dinosaurs (2005) 90 pages
• Andrew Lost in the Ice Age (2005) 90 pages
• Andrew Lost in the Garbage (2006) 90 pages, illus. Jan Gerardi (13–16)
• Andrew Lost with the Bats (2006) 90 pages
• Andrew Lost in the Jungle (2007) 90 pages
• Andrew Lost in Uncle Al (2007) 90 pages
• Andrew Lost in the Desert (2008) 90 pages, illus. Jan Gerardi (17–18)
• Andrew Lost with the Frogs (2008) 90 pages