1 This Is BIG!

Chapter 1 THIS IS BIG! "Wowzers schnauzers!" shouted ten-year-old Andrew Dubble. Huge eyes were staring at him through the dome of the Time-A-Tron time-travel vehicle. "I think it's a brontosaur!" The Time-A-Tron had landed in a forest 65 million years ago. It had also landed on the long, thick, scaly tail of a humongous dinosaur! The dark reptile eyes staring in at Andrew did not look pleased. Judy, Andrew's thirteen-year-old cousin, leaned forward in her seat. "Cheese Louise!" she said. "Its neck is as long as a bus!"

"That's no brontosaur," said Beeper Jones. Beeper was a nine-year-old boy they had rescued 300 million years ago. Beeper pointed a gadget that looked like a remote control at the long-necked creature. ping… ping… ping… "The DNA Detector says it's an Alamosaurus," said Beeper. meep… "Alamosaurus look like brontosaur," squeaked a voice from Andrew's pocket. It was Thudd, Andrew's little silver robot and best friend. "Long as two school buses. Weigh as much as forty cars."

Thudd pointed to a picture of an Alamosaurus on his face screen. bong… "Brontosaurs are not alive now," said the echoey voice of the Time-A-Tron. "They have been extinct for eighty million years." The Alamosaurus opened its mouth. Inside were short, stumpy teeth. "It looks angry enough to eat us," said Judy. meep… "Alamosaurus is plant-eater," said Thudd. "Use teeth to grab leaves, not chew. Got stones inside stomach to grind up food." Suddenly the Alamosaurus smacked its tail on the ground. The Time-A-Tron flipped into the air like a pancake! The Time-A-Tron came down on its side, whammed into a tree, and rolled downhill. "Yerggghhh!" yelled Andrew. "Burf!" said Judy. "Whoopee!" yelled Beeper from the backseat. "This is more fun than a roller coaster. It's our own dino coaster!"

Andrew smiled. The Time-A-Tron slammed into a small hill. Andrew, Judy, and Beeper stayed in their seats until they stopped feeling dizzy. Then Andrew unbuckled his seat belt. "We'd better get out and start looking for Professor Wilde," he said. Earlier, the DNA Detector had detected a human. There weren't supposed to be any humans on Earth now. But Professor Winka Wilde had been kidnapped by Beeper's uncle, the evil Doctor Kron-Tox, and hidden in time. If there was a human here, it had to be her. bong… "Wait, children!" said the Time-A- Tron. "I cannot allow you to leave. It is dangerous out there. You could be trampled by an Alamosaurus." "Naaaah," said Beeper. "Those big old plant- eaters are pretty slow." "Yeah," said Andrew. "We can see it coming and get out of the way."

bong… "I do not want to frighten you," said the Time-A-Tron, "but we have arrived at the time of the most fearsome creature that has ever lived —the Tyrannosaurus rex." meep… "Name mean 'tyrant lizard king,'" said Thudd. "Long as railroad car! High as two-story house! Teeth long as bananas! Eat five hundred pounds of meat in one bite!" "Eeeuw!" Judy shivered. "It could eat six Andrews in one chomp." "I'll check for Tyrannosauruses," said Beeper. He typed "Tyrannosaurus" into the DNA Detector and pressed a button.

ping… ping… ping… "Hot doggies!" said Beeper. "The DNA Detector says there is a Tyrannosaurus out there— and it's real close!" "How close?" asked Judy. "Only six feet away!" said Beeper. Judy rolled her eyes. "If a Tyrannosaurus was six feet away I think we'd notice," she said. "Let me see the DNA Detector," said Andrew. Beeper handed the gadget to Andrew. Andrew pushed a black button labeled "Find It." A little display blinked "6 Feet." Andrew looked around. "Maybe this thing doesn't work on Tyrannosauruses," he said. "Maybe there really aren't any Tyrannosauruses out there. So let's go." bong… "No," said the Time-A-Tron. "I do not want to explain to Professor Dubble that his favorite children were eaten by dinosaurs." Professor Dubble was Andrew and Judy's uncle. They called him Uncle Al. Doctor Kron