Tik-Tok of Oz

Our rating: *****

Queen Ann Soforth is tired of ruling Oogaboo, a small corner of Oz, and so she forms an army of seventeen of her eighteen male subjects and sets out to conquer the world. Meanwhile, Betsy Bobbin and Hank the mule are shipwrecked and meet the Shaggy Man, who is looking for his long lost brother; The rose princess Ozga, who has been exiled; Polychrome, the rainbow’s daughter; and Tik-Tok, the clockwork man. The two parties meet up on the way to rescue the Shaggy Man’s brother from the evil Nome King.

This is not my favorite Oz book, but it’s high on my list. Dorothy does not enter the story until near the end, but Tik-Tok of Oz contains the same humor and story characteristics as many other Oz books. L. Frank Baum’s humor will appeal to all, and several of his jokes are funny in multiple ways, so you may find a joke funny, and then read it a year later and notice something about the same passage that’s hilarious. I love writers who can make all ages laugh in different ways. Also a high point, the Nome King returns, and he’s the best Oz bad guy in the series.

The Scarecrow of Oz

Our rating: *****

Trot, Cap’n Bill, and an Ork, by way of a tunnel, find themselves on an island, on which lives Pessim, a grumpy little man. Then they are flown to the Land of Mo, where it snows popcorn and rains lemonade! Eventualy, they arrive in Jinxland, which is in the Quadling country of Oz, but separated by a row of mountains. There they, with the aid of the Scarecrow, defeat Blinkie the witch, Googly-goo, and King Krewel and Jinxland appoints a new king and queen.

I like this book. Button-Bright is also in this one! Enjoy!

You can also buy The Scarecrow of Oz from Amazon in the United Kingdom and Canada.

The Patchwork Girl of Oz

Our rating: ***

Ojo the Unlucky and his Unc Nunkie visit the Crooked Magician on their way out of the Blue Forest. There they witness the Patchwork Girl being brought to life. All seems well, but an accident occurs. Unc Nunkie and the Crooked Magician’s wife, Margolotte, are turned into marble statues. The precious Powder of Life, which could have restored them, is wasted on a phonograph. Ojo sets out with the Patchwork Girl and a Glass Cat to find the necessary ingredients to bring the statues back to life. The quest takes them all over Oz, and they, in the company of the Scarecrow and Dorothy (the Glass Cat stayed behind for fear of breaking), visit many interesting new races, including the Tottenhots, the Hoppers, the Horners, and a large giant!

This is a fun book with quite a few puns. (Nowhere near as many as in The Emerald City of Oz.) Scraps, the Patchwork Girl, is quite a character. Also, this is the same Crooked Magician who gave the Powder of Life to Old Mombi in The Land of Oz.

The Emerald City of Oz

Our rating: ***½

When Dorothy brings Uncle Henry and Aunt Em to the Emerald City of Oz, they begin a tour of the surrounding cities and people, encountering the Cuttenclips, the Fuddles, the inhabitants of Utensia, the Flutterbudgets, and many more. Meanwhile, the Nome King is furious over the loss of his magic belt, and begins gathering an army to dig an underground tunnel to the Emerald City and capture the entire population.

This isn’t my favorite Oz book, but the hilarious wordplays and puns are thicker than ever. Especially in Utensia. I think this one was intended to be the last Oz book, but L. Frank Baum was forced to write more by popular demand.

Ozma of Oz

Our rating: ****

A storm at sea blows Dorothy Gale and a hen named Bill off into another magical adventure in the lands surrounding Oz. After changing the hen’s name to Billina, Dorothy and Billina set off into the unknown. They’re chased by Wheelers and rescued by Tik-Tok the Clock-work man, they meet Princess Langwidere, who is very conceited, and finally meet up with Ozma and many of Dorothy’s old friends. Ozma is on a mission of rescue, with the intent to free the ten children of the former King of Ev, and their mother, the Queen. The Nome King has the children and their mother and is holding them captive. As Ozma and her friends march against the Nome King, they meet many dangers, including an iron giant with a hammer! In the final encounter, the Nome King reveals that he has transformed the royal family of Ev into pieces of bric-a-brac and ornaments. He gives each person eleven guesses, and if they guess them wrong they will become ornaments themselves. Can Ozma and her friends defeat the Nome King?

Of course they can. But there are some interesting twists to the plot along the way, so be forewarned! This is one of the funnest Oz books. Almost everybody’s in it! The Lunch-box and Dinner-pail trees are fun to think about. Have fun!