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In the Jungle: Andrew Lost #15    by Judith C. Greenburg & Jan Gerardi Amazon.com order for
In the Jungle
by Judith C. Greenburg
Order:  USA  Can
Random House, 2007 (2007)
Hardcover, Softcover
* *   Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke

Andrew, Judy, and robot Thudd continue the adventures in shrunken form that began when Andrew's garbage-control invention slurped them into a vacuum, decreased them to bug size, and sent them on a journey with bats. Judith Greenburg's latest episode, Andrew Lost: In the Jungle, has the threesome flying over the Pacific Ocean on the wings of an arctic tern, headed for the Australian rain forest.

Thudd's attempts to contact scientist Uncle Al only result in hearing Al's leave-a-message machine. As the tern descends into the forest, the three struggle to work their way down from the top of super-size 'fan-shaped leaves'. Closer to the mossy earth of the jungle, there is less and less light because the thick foliage hides the sun. With his vast resource of programmed information, Thudd describes to Andrew and Judy the kind of animals and plants in the Australian rain forest - those not found anywhere else, such as the most poisonous snake in the world; 86,000 species of insects; and 10,000 kinds of spider (all large of course); plus carnivorous plants like the pitcher-plant. They steer clear of two fighting rhinoceros-beetles, but find that travelling on walking-stick and -leaf insects is to their advantage, as these marvels give off a peppermint odor, offensive to some predators.

Thudd does point out the bright side of rain forests - the foliage makes lots of oxygen, and medicines are extracted from the plants. 'Ha! Ha! Ha! Hee! Hee! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!' is heard from the laughing kookaburra bird, as they watch tree kangaroos jump from tree to tree. Andrew and Judy climb back up to the top of the foliage in order to figure out which direction will take them to a river. Andrew hopes to use his Umbubble invention, which he can blow up and use as a raft to float down the river. Wowzers! Holy Moly!Is it possible that Andrew, Judy, and Thudd's destiny is to remain bug size forever? Find out in the next exciting installment of Andrew Lost.

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