With the Bats Read online

  Andrew Dubble poked his head above the feathers on the bird’s back. A cold wind smacked his face as he peered at the earth far below.

  “I see land!” Andrew shouted. “It looks green down there!”

  Another feather on the bird’s back twitched and a pile of frizzy dark hair popped up. It was Judy.

  “But this bird is an arctic tern!” said Judy tugging her hair away from her face. “It’s not going to land in some nice green place. These birds fly from the North Pole to the South Pole—to Antarctica!”

  meep … “Maybe bird need rest,” came a squeaky voice from Andrew’s shirt pocket. It was Andrew’s mini-robot and best friend, Thudd.

  The bird spread its wings and glided down. The land was getting closer. Andrew could see a sandy shore and a forest beyond.

  “Looks like a deserted island,” said Andrew.

  “Noop! Noop! Noop!” said Thudd. “Australia!”

  Now the bird was swooping over the forest. It looked like a bumpy blanket of green. Here and there, tall trees poked up.

  The bird flew down into the trees.

  Andrew blinked as his eyes got used to the dim light.

  Judy craned her neck. “Look at this place!” she said. “A tangle of trees and vines! It’s a jungle!”

  meep … “Rain forest,” said Thudd. “Australian rain forest. Strangest place on earth. Got plants and animals that not live any other place. Got eighty-six thousand kindsa insects! Got ten thousand kindsa spiders! Got most poisonous snakes in world!”

  Judy groaned.

  Their bird slowed down and settled itself on a branch.

  “Oof!” gasped Judy, lunging forward when the bird stopped.

  “Wowzers!” hollered Andrew.

  meep … “Gotta get off arctic tern,” said Thudd. “Bird can fly off soon.”

  “Yeah,” said Judy. “Her next stop is penguin country. Brrrrr!”

  Andrew pulled himself down to the long flight feathers near the edge of the tern’s wing.

  Just then, the bird swiveled her head. Andrew saw himself reflected in a shiny black eye.

  He ducked under a long flight feather and pulled it down tightly over himself.

  “Judy!” hollered Andrew. “Climb down to the edge of the wing and jump to the branch. You can make it!”

  A pointy red beak plunged down close to Andrew. It grabbed the bottom of one of the feathers and nibbled along it right up to the tip.

  meep … “Bird preen feather,” said Thudd. “Make feather smooth for flying. Get rid of little bugs.”

  The beak preened another feather even closer to Andrew.

  “Wowzers schnauzers!” said Andrew. “We’ve got to get out of here!”

  Just then, the red beak grabbed the feather Andrew was clinging to and began to preen it. The beak pushed him to the very tip of the feather. He could barely hang on. That black eye was looking right at him.

  She’s hungry after such a long flight, and I’m bug-sized, thought Andrew. He let go.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2006 by J. C. Greenburg

  Illustrations copyright © 2006 by Jan Gerardi

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House

  Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  www.randomhouse.com/kids/AndrewLost

  www.AndrewLost.com

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Greenburg, J. C. (Judith C.)

  With the bats / by J. C. Greenburg ; illustrated by Jan Gerardi.

  p. cm. — (Andrew Lost ; 14)

  SUMMARY: When Andrew and Judy, still the size of beetles, are carried into a cave, they learn more than they ever wanted to know about the bats and bugs that live there from Thudd the robot—and personal experience.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-54956-3

  [1. Caves—Fiction. 2. Bats—Fiction. 3. Insects—Fiction.

  4. Worms—Fiction. 5. Time travel—Fiction. 6. Cousins—Fiction.]

  I. Gerardi, Jan, ill. II. Title. III. Series.

  PZ7.G82785Whq 2005 [Fic]—dc22 2005025617

  RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. ANDREW LOST is a trademark of J. C. Greenburg.

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