The little puppy girl Lotte and her best friend, a kitten named Bruno, live in Gadgetville, where the inhabitants spend most of their time inventing new contraptions. One day, the children find a soaked book in the sea. Out of the book crawls the bee Susumu who, as it turns out, comes from Japan. Lotte decides to help Susumu to get back home. Lotte’s father has constructed a clever airship, where all you have to do is rise up into the clouds and wait for the Earth to rotate beneath you until you are in the right spot. While waiting for suitable winds, they practice judo, make friends with the rejected hare Albert, invent a radio, electricity, and a fountain that emits Morse code. The book ends with a judo contest in Japan, during which “Team Lotte” beats the local masters of “Team Tamogochi”.
This book was nominated for IBBY Honor List in 2008.