The Princess of Cozytown

So, I finally read one of my Christmas presents, Ruth Plumly Thompson's The Princess of Cozytown. This was one of two books she produced for the Volland Company, the first being The Perhappsy Chaps in 1918 and this one from 1922. At least some of the stories had previously appeared in Saint Nicholas magazine.

While Thompson was quite the storyteller, she was definitely aimed at children, while her Ozian predecessor L. Frank Baum wrote in a style for all ages. However, this is no slight as children should find Thompson's writing engaging and adults will find it whimsical.

The Princess of Cozytown collects six of Thompson's fairy tales about princesses, princes, kingdoms and kings. The first is the titular story, "The Princess of Cozytown." The people of Cozytown all love their princess, how they play all the time and have such fun, but they hear a disaster will befall the Princess, and it begins with the letter G. As it turns out, the disaster is the unseen arrival of the Giant Grownupness. Instead of writing a standard fairy tale, Thompson turned it into a story about growing up: Cozytown is the girl's childhood, the people there are her toys. It also has one of the saddest endings of all of Thompson's work: the girl finds her toys on the floor, and when she calls them "toys," they suddenly lose their life. But it's not so bleak: Thompson writes that one day some other child may adopt them and Cozytown will live again.

The next story is "The Prince With A Cold In His Heart," about a young prince who has, as Thompson puts it, a cold in his heart. An old wise man cures it by making another little boy that only the Prince can see. The boy encourages the prince to do things with him, go swimming and play all sorts of lively games and activities. Finally, one day, the Prince finds a different boy and realizes when he looks into a mirror that the first boy and himself have changed places. The newly energized and cured Prince then lets his newfound energy spread through the palace.

Next up is "The Bald-Headed Kingdom," in which a bald king feels too sensitive about his baldness and orders everyone to shave their heads. When the Prince (who has been away) hears of this, he looks for a solution.

"The Tailor of Nevermindwhere" follows the adventures of newly arrived Tailor Jerry in the kingdom of Nevermindwhere. When he tells the king that "a Tailor makes a man," the king defies him and refuses his services. As a result, the common people end up being so richly dressed by Jerry that the court hardly looks so elegant in comparison. Where will it all end?

The story "The Last Giant" tells of the final giant that wasn't killed by Jack the Giant Killer or his descendants who falls in love with a princess. When the king (who wants to keep her at home) says that whoever can manage her fortune (literally all the money she has to her name in cash in a big chest) can have her as a wife, the giant makes short work of this and goes to the Last Witch to get a potion to shrink him to a regular human size. The witch obliges, but warns him that if he loses his temper, he'll turn back into a giant. How will things go for the couple?

The final story, "The Princess Who Could Not Dance," was actually one of my first experiences with Thompson. It subsequently appeared in a collection of short American fantasies titled American Fairy Tales, edited by Neil Philip (not to be confused with the Baum book, but it does contain Baum's "The Glass Dog"). I discovered it while looking at audio books at the library and spotted what looked like a Baum title, and discovered that while it wasn't Baum's book, it did contain a story by him and one by Thompson.

The story tells of the princess Dianidra, who cannot find it in herself to dance. After getting fed up with dancing masters and leaving the palace, she meets a good fairy who teaches her the secret of dancing. It is one of Thompson's more beautiful tales.

Altogether, The Princess of Cozytown sometimes makes me wish that Thompson's non-Oz work had escaped the shadow of Oz. I'm very fortunate to have a copy, but the book is generally unavailable to upcoming generations. I think she needs a comeback.

The Princess of Cozytown

 
The Princess of Cozytown, by Ruth Plumly Thompson - This 1922 collection of short fairy tales by L. Frank Baum's successor to the Oz series is available here. The download costs money, but it's free to read on the website. The first story, which shares its title with the book, is a rather depressing metaphorical tale about growing up, in which the titular princess is captured by the Giant Grownupness and leaves her toys behind. Its view on growing up seems to be that it's sad but inevitable, and it's hard not to feel bad for the toys. "The Prince with a Cold in His Heart" tells how a wise man saves a prince from snobbishness by magically showing him the boy he could be. In "The Bald-Headed Kingdom," the only story in the collection to be divided into stories, a king is so sensitive about his baldness that he orders the heads of all his subjects shaved. His son discovers a cure for baldness, but when the king uses too much, he's smothered to death by hair. Kind of a dark twist at the end there. "The Tailor of Nevermindwhere" brings a tailor to a kingdom where the nobles refuse to pay for their clothes, and has him teach them a lesson in humility, as well as demonstrating the old adage that clothes make the man. I kind of think Thompson tried to put in too much plot twists for such a short story, but it's charming nonetheless. "The Last Giant" is about a giant who falls in love with a princess and uses magic to bring himself down to normal human size. While the giant is introduced as a sympathetic character, the ending plays his rather unfortunate fate for laughs. Finally, "The Princess Who Could Not Dance" has a princess learning that dancing should be fun and not purely calculated. Interestingly, considering that its lead story is about leaving childhood behind, the general theme of several of these tales is to embrace youthful fun. There's also a general undercurrent of learning to treat everyone with respect, but that's pretty much a constant in fairy tales. The tales are very much in Thompson's usual style (whether that's a good or a bad thing is up to you to decide), but have a more traditional feel than her Oz books and some of her other work.

The Royal Podcast of Oz: Christmas Poems by Ruth Plumly Thompson

For Christmas 2012, we present five Christmas poems by Ruth Plumly Thompson, read by Arthur Davis, Mike Conway, Kim McFarland, Sam Milazzo and Jared Davis.

As always, you can listen and download at the podcast site or use the player below.

       

   
   
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The Wonder Book

The Wonder Book by Ruth Plumly Thompson is quite possibly the only book written by an Oz author to have a title very similar to an already published book, A Wonder Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

I actually attempted to read Hawthorne's Wonder Book. All it contained were retellings of classic myths, and eventually, I couldn't finish it.

However, Thompson's Wonder Book is quite different. It is largely composed of a lot of her work for the Philadelphia Public Ledger's children's page. There are stories, poems, riddles, party plans, scripts for short plays, and even profiles of real people.

Some stories are long and break off and are continued later. The first, Marvelous Travels on a Wish, was recently printed by itself by Hungry Tiger Press as The Wish Express, restored to its original length from the newspaper version, as Thompson had edited her stories.

Thompson was great in short form! And she was quite original, too! Although she had some serial stories (such as a series about a little girl who talked to the dishes as she washed them and put them away), she wasn't repetitious, at least, not in the selection in The Wonder Book.

Here were some of my favorites:

• Marvelous Travels on a Wish A little boy named Berens wishes he was SOMEONE ELSE and SOMEWHERE ELSE, and the Dissatisfied Bug bites him and takes him aboard the Wish, where he meets many unusual characters and visits many strange places before becoming Someone Else. But is Someone Else's life really any better?
• The One-Legged Giant A giant loses a leg and is left near a town, helpless. Can the townsfolk do something about him before he eats them out of house and home?
• The Supposyville Poems Supposyville is a little kingdom with odd quirks and a funny little king, and the wise man, Solomon Tremendous Wise, who offers advice to the king, and invents many inventions. One such invention is his mechanical maid, Handy Mandy, definitely a forerunner to a certain Oz character, though not the same character. Supposyville itself feels like a predecessors for all those little places in Oz she created.
• A Cup and Saucer Conversation A little girl named Betsy discovers the china dishes can talk to her as she washes them. This is continued for several stories. It's fun because Thompson deftly imagines what life as a dish would be like.
• Strange Story of a Green Camel What's a green camel to do? Well, when he meets some little elves ready to give him a wish, he must consider his options.
• The Princess Who Slept Thirty Years When a wizard is mad at a king, he declares the newborn princess will sleep for thirty years. It almost seems like a twist on Sleeping Beauty, and it may well be, but Thompson delivers an excellent little twist at the end.
• The Giant Who Did Not Believe In People When a giant doesn't believe in people, and thus becomes quite dangerous, the Fairy Queen decides to cast a spell to convince him otherwise.
• The Tale of Terry Tommy Turtle A story with a little moral: a candy-making turtle learns a lesson about putting wealth before safety. It doesn't have a happy ending.
• The Secret of the Magic Word Shades of The Magic of Oz! Except, this story was published the year before Baum's penultimate Oz book. A naughty little boy learns a magic word that allows him to transform himself. Also a story with an unhappy ending with a moral.

Thompson's fun to read and the book proves a delight, especially when read at a leisurely pace.

Thanks, Ruth Plumly Thompson, for giving us a Wonder Book that is truly wonderful!

The Cheerful Citizens of Oz and other things by Thompson

Thompson's Oz work was not limited to her novels. She also wrote a play, songs, and several poems about Oz, as well as a partial story for a contest called "The Enchanted Tree of Oz." I have yet to read Thompson's play A Day in Oz, which the International Wizard of Oz Club reprinted in Sissajig and Other Surprises, but they did include "The Enchanted Tree" and a couple Oz poems in The Wizard of Way-Up and Other Wonders, which I do own.

More importantly, in 1992, the Club issued a 32 page booklet of a selection of Thompson's Oz poetry entitled The Cheerful Citizens of Oz, illustrated by the late Rob Roy MacVeigh.

Thompson's Oz poems are definitely cheerful and jolly, sometimes describing a character, and sometimes telling a story. Quite a bit of fun to read, and my only dislike of Cheerful Citizens was that it was so short, it was easily finished in a half hour.

I can't say much about "The Enchanted Tree of Oz," because while it did have an interesting premise, it doesn't have an ending. The contest was to finish the story. In it, the Scarecrow, Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion find a tree and the Lion and Dorothy disappear once they attempt to climb it. What happened next was for the contest entrants to decide. The contest was revived years ago by the Oz Club when they reprinted it in the Baum Bugle.

Thompson made Oz her own in her books and other writings, deftly taking over from Baum. She made some odd story choices and even got quite wacky in some of her descriptions of events, leaning more to nonsense than Baum ever did. Her earlier work suffered at times of this. But as she began to create her own leads, she became more confident in her writing and her work improved vastly. Her contribution to Oz might not be universally loved, but it definitely cannot be ignored.

But speaking of that, who took over the Oz series after Thompson left Reilly & Lee?

The Enchanted Island of Oz

1976 brought Thompson's twenty-first and final Oz novel. The reason being it was published posthumously. She died of bowel problems (don't laugh, it's more serious and painful than it sounds) at the age of 84 in April.

David Perry is a little boy going to the circus, when his grandmother insists on replacing a button on his shirt. He is surprised at the circus that his wish for a camel to talk comes true. However, he also wished that they could go SOMEWHERE.

It's an Oz book, where else would they wind up?

Yes, there's a place in the Gillikin County called Somewhere, and this begins a series of disjointed adventures for David and Humpty the Camel. They go to Dwindlebury where everything shrinks to pint-size. They are rescued by an eagle who wanted them for dinner, but has to drop them off in the Winkie Country. They land in Lake Lily and meet a water nymph named Water Lily.

David and Humpty continue in a southeast direction until they meet the Tin Woodman, who gives them a jumping stick to help them get to his palace so they can rest there. They accept this offer and we meet his maid Makebel Eva. They spend the night in his palace and then head through Dog Wood, but just after leaving it, they spot an island in the sky!

And no, it's not Sky Island or Umbrella Island. It is, in fact, the kingdom of Kapurta, a little country set afloat by a wish made with a magic button on a vest. But after a couple moves, the button was lost and the people face the possibility of eventual starvation.

However, when David and Humpty visit, it turns out David's new button is the missing button. The king promises to use it to send David home, but first, they decide to visit the Emerald City and the Cowardly Lion's birthday party.

The Cowardly Lion picks up the name "Cowy," but it didn't stick.

Anyways, after a jolly celebration, David returns home.

The only problem with The Enchanted Island of Oz is that it doesn't feel like an Oz book. And there's a reason. It was not originally an Oz book. When Fred Meyer heard of the story of a boy and a camel and a magic wishing button, he told Thompson that the International Wizard of Oz Club would publish it if she made it into an Oz story. As it turned out, many of the last days of her life were spent fine-tuning the book.

Thompson somehow knew this would be her last Oz story, even though she hinted that she had some notes in her desk. As it turned out, it was. It's a really good, fun story, but the Oz connection feels so light. The Emerald City visit and the run-in with the Tin Woodman could easily be excised, and that would leave us with no Oz connection.

Now, this would be Thompson's last Oz story, but would it be her last Oz book?

Yankee in Oz

After offering to return to Oz, Thompson vowed never to work with Frank O'Donnell again, especially when he opted to publish Oz books by Jack Snow, Rachel Cosgrove, and Eloise McGraw. But the International Wizard of Oz Club offered to publish a story Thompson had written in the late 1950s. They managed to get permission from Contemporary Books, the company Reilly & Lee had turned into, and works of fiction published by the Club could refer directly to the Famous Forty. (The process was not quite as simple as I made it sound, I'm sure, but it'll do.)

Yankee in Oz was published in 1972 in a large paperback illustrated by Dick Martin. The large size was so Martin could show his work off at a large size, and so that he wouldn't have to do as many. I guess he was a busy guy. A few years ago, the Club re-issued Yankee and other books published in this format in a hardcover uniform with recent Oz books. (This wouldn't be the last time the Club would publish a new Oz book by an author of the Famous Forty, not by a long shot!)

Yankee finds a young drummer boy named Thomas P. Terry (or "Tompy") washed away from his parade by a hurricane. He finds himself in Oz with a just crash-landed space dog named Yankee. They're in the northeast Winkie Country and soon come across the town of Wackajammy, who provide baked goods for Oz. However, Aunt Doffi, the princess of the town, is missing, and her useless nephew Jackalack doesn't know how to run the town in her place. He is sure that Tompy and Yankee are going to fulfill a prophecy to rescue Doffi. But when Yammer Jammer, the advizer, uses his copy of The Mind Reader to read their thoughts, he doesn't like what he sees and throws them in jail until they change their mind.

Yankee digs their way out of jail and they steal the Mind Reader. They head out to find their way across Oz (which Tompy has read about), and come across a series of misadventures. In earlier Thompson books, these would normally be silly and forgettable, but this time, Thompson isn't too silly. In fact, the misadventure in which they meet a man who has a neat and tidy city because he can constitute people out of powder is a little disturbing, but in a way that makes you think. When they meet a town of people made of lanterns who are lit with cold light, it is actually one of Thompson's most beautiful pieces.

A rather whimsical character Thompson introduces is Tim Ber, the trav-e-log who gives Tompy and Yankee a ride to his owner's home. To be sure, he looks like the Sawhorse without legs or ears, but he's a lot of fun. However, as he only gives one ride, his role is brief.

However, a much more fun (and familiar) character awaits us on Mount Upandup, where they run into Jinnicky, the jolly Red Jinn of Ev. Jinnicky is quick to befriend them, but they are attacked by Badmannah the giant. In retaliation, they whisk his cave keeper to Jinnicky's palace, only to discover that she was Aunt Doffi! Now Badmannah wants a new princess, so he captures Ozma, and even worse, her palace!

Jinnicky must return home to make preparations to fight Badmannah, and he executes his plan to capture Badmannah and send him to the Nonestic Ocean, wrapped in a net. They find Ozma's palace empty, but they use the Magic Picture to find Ozma in Badmannah's cave. Everyone else is inside a chest and made invisible. Together, Ozma with her Magic Belt and Jinnicky with his red magic, they restore the palace.

Tompy, Yankee, and Jinnicky celebrate with Aunt Doffi in the Red Jinn's palace, but Tompy and Yankee must return home, Jinnicky giving Tompy a little red jug to pull open should he ever need help.

The two Americans are sent home with Jinnicky's jinrikisha, and Tompy tells Yankee he wants to keep him, but Yankee (before his speech stops at leaving fairyland) is doubtful the space program would give him up. Tompy decides to ask his father to get Yankee honorably discharged, and his father makes the attempt. It seems hopeless, until Tompy opens the jug.

And so Tompy and Yankee live happily ever after, with one sweet little touch. For one hour, each afternoon, Yankee may speak to Tompy in plain English. And one day, Tompy brings home a copy of The Purple Prince of Oz (the first book in which Jinnicky appeared by name) and begins to read it aloud with his dog.

After my first reading I said it was a "good story, but it felt very brief. ... Thompson was still struggling for ideas for a good Oz story." To be sure, Yankee is shorter than her other Oz books, but I think this time it works in her favor. Rather than being all over the place, it has a tighter, concise plot. Tompy and Yankee make good protagonists, even though Tompy isn't as interesting as Speedy or Peter. And it's always fun to have Jinnicky around! He is definitely one of Thompson's best creations.

My only quibble is that Badmannah, for being so cruel, is disposed of rather quickly and easily. Sure, it sends the message that sticking to your principles and having good friends can get rid of your enemies, but it feels a little dissatisfying. However, Thompson quickly makes Jinnicky unsure if he did the right thing when Tompy wonders where the Magic Belt is, making Jinnicky wonder himself if he acted too quickly.

Now that Thompson had had a new Oz story published, would she do any more? Time would tell.

Ozoplaning With the Wizard of Oz

It was 1939 and Oz was... yes, 1939. Oz was back in the spotlight as a little movie based on Baum's first Oz book was being made by MGM. Knowing that this would help book sales, Reilly & Lee wanted an Oz book to help capitalize on the film. There was just one thing: Ruth Plumly Thompson wanted out. After 18 years and suggestions, not just to the publishers, but to people such as Maud Baum and Roy Disney, for new Oz merchandise, films, cartoons and publicity stunts, and all of these being turned down, she'd had enough. She frequently contacted Frank O'Donnell about leaving Oz, but he would ignore her and request the next book.

Anyways, Thompson hurried and turned out Ozoplaning With the Wizard of Oz just in time for publication. The front cover was going to feature the words "the Wizard of Oz" to help sell the book to people interested in the film. (Reilly & Lee did not have the option to publish an edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz until after it went into the public domain in 1956.)

The story opens with the characters who featured in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz meeting for a reunion, remembering that adventure. There's the Wizard, Dorothy, Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, Jellia Jamb, and Wantowin Battles.

Who???

Seemingly, Thompson forgot the Soldier with the Green Whiskers had been named Omby Amby by Baum, so she named him Wantowin Battles and gave him an obsession with pickles. John R. Neill used the name once, but Jack Snow reverted the name to Omby Amby, while other writers usually call him Omby Amby or just the Soldier with the Green Whiskers. In Edward Einhorn's Oz books, Ozma visits a sinister version of the Land of Oz. The soldier with a sharp black beard is named Wantowin Battles. The naming issue causes a problem for continuity, but most fans ignore that part and just enjoy the adventure Thompson sent him on.

Anyways, after a recap of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as told by the characters themselves, the Wizard proudly shows off his new invention: Ozoplanes! These silver airship are able to travel to outer space, and the Wizard has made two: the Ozpril and the Oztober. The Tin Woodman, Jellia, and Wantowin inspect the Oztober, but Wantowin accidentally sets it off. When the Tin Woodman tries to control it, he quickly gets a handle on it, and decides not to go back to Oz, being bitten by wanderlust.

The Oztober lands in Strat, which the Tin Woodman tries to conquer for Ozma, but the people are not interested in becoming a territory of Oz. They make Jellia their "Starina," the queen, and force the Tin Woodman to take them to Oz with the intention of conquest! The Wizard arrives in the Ozpril with the other guests at the party to find Jellia and Wantowin, but they are not able to pursue the Oztober due to King Strut's people interfering. But the delay makes the Ozpril get blown away by the Blowmen of Strut, and the people from Oz are forced to use the same type of flying sticks Strut's army are using to return to Oz.

Upon arriving in Oz, they are taken captive by Bustabo, the self-proclaimed King of the Kudgers of Red Top Mountain, who refuses to help them warn the Emerald City of the invasion of Strut unless they can find princess Azarine, the true ruler of Red Top Mountain. She gets her stag Shagomar and his wife Dear Deer to help carry the Wizard and his companions to Glinda's palace so they can attempt to use magic to stop Strut's invasion.

Everyone else has escaped Red Top Mountain and they hurry to Glinda's. The Scarecrow stays up to date on Strut's progress with the Book of Records while the Wizard has to fix a transporter of Glinda's to bring him the safe the Magic Belt is in, just as Strut arrives in the Emerald City and attempts to blow open Ozma's safe himself.

Ozma, Glinda, and the rest of the company arrive on the scene. Strut's army has been transported back to Strat by the Magic Belt, and after Ozma renders his weapons useless, she sends Strut back to Strat. The Wizard and the Tin Woodman leave in the Oztober to search for the Ozpril, while Ozma restores peace to Red Top Mountain by turning Bustabo into a squirrel.

And the story ends with what appears to be a promise to tell of the exciting flight of the Wizard and Tin Woodman to recover the Ozpril, but that was a story that Thompson never told. Finally having enough of Reilly & Lee, having increased stress on her personal life, and finding work elsewhere, she quit Oz at last.

It really is too bad, for while Ozoplaning does contain Thompson's regular loose misadventures (which I didn't mention in my summary, read the book for yourself!), it really is an exciting story with some of our oldest friends in Oz.

But was that it for Thompson and Oz? The fact is, she offered to return to Oz after taking a year's leave and had even offered to edit the next Oz book, which someone else wrote. However, Frank O'Donnell seemed to be bitter about Thompson's sudden retirement and ignored further communication, with one exception that we'll look into later.

However, every dark cloud had a silver lining, and in the 1970s, Thompson was able to return to writing Oz stories again thanks to what she had cultivated through her nineteen years as Royal Historian: the fans.

The Silver Princess in Oz

1938, Ruth Plumly Thompson was beginning to get fed up. Not only did she dread her drying well of ideas for Oz stories, but all her ideas to further publicize the Oz series were getting turned down. She believed that merchandising would be a good avenue to pursue. But Frank O'Donnell, the current president (there was now no Reilly in Reilly & Lee), kept turning her down.

So, what to do in her next Oz story? Have fun! And that is what her lead characters set out to do!

The story opens in Regalia, where King Randy is tired of his councilors telling him he should marry, when who should arrive but his good old friend, Kabumpo? The two decide to run off to visit Jinnicky in Ev. They head through the troublesome Gaper's Gulch and brave the heads of Headland before they are blown across the Deadly Desert by a storm. (Seriously? That easily?)

Randy and Kabumpo find themselves in Ix, where they meet Planetty and Thun, the Silver Princes of Anuther Planet and her steed. Both seem to be made of some silver-like metal. Thun jumped on a thunder bolt, carrying them to earth. Planetty reveals, in her own talk, that in order to not freeze into statues, she and Thun must return to their vanadium springs. Randy and Kabumpo feel sure that Jinnicky can either send them home or find a vanadium substitute.

The four travelers find a secluded country called Boxwood, where the people wear boxes like armor all the time. (That is, if they are people. John R. Neill's illustrations suggest they might not be shaped the same way normal humans are.) Boxes of many things grow on trees, but when Chillywalla, the leader of the country, sees that his guests are not interested in boxes but the contents, he throws a fit and they must quickly leave Boxwood.

The travelers continue to Jinnicky's palace, becoming fast friends along the way. But when they reach the palace, they discover that Jinnicky's peaceful home has been overthrown by his former trusted servant Gludwig. He has stolen magic tools and made the servants (or slaves? Thompson calls them slaves, and they are, regrettably, black, but they are paid and have homes) do as he commands. Jinnicky himself is in the bottom of the ocean. Randy and his friends burst in, intending to turn Gludwig into a statue with Planetty's staff, but he makes them fall into a cellar, just after Planetty hurled her staff.

They find Ginger, Jinnicky's servant of his magic dinner bell, in the cellar, but time runs out for Planetty and Thun, and they stiffen into statues. Deciding there's nothing for it but to find Jinnicky, they suddenly find themselves being whisked through the air, for Jinnicky has been recovered by a fisherman, who doesn't have the best of intentions at all. Informing him of what happened, they all head straight back, finding that Gludwig has been transforming many of the servants into statues.

When Randy and the others attempt to sneak up on Gludwig in bed, he is ready for them and hurls Planetty's staff at Randy. However, it turns away from Randy and hits Gludwig, petrifying the villain. It turns out Randy had picked up Jinnicky's weapon turning elixir in the cellar and that protected him.

Jinnicky works hard to restore Planetty and Thun, and finally gravely announces that he has failed to totally restore them. Instead, he managed to transform Planetty into a normal girl and Thun into a regular talking horse (he spoke only by breathing out smoke letters before), meaning they have no further need of vanadium springs, and can stay on Earth.

And through their adventures, Planetty and Randy have fallen in love and decide to marry, meaning that Randy wound up finding a wife after all.

And there ends one of the most rollicking adventures Thompson penned. The Silver Princess in Oz is a lot of fun. While she still has little stops and a somewhat loose plot, the story is a lot of fun.

However, the revelation of Jinnicky's servants (or slaves) has served to disturb some Oz fans. Is the affable old Red Jinn of Ev a slave owner with stereotypical black slaves? While they seem to enjoy working for Jinnicky, the matter of the servants is still a bit unsettling.

Even more disturbing to me is the number of petrification victims in the story who we are not told of their restorations. Planetty's staff's powers are first revealed in Boxwood, when she is forced to petrify some attacking inhabitants (we can argue that as they wore boxes, maybe their boxes were petrified, and not the people inside). The more disturbing transformations occur after they reach Jinnicky's home. Some of Gludwig's army, who seem to be only following orders, are petrified, and we are later told Jinnicky has them set up as reminders against treachery. But this occurs before he manages to find a way to un-petrify Planetty and Thun. Gludwig, owning the staff, uses it to petrify Jinnicky's favorite dog and a dozen servants. We can only assume these innocent victims were restored by the same means used to restore the heroine, but Thompson does not mention it.

When the reader decides that Jinnicky will eventually restore all the petrified people, The Silver Princess of Oz is one of Thompson's better stories, with a dashing young king, a beautiful otherworldly princess, a noble steed, and our old favorites Jinnicky and Kabumpo.

But still, Thompson was not getting along well with Mr. O'Donnell, and she was about to reach her breaking point.

Handy Mandy in Oz

Another year, another Oz book. Thompson was beginning to run out of ideas and she knew it. 1937's Handy Mandy in Oz introduced Handy Mandy, a goat girl with seven unique hands. The thing is, Handy Mandy wasn't exactly original to this story. A different multi-handed maiden had been the subject of the poem "Handy Mandy: Solomon T. Wise's New Cook." Solomon created her as a servant, but the one in this story is a little different.

Mandy cares for her goats on Mount Mern, where all people are seven handed. Mandy has an iron hand, a wooden hand, a leather hand, two rubber hands, and two white hands. ("White" seemingly flesh.) While caring for her goats one day, a geyser erupts and sends her high into the air. Three guesses where she lands!

... "Oz?"

You're good.

To be specific, she lands in Keretaria, a little kingdom in the Munchkin Country. She quickly becomes friends with Nox, the Royal Ox. (I swear I didn't give him that title.) Nox tells Mandy about the current situation of Keretaria: little King Kerry has been usurped by his uncle Kerr.

Mandy discovers that Nox's horns unscrew and finds two silver balls inside: one with a key and another with a note that tells them to go to the Silver Mountain of Oz. Mandy and Nox leave Keretaria, and make their way to the Silver Mountain, braving a river (Mandy not knowing how to swim) and traveling through Turn Town. It turns out that Ox's other horn is a "horn of plenty," which will grant wishes for things. They are attacked by Hook Noses, but the horn helps them out with some molasses.

Mandy finds a door behind a waterfall. While it's locked, she tries knocking. When none of her hands seem to make a difference, she uses a silver hammer she dug up in Keretaria. It summons an elf, who opens it for them, and they find themselves in Silver Mountain, ruled by the Wizard of Wutz, who plans to take over Oz. He throws Nox and Mandy in prison, then heads to the Emerald City where he steals a jug that used to be a Nome. To make matters worse, he's already acquired the Magic Picture and Glinda's Book of Records.

The Wizard of Wutz has Mandy break the jug, restoring Ruggedo, who Wutz takes with him to help him conquer the Emerald City, especially since Ozma and the Wizard left to see Glinda. Mandy and Nox are led to Kerry by a silver ball, and they find him in a state of suspended animation in a bubble, which Mandy pops with her hand, reviving him. They use the Silver Hammer to summon the elf (named Himself), who whisks them to the Emerald City.

Conquering the Emerald City would be an easy task if Ruggedo and Wutz didn't argue, and Mandy catches up with them quickly, and has Himself take them away. There's a little confusion when Mandy is found with the Magic Belt in her hands, but eventually, all is settled. Ruggedo and Wutz have been transformed into cacti, Wutz's spies have become moles, Kerry regains his throne, and Mandy visits in the Emerald City for a couple weeks before returning home to Mount Mern. But after a month, she uses a gift from the Wizard of Oz—a wishing pill—to bring herself and her flock to Keretaria.

Overall, Handy Mandy in Oz is a lot of fun. Thompson uses some fine word play, and there's great witty dialogue. The story's one big shortfall is that instead of actually facing their troubles, Mandy and Nox just about always have some magic tool to get them out of trouble quickly.

Mandy herself is Thompson's first real grotesque protagonist, and is quite headstrong and brave, definitely a character that could be developed further. However, neither she nor Keretaria appear in the Famous Forty again.

Captain Salt in Oz

1936 found Thompson only a little reluctantly returning to Oz. After all, in her previous fifteen books, she had created many characters worth revisiting. So, what about that one book, Pirates in Oz, that introduced a Royal Explorer of Oz? Yep, sounds like it's worth revisiting.

King Ato of the Octagon Islands and Roger the Read Bird are finally reunited with Captain Salt on the Crescent Moon. Their expedition is to find new lands for the Land of Oz to branch out into (because Thompson realized just how many kingdoms she crammed into Oz) and collect specimens of new creatures.

Salt, Ato, and Roger have a little adventure with a volcanic island, complete with Lava people, and while this is a fun adventure, something feels lacking. Thompson may have noticed this herself, because Captain Salt's next stop adds two new characters to the crew, Nikobo the hippopotamus, and Tazander Tazah of Ozamaland, the king and the son of a king's son. However, he has been stranded on this island.

While Tandy (as Nikobo is fond to call him) has trouble getting over his ego, he eventually comes around and becomes an able seaman, proving himself by drawing a detailed picture of an attacking sea serpent. And with a child character on board, the story feels right at last.

Captain Salt and his crew visit more islands, most of them submitting to Ozma's rule, and Samuel gets more specimens, until they arrive at Ozamaland, where it is revealed that Tandy has been usurped and it's been a wicked plot by the king's councilor Didjabo, who worked with Boglodore, the Old Man of the Jungle. However, when Didjabo refuses to repay Boglodore, the Old Man gets his revenge by helping Tandy. He has his Umbrellaphant (an elephant that flies through a parachute-like layer of skin on its back) fly the traitors off the island and drops them into the sea, where they remain trapped forever.

Tandy takes back his kingdom, but instead of resuming active ruling, he appoints a regent and resumes his journeys with Captain Salt, Ato, Roger and Nikobo.

I rather liked Captain Salt in Oz, though I do find the idea of Ozma needing to have new lands conquered in her name a bit much. Like I said, the story drags early on without a leading child character, but once Tandy comes in, the story picks up the pace.

The character that really struck me is Nikobo the hippopotamus. She is extremely motherly to Tandy and makes for some fun dialogue. It's too bad she never reappears.

Thompson wasn't as into the intrigue of political usurpers as Baum. In the stories in which she did it, the true ruler invades their home again with either magic help (the big wig in The Hungry Tiger of Oz) or some ally (this story's Umbrellaphant). Compare this to The Scarecrow of Oz, where ... Oh, wait, the Ork did help out... But Baum did manage to make the plot more intriguing by further developing the villains, whereas Thompson only brings them in when the heroes draw near.

All in all, Captain Salt in Oz is a lot of fun! Even though Captain Salt technically isn't in Oz during the whole story.

Now let's see if I can get to Handy Mandy in Oz in less than a month!

The Wishing Horse of Oz

1935, Thompson's fifteenth Oz novel, exactly one more than L. Frank Baum had written, not counting short stories, picture books, or anything in the expanded universe. Twenty-nine Oz books (or twenty-eight, since Reilly & Lee didn't count The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, since they didn't publish it), two authors. Thompson felt her well of ideas for Oz stories was running dry, and she felt Reilly & Lee weren't doing enough to promote the Oz series. This led her to suggest that this Oz book should be the final one.

The Wishing Horse of Oz opens in the kingdom of Skampavia, across the Deadly Desert. King Skamperoo obtains some magic emerald necklaces that grant him the wish for a horse, who happens to talk and is named Chalk. He says he's from Oz, and Skamperoo decides he'll take over Oz.

In Oz, however, a grand celebration is getting underway to celebrate Dorothy and the Wizard "discovering" Oz, with virtually every character from the previous twenty-eight Oz books attending. At the banquet, the Soldier with the Green Whiskers' beard suddenly turns red. Some fear it may be a forewarning of danger. Dorothy swallows a wishing pill (the Wizard seems to have an improved recipe) and wishes that regardless of what happens, she will be able to save Oz and Ozma.

The next morning, Dorothy is surprised to find Ozma, the Wizard, Glinda, Jinnicky the Red Jinn, and every other ruler of any part of Oz and magic worker, gone. No one else notices, and a strange king, Skamperoo, is on the throne. The only person who can help Dorothy is Pigasus. Due to his psychic power of making his rider a poet, he too can remember Ozma when Dorothy rides him. Dorothy realizes they will have to look outside of Oz for help.

They head to the Winkie County, because Dorothy thinks of asking Kaliko or the King of Ev for help. They come across the Black Forest, where everything is jet black. Even worse, Dorothy and Pigasus become black as well and are caught by the Black Watch, who work for Gloma the Witch. Gloma was a witch who retreated to these woods when Dorothy killed the Wicked Witches, so Ozma is completely unknown to Gloma. Fearing that Dorothy may be trying to do her in next, Gloma uses magic to try Dorothy and Pigasus, but they manage to survive. Seeing she is bested, Gloma surrenders to Dorothy, but Dorothy assures her she wishes her no harm. Gloma is able to send the two across the Deadly Desert, removes the blacking, and gives Dorothy a box with a magic powder to create a square mile of total blackness.

They visit Kaliko first. He's frustrated at Dorothy's visit, and would prefer that Ozma stay missing. But he offers what aid he can spare. He discovers Ozma and the missing people on the top of Thunder Mountain, a place where no one has returned safely or escaped from. He also tells Dorothy that he'll send his army if she can enlist another to help conquer Skamperoo. He also gives Dorothy a box of stumbling blocks.

So, wait, Dorothy and Pigasus are on a mighty errand, and are armed with magic weapons, and have a promise for help? This sounds like it could really be Thompson's best yet!

As Dorothy and Pigasus head to the Nonestic Ocean, they find Bitty Bit, the Seer of Some Summit, who, in his completely elastic tower, sees what happened, and takes them back to Oz, where, using the magic weapons and cleverness, they subdue Skamperoo and Chalk. They restore Ozma and Skamperoo is allowed five wishes when he returns to Skampavia. So, all is right again Oz very quickly...

Back in Skampavia, the wishes are turned over to Pinny Penny, Skamperoo's wise prime minister, who uses them for the good of Skampavia: that Skamperoo may be wise and generous, that Skampavia may become rich and prosperous, that the climate and soil would improve, and then, Chalk makes a wish that the three may never be separated, and they may live long. Chalk is added in the final wish.

To me, The Wishing Horse of Oz felt rushed at the end, forcing Thompson to bring in a deus ex machina in the form of Bitty Bit. Thompson had proved she had a great imagination, so I'm sure she would have delivered a different ending, provided the time to work it out. The original edition features numerous errors, suggesting a quick, sloppy editing job as well. It is also noteworthy that this was the last Oz book by Reilly & Lee to feature color plates.

Certainly, the book is not without redeeming qualities, such as the fascinating character of Gloma, a Good Witch of the West (Eric Shanower's The Blue Witch of Oz identifies her as such). It would be worthwhile to revisit her character. Bitty Bit, the deus ex machina that he is, also seems ripe for further expansion, but sadly, these two never re-surface in the Famous Forty.

So, while The Wishing Horse of Oz may be the most exciting build up to a deus ex machina that I've ever read, it is one of Thompson's better books. I just wish she could have fleshed out the ending.

Now, even though Thompson suggested that this should be her last book, would it be?

Speedy in Oz

Remember Speedy, the little boy who visited in The Yellow Knight of Oz? Well, Thompson had to bring him back, right? Yep, and he got his own book in 1934 to boot!

Speedy in Oz opens with Umbrella Island, an island kept afloat in the sky by a giant magic umbrella, hitting Loxo the Giant in the head. He is so angry that he demands that in return, he be given a child of his choice to lace to his boots for him, and picks out a "boy" close to the king, who is named Sizzeroo. The people manage to convince Loxo to give them three months to prepare the "boy" for his future life, but it was actually Princess Gureeda who was selected. (The same style of clothing is worn by all inhabitants, which John R. Neill draws as resembling pajamas, though Thompson compares them to stereotypical Chinese garb; Gureeda also wears a single braid in her hair, like men on Umbrella Island usually do.)

Over in the Great Outside World, Speedy, a former visitor to Oz, is helping his Uncle Billy in his work at an excavation dig, when they get to a complete dinosaur skeleton. Speedy convinces his uncle to put it together, but shortly afterward, a geyser erupts, carrying Speedy and the skeleton high into the air. At the same time, the dinosaur's bones are fused together, and it comes to life. Able to speak English, Speedy names it Terrybubble (when he mispronounces "terrible"), and Terrybubble manages to keep Speedy in his chest, and they land on Umbrella Island.

When one the King's advisers sees Speedy, he suggests that Speedy be given to Loxo instead of Gureeda, but Speedy finds a friend in Waddy, the Wizard of Umbrella Island, who makes him his apprentice. When Umbrella Island crash lands in between two warring islands, it is Speedy who saves the island from destruction by a water cannon that can sink islands.

Terrybubble overhears the plan to give Speedy to Loxo, so he takes both Speedy and Gureeda to Oz, unwittingly bringing them straight to Loxo's cave. When Waddy discovers the disappearance, they head to Oz to enlist Ozma's help. She, the Wizard, and the Scarecrow devise a solution that works best for everyone. They trick Loxo into eating a cake that makes him shrink to a human size. In a surprising turn for a Thompson villain, he decides to live peacefully from then on. (After all, he can lace his own boots now.)

Speedy returns home, but Waddy misses his apprentice, and Thompson says she feels sure that Speedy will one day return to Umbrella Island and marry Gureeda and become the next king. (A story she never told.)

Thompson said Speedy in Oz was her favorite of her Oz books. For me, it's not hard to see why. It boasts one of the tightest plots of her books. There are no extra countries the characters visit that do not play a role in the story. And there's no contradictions with Baum as his characters aren't used very much.

So, if there's one Thompson book you ever read, I heartily recommend Speedy in Oz.

Ojo of Oz

Thompson didn't really use many of Baum's human male characters. She of course had the Wizard, and Cap'n Bill got a passing mention. So, it comes as a bit of a surprise that her book for 1933 would focus on Ojo, the protagonist of Baum's The Patchwork Girl of Oz.

Ojo and Unc Nunkie are still living in their home just outside the Emerald City. Gypsies encamp outside and lure Ojo out, despite Unc Nunkie's warnings to stay away. Ojo is kidnapped, and quickly becomes friends with Snufferbox the dancing bear, and Realbad, the leader of the gypsies. Ojo is wanted by Mooj of Moojer Mountain in return for five thousand bags of sapphires. Finally, Ojo uses a silver whistle to summon a giant silver bird to blow away the other gypsies, and then himself and his friends to safety. And then, a series of misadventures, the most memorable being Realbad saving a kingdom of crystallized people from a frost dragon, only to refuse his reward so as not to be crystallized himself.

Meanwhile, ever notice how Thompson's alternating plots don't really stick to the same timeline? Ah, well... Meanwhile, Unc Nunkie tells Ozma about Ojo's disappearance, and Dorothy, Scraps, and the Cowardly Lion decide to look for him. They decide to use the Magic Picture and a Wishing Pill to give them a head start, when Scraps speaks too quickly and wishes them "in that grumpy forest this very minute!" A few misadventures, and they wind up meeting Mooj on Moojer Mountain.

Ozma, the Wizard, Unc Nunkie, and the Scarecrow go to Glinda's to see if the Book of Records has any information about Ojo, but it's being cryptic again...

MEANWHILE, back to the real story! After another series of adventures, Ojo and Snuffer become separated from Realbad in a land of unicorns. Deciding that they could easily find their way to the Emerald City from the top of a mountain, they get a lift from X. Pando, the Elevator Man, who will carry people to the top of the mountain, while his feet remain on the ground. (Thompson isn't clear if he flies up, and it's actually his shoes on the ground his pant legs stretching, or if his legs were elastic.) However, it turns out this is Moojer Mountain, and Mooj catches Ojo and "rewards" Snuffer with the promised sapphires, but Snuffer would rather have his friend back.

Realbad arrives on a unicorn and goes to face Mooj, who reveals that Realbad is Ojo's father, and Realbad himself is King of Seebania, but as he has broken his word, his wife and child will now be made to disappear. As Mooj hurries to Seebania, Ozma, the Wizard, Unc Nunkie, and the Scarecrow arrive on the scene. Dorothy's rescue party has been turned into clocks (they can all talk), so all hurry to Seebania, by means of the Wizard's flying pills, the enchanted clocks being carried.

In Seebania's capital of Shamsbad, Mooj is turned into a sparrow by Ozma, who then restores Dorothy and her friends. Realbad, or Rea Alla Bad, reveals how Mooj took over Seebania and attempted to kill Rea, who ran off with the gypsies. Unc Nunkie, speaking in full sentences, reveals how he took Ojo to raise him in solitude and safety. Rea's wife Isomere is restored to him, and they all go to celebrate in the old bandits' cave, before Rea and Isomere, along with Ojo and Unc Nunkie (who Thompson gives the sadly ordinary name "Stephen"), take the throne of Seebania.

Mooj's final punishment is one of the most outlandish in all the Oz books: he is transformed into a drop of water in the Nonestic Ocean. This is because he is too dangerous to leave in a conscious form, but it does seem a bit extreme. If, for any reason, Ozma undid this, could she retrieve that one drop of water? Why not transform him into an inanimate object? Or wipe his memory with the Water of Oblivion? Or even put him into an enchanted sleep or trance?

Anyways, is Ojo a good Oz book? Yeah, it's fun to read, but it did suffer from Thompson revealing royalty in a previously non-royal character, as we know already she was wont to do. Dorothy's rescue party, as fun as traveling with Scraps is, really adds little to the story.

Although Thompson didn't really tightly weave her stories together, it is when her characters are adventuring that she is at her strongest. And though she did get repetitive, for some reason, her stories were fun to read. And this book did have a bit of adventure!

So, go ahead, read Ojo of Oz for yourself!

The Purple Prince of Oz

Remember Pumperdink? Remember Kabumpo? They first appeared back in Thompson's second Oz book, Kabumpo in Oz, in 1922, but since then, we've heard nothing of this little Gillikin Country, save Kabumpo making an appearance in the 1925 Oz book, The Lost King of Oz.

A boy named Randy wanders into Pumperdink and is taken before King Pompus as a vagabond. However, Kabumpo decides to make him his manservant. However, Randy and Kabumpo soon go from a member of the court to the rescuers of Pumperdink when Kettywig, Pompus' brother allies himself with Faleero, the aged fairy princess, to make the royal family of Pumperdink vanish and to take over the kingdom for themselves. A Soothsayer tells them to look for the Red Jinn, so Kabumpo heads for the Quadling Country.

Kabumpo and Randy bravely face many obstacles on their way, some quite memorable, like Nandywog, the little giant (who appears fierce, but is actually quite friendly), and some less than memorable. Finally, they find a guide post, who they ask where to find the Red Jinn. It points northwest, which Kabumpo is sure must be wrong, but when Randy asks it to take them to the Red Jinn, it sends them both flying through the air in true Thompson tradition!

Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Regalia, the new King's progress at proving his right to be royal is being tracked...

Randy and Kabumpo find themselves in the palace of Jinnicky, the Red Jinn of Ev. While we first saw the jolly Red Jinn back in Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz, but here, the character has become more developed. Jinnicky wears a red ginger jar and has many servants (all black... hmmm...) and a grand vizier named Alibabble. To be honest, Jinnicky is one of my favorite Thompson characters. (You may find out why soon...)

Jinnicky, upon hearing Kabumpo and Randy's story, immediately pledges his help. With help from Polychrome and the Rainbow, they cross the Deadly Desert, and head to Pumperdink, tackling more obstacles and little kingdoms along the way.

Meanwhile, in Pumperdink, Faleero has been making life miserable for everyone (including Kettywig), and finally General Quakes of the army makes the brave attempt to go to Glinda's palace in the south.

Jinnicky, Kabumpo, and Randy encounter Ozwoz, the Wonderful, a wozard, who has an army of wooden soldiers, one of which Jinnicky trades a never-emptying cookie jar for. (I wonder if Ozwoz's wooden soldiers were the inspiration for Alexander Volkov's Deadwood Oaks.) The trade turns out to be a wise one, for the soldier, Johnwahn, is able to seize Faleero and carry her far away. However, they lost the control of him and cannot make him stop. Ozma and the Wizard arrive, having been alerted by General Quakes.

Ozma and the Wizard begin restoring Pumperdink, while Jinnicky, Randy, and Kabumpo head to Faleero's home, hoping to find some clue to restore the Royal Family. As it is night, they start a fire to see by, only to discover the logs they are using are the Royal Family. But they're doing the right thing, as this is the way to restore people who have been changed into wood.

As they return to Pumperdink, Randy finds the controller and makes Johnwahn return with an unconscious Faleero. When she awakens, she flies away, never to be seen again. (For now...) Suddenly, visitors from Pumperdink, who call Randy their new king, as he has passed the seven tests required to be royal. He made three true friends in Kabumpo, Jinnicky, and the giant Nandywog. He served a strange king, Pompus, who was strange while enchanted. He saved Queen Pozy, he proved his bravery in battle, fought a fabulous monster, disenchanted not just one, but two princesses, Peg Amy and her daughter, and even prince Pompadore, and finally received from Jinnicky Johnwahn, a magical treasure. Kabumpo promises to visit, Jinnicky promising to come along.

The Purple Prince of Oz may just be one of Thompson's best. Aside from a dragging second chapter where Kabumpo retells Kabumpo in Oz, the story is exciting and fast paced. She also further develops Pumperdink and Kabumpo, and finally fleshes out the Red Jinn, who had been mentioned and made a cameo in the last two books. Even better, in Baum tradition, the villains, no matter how bad, are aptly punished, and everyone who they hurt restored and made happy again.

Sadly, though, when it came to Oz, Thompson had a very shallow well of ideas, and being required to write a book annually was beginning to take its toll on her. However, her awareness of this weakness became a strength, as some of her later stories vastly improved on the former, and The Purple Prince of Oz is one of the better examples.

Pirates in Oz

Thompson's book for 1931. The title: Pirates in Oz. The cover, a boy and a scruffy, bearded pirate on the rigging of a ship at sea. What does this indicate? Adventure! But will Thompson deliver?

So, where do we begin? Ruggedo, still mute from last time, has managed to leave Oz and is heading south along the Ev coastline. He comes across the the Land of Menankypoo, where he is made the dumb king, as he is mute, but also passes a series of tests pretending to be stupid.

As he explores, he finds a cave, with some magic tools, including a pond that restores his speech, and a Clocker, a Cuckoo Clock man that dispenses wise advice every fifteen minutes.

As Ruggedo is leaving the cave, Menankypoo is attacked by pirates. All the people are thrown into the sea. (They don't die, as Menankypoo is still part of fairyland.) Ruggedo and Clocker decide to enlist the pirates to help them conquer Oz. The pirates agree.

Meanwhile, King Ato, the king of the Octagon Isle, and Roger the Read Bird, receive two unexpected guests. The first is Captain Samuel Salt, who has been deserted by his pirate crew. Still, the appearance of his ship made all the other inhabitants of the Octagon Isle flee in a ship. The second guest is Peter, who got shipwrecked, and has found a flask marked simply "Do not open." Captain Salt decides to take Ato, Peter, and Roger as his new crew, and they set sail.

Along their journey, Captain Salt encounter strange and interesting islands. All of these are plenty of fun to read about, actually. Eventually, they add Pigasus, a winged pig, to the crew.

They arrive at Menankypoo, where they discover the Octagon Islanders arrived and joined the pirates, who are going to conquer Oz, as Clocker has devised a way to cross the desert. The flask accidentally opens, and it makes Captain Salt's ship fly. They use it to go to Oz, while Pigasus carries Peter to the Emerald City. They find Ruggedo has already captured the Magic Belt and is holding Ozma and her court at his mercy.

Pigasus and Peter go to attack Ruggedo, but he renders them motionless with a magic stick. The most good they do is Pigasus swallowing Clocker's cuckoo, rendering him unable to dispense advice.

Meanwhile, Roger theorizes that closing the flask will make the ship go back down, so they land in the Emerald City, and it is Captain Salt who grabs Ruggedo and Roger removes the Magic Belt and restores it to Ozma. She turns Ruggedo in a stone jug and restores everyone else, including the other pirates and the Octagon islanders, who he had turned into cobblestones.

The Octagon Islanders are all returned home, and all the pirates are turned into seagulls, Ozma explaining that this will allow them to enjoy the sea while being unable to harm anyone, and Clocker is rebuilt to have gentle intentions. Captain Salt is made Royal Discover and Explorer of Oz, who will claim new countries for Oz. Ato decides he will spend half his time serving as Captain Salt's cook. Meanwhile, Peter returns home.

Overall, Pirates in Oz is a fun story, introducing some lovable new characters. I actually found myself laughing aloud at Pigasus' introduction. Captain Salt is one of Thompson's better characters: he's a pirate who doesn't ruthlessly pillage, take prisoners, or even make people walk the plank. He's a good natured "bad guy."

My only concern is that now Thompson has had less harsh punishments for her villains, but now transforming them all seems a bit off for Ozma. Consider that Ozma spent her early years transformed. Furthermore, transformations do not reform character, and just dehumanizes the character, literally.

And we'll see a bit more of that...

Anyways, go ahead and give Pirates in Oz a read.

The Yellow Knight of Oz

Thompson's 1930 book focuses on one of her first memorable characters: Sir Hokus of Pokes. Although he was mainly a supporting character, Sir Hokus was actually one of my favorites. A bluff, old-fashioned knight who would always try to be the hero? What's not to love? Of course he needs to be the focus.

Wait... It's not called Sir Hokus of Oz? Oh, it's The Yellow Knight of Oz. So, who's this yellow knight?

The book starts with Sir Hokus planning an adventure, but everyone in the Emerald City plans to go with him. Not wanting the company, he steals out alone. He travels through Marshland inhabited by giant turtles and frogs, and ruled by an ugly woman named Marcia. With the help of a giant turtle named Ploppa, he escapes.

Meanwhile, in the little kingdom of Samandra, the Sultan has had his Seer Chinda looking for the Comfortable Camel for ten years. In an argument, Chinda reveals he just discovered the Camel is in Ozma's court now. So, the Sultan sends Tuzzle the Grand Vizier to collect the Camel. Arriving at the Emerald City, Tuzzle does the smart thing: just asking for the Camel back! However, the Camel cannot be found. They send Tuzzle back, promising to send a message when the Camel returns. After he leaves, they go to check the Magic Picture, but it's gone. The Wizard says he has a magic searchlight that can find anything but decides against using it unless the Camel, Sir Hokus, and the Magic Picture don't turn up soon.

... Seriously? Yeah, Wiz, security must not be a big issue anymore.

Meanwhile, a young boy named Bill, but better known as Speedy, is testing his uncle Billy's rocket, which they plan to use to go to Mars.

Don't you love how little we knew of space exploration in 1930?

Anyways, it launches with Speedy alone and it crash lands in Subterranea, a country of quiet people under Oz. During a subter-rain, Speedy gets lost and finds a golden statue of a princess named Marygolden. It has fallen over, so Speedy starts to put it upright when it comes to life as a real flesh and blood princess. Using an umbrella, they escape Subterranea.

Meanwhile, Sir Hokus is joined by the Comfortable Camel and they eventually come across a deserted overgrown city. Finding a pack of dates in the Camel's saddle bag, Hokus eats one and tosses it away, but it hits a vine and transforms it into a Jester named Peter Pun. As the three journey on, the Comfortable Camel is captured by Chinda.

In Samandra, the Camel cannot talk anymore, but the Sultan is outraged that the Camel has lost his saddle bags.

Thompson returns to Speedy and Marygolden, who find themselves in Quick City, where Speedy is made King of the Quix. These people, as they wear special hats, age rapidly and then repeat their aging in just a few moments. It's actually one of Thompson's more amusing side-creations.

Escaping Quick City, Speedy and Marygolden arrive in a forest, where Speedy turns a horse chestnut into a chestnut horse named Stampedro, who says he belongs to the Yellow Knight. They soon are joined by Sir Hokus and Peter Pun, who go to Samandra to retrieve the Comfortable Camel. This they manage to do, but Hokus is separated from the rest, and they take the Sultan's dog Confido.

Confido, now being able to talk, is bribed into spilling all of the Sultan's secrets. He transformed the countries of Corumbia and Corabia, and Confido knows how to undo the enchantment, using date seeds that grow from a magic tree he instructs them to grow. He gives them the instructions, and the kingdoms are shortly restored. However, Stampedro demands the Yellow Knight be restored. But the Yellow Knight cannot be disenchanted until exactly ten in the morning. The Queen of Corumbia must eat the smallest date on the tree, and fling it from the tallest tower in the castle.

When this is done, the date seed strikes Sir Hokus, who turns into Prince Corum, the Yellow Knight. Backtracking, Thompson reveals the knight who Hokus fought and sent to Pokes all those years ago was really the Sultan of Samandra.

The Sultan is captured, and with a quick arrival by Ozma, the Wizard, and Dorothy. They see to the Sultan's punishment (return his stolen goods, all magic tools confiscated, and restricted to Samandra) and see Corum married to Marygolden, who was his bethrothed. (Before you ask, Thompson mentions that Sir Hokus hid the Magic Picture so the people in the Emerald City wouldn't come after him, but the Wizard found it.) The Camel stays with Corum, while Speedy returns home to Uncle Billy.

The Yellow Knight of Oz feels like it could have been more than what it was. Sadly, most of the story is about disenchanting things, which isn't too exciting. Yes, Ozma of Oz also had dispelling enchantments as a major plot point, but it felt more exciting there because there was also a large chance of danger for our heroes.

And Thompson winds up making one of her best characters into a character that isn't so interesting. And here, he drops out of Thompson's books. We never get to see what kind of character Prince Corum is, whether he became a completely different person, or if Sir Hokus was a part of his character exemplified. And the final problem is that if Thompson was going to do this, why place it ten years later? Ah, well.

The redeeming factor of Yellow Knight is Speedy, another adventurous child character to move the plot along, and guess what? He'll be back later!

Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz

Well, isn't this an appropriate time of year to write this one?

In a change of pace for Thompson, we open in Philadelphia with Peter from The Gnome King of Oz. He and his grandfather put the gold Peter got in that story to use, putting one bag in the bank for Peter's college fund, and the other bag they basically blew. (All on fun stuff, but still...) Peter kept the sacks, though, and he finds a small leftover gold piece. He toys with it and wishes he was back in Oz and then he finds himself just outside Jack Pumpkinhead's home.

Jack greets him and theorizes that the coin was a "piece of change." They decide to head to the Emerald City, but Jack takes the wrong road.

Thompson really gets on a roll with new places to explore here: they visit Chimneyville, home of the Chimney-villains, who are living beings of smoke; a Goody Shop that sells only Good things, but not exactly what they want; and they even come across a live Christmas Tree that is ready to snatch what it can for ornaments. However, when they refuse to give things to it, it throws ornaments, including a silver bell inscribed "The Red Djinn's dinner bell," which when rung summons a black servant boy who gives Peter a dinner.

Then we head over to Scare City, where King Harum Scarum finds Jack and Peter un-scare-able. Using the dinner bell, Peter defends himself by throwing dishes at Harum. Finally, their luck runs out, and Harum is about to attack, when the pirate sack Peter's been carrying from home sucks up Harum, and all the other Scares in the city, except a griffin called Snif, who has lost his growl—his "gr—rr"—and now calls himself an Iffin and often speaks in rhyme. He offers to fly them to the Emerald City.

The trio takes a break in the Land of Barons, where they meet Baron Belfaygor, who has a constantly growing beard that has led him to a life of seclusion, while the cruel Baron Mogodore has kidnapped his love Shirley Sunshine to force her to marry him. The quartet decides to rescue her, but before they can get to Mogodore's castle, Snif eats some shrinking violets and shrinks. But, a clever plan from Snif helps them reach the castle.

For a bit, we follow Mogodore and Shirley Sunshine, who doesn't think much of the cruel Baron. She unwittingly convinces him to conquer Ozma and the Emerald City. We also learn of the Forbidden Flagon. If it is opened, a dreadful disaster will befall Mogodore's city of Baffleburg. Mogodore is curious as to what exactly would happen.

Peter and his friends arrive and pretending to be powerful magicians, make their way to Mogodore, who sees through their bluff and has them thrown into a dungeon, the sack falling to the ground.

Peter and Snif escape when the effect of the shrinking violets wears off, making Snif burst through the bars of the cell. They quickly free the others, find the sack, and, having heard about the Forbidden Flagon, take that as well.

After a misadventure in Swing City, a city of acrobats, they find Mogodore on the march to the Emerald City. They attempt to swoop down and have him swallowed by the sack, only to have Snif, Peter, and Belfayor swallowed instead, leaving Jack with a broken leg, the Flagon, the sack, and the dinner bell. Having an idea, Jack rings the bell and grabs the black boy who appears, disappearing with him into the castle of the Red Jinn. (The spelling mysteriously changes in the book.)

Jack finds himself in the palace of the Red Jinn, a portly fellow who wears a red glass jar. He gives Jack some advice before Jack mysteriously vanishes.

It so happens that Mogodore arrives in the Emerald City as Ozma and her court is playing Blind Man's Bluff. Mogodore sees that Ozma is prettier than Shirley Sunshine and decides to marry Ozma instead. As a banquet for Mogodore ensues, Mogodore uses the Magic Belt to bring the Flagon. Jack appears, removes his head, and hurls the Flagon at Mogodore.

Mogodore and the people of Baffleburg are restore to their original forms: tiny people only a few inches high. Mogodore's ancestors had done a sorcerer a favor, and he returned it by making them normal sized people, the enchantment maintained as long as the Flagon was intact. Ozma returns the Baffleburgians to the now reduced city of Baffleburg.

The people captured by the sack are restored simply by holding it upside down and shaking it, so even the people of Scare City are restored and head home. Peter, Snif, and Belfayor emerge. Snif has found his growl again, so he is a Griffin again. Belfayor's beard is permanently gone, and he marries Shirley Sunshine. Peter goes home.

Altogether, I was impressed by Thompson's story. I thought her characterization for Jack was a little off, but she explained it was because of Jack's changing heads also making variations in his character. Unlike some of her other books, a linear plot was maintained, stepping away only to introduce situations when they were coming into the story.

Even better, at the end, no one is left unjustly punished or enchanted or transformed in a disturbing way.

So, Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz, well done, Thompson!

But who was that Red Jinn guy? Will we ever find out exactly where Jack went off to? Or is this going to be left unanswered?

The Giant Horse of Oz

As I come to the end of my first batch of Thompson books (more on the way, don't worry!), I end with her book for 1928, The Giant Horse of Oz.

We open in the Ozure Islands, which have been held in the thrall of the beast Quiberon for many years.

And something gets me about this: Quiberon was summoned by Mombi to keep the people of the Ozure Islands in the lake. Here's what I don't understand: why Mombi? The Ozure Islands are in the Munchkin Country, while Mombi was in the North. She'd be messing around in another witch's territory then! And another thing is why must this be because of a witch?

Anyways, Quiberon demands a mortal girl to serve him next, as the last citizen of the Ozure Islands to wait upon him told him about Dorothy, Betsy Bobbin and Trot. If his demand is not met, in three days, he will destroy the city.

It really doesn't make sense that this girl knows about Dorothy and her American friends. Apparently, Quiberon was there before Dorothy showed up in Oz, and the girl says that she knows about them from an old book she has.

King Cheeriobed does not think they could get to the Emerald City in time and says the one person who could help them would be the Good Witch of the North.

... Say what? Not Ozma, the Wizard, or Glinda, but a character who had less appearances in Baum's stories than the Queen of the Field Mice?

It's decided Prince Philador will go to seek the Good Witch of the North, because that's standard for Thompson now. A giant sea gull carries Philador away from the Ozure Isles, never mind why a sea gull is by a lake in a landlocked country.

Soothsayer Akbad (wait, did Thompson just put the word "bad" into this guy's name?) picks the golden pear that was supposed to be for only Philador to use. This gives him golden wings that carry him to the Emerald City.

Then we head over to Boston, where a statue of a famous public benefactor comes to life by a passerby finding some magic words and reading them. That... is actually one of the more Baumian touches I've seen. Anyways, Benny falls to Oz through a hole in the ground. (Thus supporting a theory a friend had that Oz is a "Hollow Earth" country, though Dorothy & The Wizard in Oz and Baum's map seem to indicate otherwise.) There, he meets the Scarecrow and wishes to be a real person. The Scarecrow suggests he tries acting like a real person and nicknames him Benny.

Benny sees what appears to be a big bird and runs away from it, carrying the Scarecrow with him. The "big bird" turns out to be Akbad. Benny stops when he sees Trot, and so does Akbad! Realizing who Trot is (how???), Akbad grabs her. The Scarerow and Benny try to rescue her, so Akbad ends up depositing them all in Quiberon's cave, and then Akbad just gets a bad rap and sulks around for most of the story, with two heavy flightless wings on his back. (There is an exception, but I won't mention it just now.)

I don't get why Akbad got it so harsh. Frankly, Cheeriobed decides that if Philador survives, then they can all die. So, he's putting one life before the life of the entire kingdom? I can't really blame Akbad here. Sure, kidnapping is bad, but still, I thought his motive wasn't bad at all. At the end, he repents and the wings are removed. Still, Thompson really wants to put him in a bad light. He's the only person in the Ozure Isles that did anything that made sense!

In Quiberon's cave, the trio manages to find a tunnel that leads them to a series of caves, and Quiberon can't follow them there.

Meanwhile, we see what the Good Witch of the North is doing. Oh, and Thompson named her Tattypoo. I don't even want to try etymology on that name. She lives in a little cottage with a dragon named Agnes. Agnes asks her if there was ever a time she was "young and pretty."

... Because, apparently, with Thompson, you cannot be old and pretty.

So, Tattypoo thinks about her past, remembers something, and jumps through "the Witch Window." Agnes follows her, leaving the place empty just as Philador arrives.

Being told by Tattypoo's magic slate (remember that? Nice!) that Tattypoo is gone for good (Hooray! Now no character will have to have that name!) and that he should go to the Emerald City so Ozma can help him. He helps himself to some food and magical supplies, but accidentally knocks a bottle off a shelf. The liquid in the bottle begins forming into a man with a medicine chest as his chest.

The man introduces himself as Dr. Herby, who was thrown into a cough syrup he was boiling by ... guess who? Mombi. (Well, at least this one was in her own country!) He melted into it, got poured into a bottle, and was apparently confiscated by Tattypoo, who never suspected that it contained an enchanted person.

Philador and Herby head out and use the magic tools and Herby's medicines to get past obstacles, until they meet Joe King. (Okay, Thompson, you have to be joking with these punny names!) He lets them use his horse High Boy to get them to the Emerald City. High Boy is twice as large as a normal horse and has telescoping legs.

Meanwhile, the Scarecrow, Benny, and Trot (what is Trot doing without Cap'n Bill?) escape Cave Town by an explosion that frees them from Shadow People who were about to make them shadows like them. This opens up the cavern they were trapped in, supposedly freeing Quiberon, who is waiting out the three days. After getting caught with the Round-abouties, they meet Philador, Herby, and High Boy, who offer them to join. They hurry to the Emerald City, helped in part by Herby's medicines.

Which points to a concern some readers have that I think is valid: Herby's medicines are comparable to amphetamines and are taken by all members of the group who can swallow, including the children, quite liberally.

After getting through Shutterville, High Boy's group hurries to the Emerald City.

Meanwhile, in the Ozure Isles, Orpah, a merman who cared for the Sea Horses that Quiberon ate (and helped Trot, the Scarecrow, and Benny in the caverns) returns and they are surprised when Queen Orin of the Ozure Isles arrives to stand by her husband on the day of its destruction. Quiberon tries to attack Orin, but Akbad saves her, the one other thing he got to do in the story.

In the Emerald City, Ozma and the Wizard hurry to the Ozure Isles to help Cheeriobed, and manage to turn Quiberon into a statue. The Wizard restores the Sea Horses from their skeletons, and Orin reveals that she is Tattypoo. Mombi, when snubbed by Cheeriobed for choosing Orin over her, kidnapped Orin and transformed her into what she intended to be a Wicked Witch, but Orin's goodness made her a good witch that conquered Mombi. Agnes was also Orin's maid and has also been restored.

Now, while some readers dislike the fact that Thompson did away with one of Baum's characters, my problem is she failed to make Orin an interesting enough character to validate getting rid of one of Baum's good witches. We are told how Orin got to the Ozure Isles after she was restored by the Witch Window, but it would have been more satisfying to follow her adventure.

Still, some fans protest that Orin was not really THE Good Witch of the North, and some stories have been written to have both her and the Good Witch of the North co-exist. (Some call her "Locosta," the prettier name that appeared in "The Wizard of Oz" musical in 1902.)

Furthermore, why is almost every other character in Thompson's Oz a prince or princess of some sort? I'm missing Baum's Oz where people were content to be ordinary hard-working citizens!

At the end, Ozma decides to make Cheeriobed and Orin the rulers of the Munchkin Country and Joe King and his queen Hyacinth the rulers of the Gillikin Country.

Joe King might make a nice ruler for the Gillikins, but I wish Thompson had had him in a story where he played a larger role first. And Cheeriobed I wouldn't put in charge of the Munchkin Country at all! He was going to let his kingdom die as long as his son survived! Yes, first love for children, but still, what a pushover!

Oh, and Benny decides he doesn't want to be human. Living in Oz is enough life for him, so he resigns himself to it.

Over all, The Giant Horse of Oz isn't bad. It just left me confused a bit. There were parts that didn't make sense, underdeveloped secondary characters are given big responsibilities, and unnecessary transformations happen. And why so much blame on Mombi? She was already executed, so why not let her rest in peace?

Hey, Herby, you got any pills to keep me smiling?

The Gnome King of Oz

Something I didn't mention about Thompson that I will say now about her 1927 Oz book. She preferred to use the traditional spelling "Gnome" with a "G" for the Nomes. I'm not exactly sure if it's been verified, but Baum claimed he wrote it without a "G" so it would be easier for children to pronounce. However, he did use the traditional spelling in his book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, and if that Gnome King is the Nome King, then there's really no issue...

Now, on to The Gnome King of Oz!

We open in the kingdom of Patch, somewhere in Winkie Country, where the Queen has just gone to pieces. (This kingdom's form of dying: when people "wear out," they fall into pieces and are put in a scrap bag, only to emerge good as new ten years later. A very amusing method, I must say.) Ministers Scrapper and Piercer set out, following the Spool of Succession to find the next ruler. The spool (and the Wizard's footpath) takes them to the Emerald City, where they find Scraps, and assume she must be the next ruler. However, she is indignant at being captured and carried away, and is none to thrilled to discover that the Queen of the Quilties is expected to wait upon the ministers and do menial tasks.

Meanwhile, a boy named Peter in Philadelphia goes to buy a balloon, but it turns out it's a balloon bird intent on carrying him to Baloona where he will be a servant. Peter takes the first opportunity to drop from the sky and onto an island, which has one inhabitant: the titular Ruggedo.

THOMPSON TRADEMARK: High flying into adventure. (Oh, wait, wrong blog entry...)

Ruggedo offers to make Peter rich if he helps him off the island, and Peter ... agrees to an extent. He's very wary of the Nome (Yes, Thompson! Call 'em what you will, but I'm dropping the G!), but is still a little tempted by the offer of riches. So... Thompson has a kid with potential for corruption? ... Go, girl!

The two find a pirate ship with some food and treasure inside, as well as a magic cloak that can transport the wearer anywhere and makes them invisible. It just doesn't work now because it's been torn. The ship manages to get Peter and Ruggedo to Ev, where Ruggedo wastes no time invading the Nome Kingdom, and threatening Kaliko off the throne. (Oh, Kaliko...) Ruggedo discovers that the only way to mend the cloak is to have it done in the kingdom of Patch.

So, you know what this means? They have to cross the Deadly Desert! They plant some plants that grow under them very high and reach right over the desert, dropping them off. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: that desert is getting too easy to cross!

They visit a man named Kuma Party. From the spelling, you might think it would be pronounced "Koo-ma Party," but when you find out more about the character, you discover his first name is pronounced "Come-ah." "Come Aparty," because he can dismember himself and send his body parts flying around. ... You know, I think there was a superhero like that...

After letting them have supper, Kuma literally lends Ruggedo and Peter a hand by having it carry a lantern for them when it gets dark. They reach Patch and Scrapper and Piercer are only too happy to have Ruggedo as a customer to have them repair the cloak, though Scraps, recognizing the Nome, objects. When the cloak is repaired, with only a blue patch that does not turn invisible showing, Peter wishes Ruggedo to "Zamagoochie!" by raising his arm, the proper way to use the cloak. (Ruggedo, classic male, did not read the instructions.)

Scraps, Peter, and their new companion, the tiny bear Grumpy, hope this has bought them enough time to get to the Emerald City. Getting help from Kuma Party's hands, they escape Patch. On the way to the Emerald City, they hurry through the kingdom of Suds, are joined by a helpful Oztrich, sing their way through Tune Town, before reaching the Emerald City.

Suddenly, my wish to visit Oz is swayed by all these weird places that are easy to get stuck in...

Ruggedo, meanwhile, was captured in Zamagoochie by the Wizard Wumbo, who happens to be Kuma Party's father. He holds Ruggedo captive in his chair's arms, but when the arms finally let go, Ruggedo promptly escapes and heads to the Emerald City. Wumbo sends for Kuma to send a message to Ozma in the Emerald City.

However, Ozma is away and has the Magic Belt with her, so Ruggedo remains invisible in the Emerald City, pulling tricks in his invisible state. Just as Ozma returns, Scraps and her retinue arrive and warn them. But it is too late, as the sneaky Ruggedo manages to steal the belt anyways, and is about to send everyone to the bottom of the Nonestic Ocean, when Peter hits him with a stone that happens to be the Silence Stone. (Yay, deus ex machina...) Because he is mute, he cannot command the cloak to carry him away, or for the Magic Belt to do anything, so he is quickly captured.

Ozma wipes Ruggedo's memory again in the Water of Oblivion, sends the Quilties of Patch a new Queen (changing some laws, though), and sends Peter home with two big bags of gold from the pirate ship.

At first, the story seems to be okay, despite the deus ex machina conquest of Ruggedo. However, the story seems to be just too easy. It's not a bad story, but it's not great. Thompson plays with some interesting ideas, such as Peter not being an average good boy, but doesn't really develop them into a satisfying conclusion. Kuma Party is just about the best new character, but most of the time, it's just his hands doing the action. We don't really see his character develop.

The Gnome King of Oz is an okay story. Like I said, not bad, but not great.