Andrew Lost, Books 1 - 4

Shrunk down to the size of a flea, Andrew and his cousin, Judy, experience many adventures most kids--especially boys--can only dream about: traveling ON and IN the neighborhood dog, in the bathtub, and in the garden. Written for 7-10-year-olds, each new book in the series continues the last adventure, and then leaves the reader hanging. Narrator Robb Stapp does a good job bringing Andrew and his robot, Thudd, to life; his female voices, especially those of older women, are less convincing. But he creates credible tension as the action builds to a climax and then shares the relief as another disaster is avoided--for the time being. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

January 1, 2005
Gr 2-4 -These first four books in the Andrew Lost series by J.C. Greenburg -"On the Dog, In the Bathroom, In the Kitchen, In the Garden" (all Random) -introduce Andrew, his cousin Judy, and a super-smart robot named Thudd while telling the story of their misadventures. In the first book, Andrew's latest invention, the Atom Sucker, goes haywire and shrinks the trio down to microscopic level. Each book brings one cliff-hanger after another as the trio find themselves lost on the neighbors dog, washed off the dog and lost in the bathroom, flushed down the toilet through a maze of pipes to the kitchen sink, and hitching a ride on the back of a fly out into the garden. Will they be able to unshrink themselves before it's too late? There's a sprinkling of scientific information in these tales. The true fans of these stories will be reluctant readers craving silly adventures and a sufficient gross quotient. Narrator Robb Sapp provides an excellent reading of Andrew in this wacky microscopic world. School and public libraries where the print series is popular will appreciate the audio format. -"Shauna Yusko, St. Monica School, Mercer Island, WA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.