Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Del Rey (1986), Mass Market Paperback, 264 pages
Description
Classic Literature. Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. HTML: Ozma of Oz is the fourth book in Baum's Oz series. The series chronicles the further adventures of Dorothy both in and out of Oz, as she deals with the characters, situations and desires which continue to spill over from her first fateful adventure..
User reviews
LibraryThing member Othemts
A great improvement over its predecessor, this story of Oz has humor, adventure, and imagination without annoying idiocy. I particular like the satirical bits such as the vain princess with many heads, and the army that contains several officers (who are cowards) commanding one private (who is
“’You see, in this country are a number of youths who do not like to work, and the college is an excellent place for them.’” – Ozma (p. 258)
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brave). Billina the yellow hen is a good addition to the story as well.“’You see, in this country are a number of youths who do not like to work, and the college is an excellent place for them.’” – Ozma (p. 258)
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LibraryThing member Runa
Ozma of Oz has always been one of my favorites of the Oz series. I loved seeing Dorothy back in the land of Oz, and her reunion with all her old friends was amazing. I also highly enjoyed her meeting with Ozma, and the friendship there is a really great one. [Also, Glinda! Oh, all the connections
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to the original Oz book, amazingness :D] Never did like the Nome King, but the challenge set by him was pretty clever, and kudos, kudos, kudos to Billina! Baum's cleverness never dies, as we see with his lunch and dinner pails, the green tin pig-whistle, the Nome king's belt, and the picture on the wall, and you know you're really back in Oz. The thing is, I get the feeling that lots of people don't even know these books exist. They are under the impression that the story of Oz began and ended with The Wizard of Oz, and this is just wrong. There's a whole series of storeis out there, a series everyone should read because it never loses the magic and charm found in the first book, and if anything, just adds to it. LOVE the books, always have, always will, I just wish Dorothy could stay in Oz forever :D Show Less
LibraryThing member Aerow
This is the third Ox book in the series and is the book that most of the Return to Oz movie from the 80s is based off of. Basically, Dorothy is out to sea and a big storm happens, and before you know it, she washes onto the shores of Ev in a chicken coop. Overall, I like the dialog in this book
The one good thing about this book is that Dorothy is back, having been excluded from the second book. Everyone loves Dorothy, so there you go. There are some new characters that don't come out in Return to Oz, like the Hungry Tiger. No matter how much he eats, he's always hungry, and is constantly trying to suppress his desire for eating little children. Kinda wish he wouldn't have suppressed it, though...
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better than the second one, even though I really like the second one (seems to have more adventures than this one).The one good thing about this book is that Dorothy is back, having been excluded from the second book. Everyone loves Dorothy, so there you go. There are some new characters that don't come out in Return to Oz, like the Hungry Tiger. No matter how much he eats, he's always hungry, and is constantly trying to suppress his desire for eating little children. Kinda wish he wouldn't have suppressed it, though...
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
I feel like Baum got his mojo back here after the stumble that was The Marvelous Land of Oz. I read this aloud to my toddler, and I think reading something aloud makes you aware of the pacing and the energy of the text. Like Wonderful Wizard, Ozma of Oz has a great, arresting opening that
I also had good fun reading the Hungry Tiger. (He doesn't contribute much, to be honest, but he is there.) And Langwidere. Really, this book is a delight, one of my favorites to begin with, and reading it aloud brought that out even more so.
This is one where I owned the Del Rey edition growing up; those reproduce the original illustrations, but they are mass market paperbacks, so everything was squished down, so I took the excuse to upgrade to a Books of Wonder facsimile edition, and it was well worth it.
The military humor went over my son's head. I am pretty sure this is the first time I read it where I got it myself! Sometime after we finished the book, he was talking about an "army of books," and I realized from context that he thought the word "army" meant "a big group," which is a pretty reasonable deduction. When I read these aloud, I sometimes massage the continuity and connections between books; for example, in the first book, I called the Emerald City maid who waits on Dorothy "Jellia Jamb" even though she's not given that name until book two. Similarly, here I made it clear that the lone private of the Oz army was the Soldier with the Green Whiskers from the first two books, something that the fourth book seems to indicate but even there isn't explicit about. (He just has a mustache here, not a long beard, but the Soldier did shave off his beard to escape detection by Jinjur's Army of Revolt in Marvelous Land.)
Weird thing I noticed: Billina gains the power of speech because she and Dorothy are in a fairy country, i.e., the Land of Ev... but when Billina interacts with some Ev chickens, we're told she's unusual because none of them can talk!
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immediately plunges the reader (or listener) into adventure: Dorothy is on a ship at sea, a wave knocks her overboard, and soon she is adrift, clinging onto a chicken coop. It must have captured my son's attention, because soon he was sitting in a cardboard box on the floor, claiming to be floating in the ocean himself. Also like Wizard, Baum does a good job of introducing a set of weird characters who make contributions to the story: Billina the Yellow Hen is an utter delight, and surely one of the best Oz characters Baum ever devised, and I had great fun reading her dialogue aloud in a chicken voice. I also really like Tiktok, but found him hard to perform. It's okay to read in a monotone for a single line of dialogue, but sometimes he gets a page-long expository speech! Both Billina and Tiktok contribute to the problem-solving, unlike Marvelous Land's gang of misfits; indeed, it sometime seems that Dorothy is just along for the ride! This is the book where Baum begins making her speech less formal and precise, with contractions and mispronunciations that weren't present in Wonderful Wizard (even though, going by Neill's illustrations, she must be a couple years older).I also had good fun reading the Hungry Tiger. (He doesn't contribute much, to be honest, but he is there.) And Langwidere. Really, this book is a delight, one of my favorites to begin with, and reading it aloud brought that out even more so.
This is one where I owned the Del Rey edition growing up; those reproduce the original illustrations, but they are mass market paperbacks, so everything was squished down, so I took the excuse to upgrade to a Books of Wonder facsimile edition, and it was well worth it.
The military humor went over my son's head. I am pretty sure this is the first time I read it where I got it myself! Sometime after we finished the book, he was talking about an "army of books," and I realized from context that he thought the word "army" meant "a big group," which is a pretty reasonable deduction. When I read these aloud, I sometimes massage the continuity and connections between books; for example, in the first book, I called the Emerald City maid who waits on Dorothy "Jellia Jamb" even though she's not given that name until book two. Similarly, here I made it clear that the lone private of the Oz army was the Soldier with the Green Whiskers from the first two books, something that the fourth book seems to indicate but even there isn't explicit about. (He just has a mustache here, not a long beard, but the Soldier did shave off his beard to escape detection by Jinjur's Army of Revolt in Marvelous Land.)
Weird thing I noticed: Billina gains the power of speech because she and Dorothy are in a fairy country, i.e., the Land of Ev... but when Billina interacts with some Ev chickens, we're told she's unusual because none of them can talk!
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LibraryThing member louparris
This is one of my favorite Oz books. I'm not sure why, but I really liked it. The Princess Lanwidere and her various heads and the enchantments of the None king (broken by Billina the hen because she overheard the king and his steward talking) are highlights. I read the Wikipedia article on Ozma of
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Oz (be sure to read the plot smmary) and the Wikipedia article on Princess Langwidere. I'm sure the others are good too. Show Less
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Dorothy Gale returns in this third entry in L. Frank Baum's Oz series, after her notable absence in the second volume, The Marvelous Land of Oz. Traveling with her Uncle Henry to Australia, the Kansas farm-girl is lost at sea during a terrible storm, washed overboard in a chicken coop which serves
Despite its title, Ozma of Oz is a book which, like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, has as its main heroine Dorothy Gale, who once again finds herself transported to enchanted realms by severe acts of nature. I enjoyed meeting up with Dorothy again, and found Billina, although an unlikely companion, actually quite appealing as a character, with her tart retorts, and practical sangfroid in the face of astonishing adventures. Ozma of Oz has always been one of my favorites of the Oz series, partly because I feel the story works so well overall - although a distinct pleasure of my youth, there is no denying that some of the stories in the Oz series feel a little bit scattered, almost as if they were travelogues, with an endless supply of new characters, rather than significant development of existing ones - and partly because of some of the more memorable incidents. Princess Langwidere's cabinet of heads has certainly stuck with me over the years, as has Billina's triumph, in discovering the Gnome King's secret, and using it to free the royal family of Ev. As always, the artwork here is gorgeous! I particularly like the portrait of Ozma at the beginning of the book, and then the plate in which she and her entourage are crossing the desert. The latter is undoubtedly the inspiration for the subsequent Del Rey paperback cover-art. However that may be, this is an entertaining and fantastical story, one of the strongest in the series. I recommend it to any child who enjoys whimsical adventures, with the proviso that they really must read the first two Oz books beforehand.
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as an impromptu raft. Together with Billina, a talking hen who is also aboard the coop/raft, Dorothy eventually washes up on the shore of the Land of Ev, a magical country located not far from Oz. Here girl and hen confront the Wheelers - a gang of bullies with wheels instead of hands and feet - rescue a mechanical man named Tiktok from his rocky prison, and earn the severe displeasure of the Princess Langwidere, ruling in place of the true royal family of Ev, who are being held captive by the Gnome King. With Dorothy made a prisoner, Tiktok immobilized, and Billina slated for the dinner table, matters look grim, until Ozma of Oz and her entourage arrive, using a magical carpet to traverse the seemingly impassable desert separating Oz and Ev. After a council of war, Ozma and her companions - the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion, Hungry Tiger, and a number of fairly useless army officers, as well as Dorothy and Billina - set out to rescue the royal family of Ev from captivity.Despite its title, Ozma of Oz is a book which, like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, has as its main heroine Dorothy Gale, who once again finds herself transported to enchanted realms by severe acts of nature. I enjoyed meeting up with Dorothy again, and found Billina, although an unlikely companion, actually quite appealing as a character, with her tart retorts, and practical sangfroid in the face of astonishing adventures. Ozma of Oz has always been one of my favorites of the Oz series, partly because I feel the story works so well overall - although a distinct pleasure of my youth, there is no denying that some of the stories in the Oz series feel a little bit scattered, almost as if they were travelogues, with an endless supply of new characters, rather than significant development of existing ones - and partly because of some of the more memorable incidents. Princess Langwidere's cabinet of heads has certainly stuck with me over the years, as has Billina's triumph, in discovering the Gnome King's secret, and using it to free the royal family of Ev. As always, the artwork here is gorgeous! I particularly like the portrait of Ozma at the beginning of the book, and then the plate in which she and her entourage are crossing the desert. The latter is undoubtedly the inspiration for the subsequent Del Rey paperback cover-art. However that may be, this is an entertaining and fantastical story, one of the strongest in the series. I recommend it to any child who enjoys whimsical adventures, with the proviso that they really must read the first two Oz books beforehand.
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LibraryThing member killianmcrae
In high school (early 1990's) I read all of the Oz books that were written by Baum. While I loved each and everyone, Ozma of Oz remains ones of my favorite. In an era that still often portrayed females as helpless beings constantly in need of rescue, Ozma was a confident and self-assured leader who
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didn't need a man beside her (or as an authority, given that she's a teenage-like character) to validate her rule, her motives, and her knowledge. Show Less
LibraryThing member Snakeshands
Still loopy but a tad darker. Again, haven't read this in ages; if anything, I remember it better from the cult classic Return to Oz movie, which made for an interesting comparison.But this one gives you lots of fun with Dorothy and the delightful queen Ozma, not to mention an intrepid hen given
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powers of speech by transition to the fairylands, one of the most Grimm's-ian villains yet with the Nome King and his dangerous guessing game, and my deep and abiding favorite Tik-Tok, whose wind-up personality has a lot more fun to it than he admits--not to mention the endless bickering between the Tin Man and the Scarecrow over who's better off than the poor mechanical fellow (Brains! a heart! etc).It's no wonder this is a lot of people's favorite, and I won't argue with it. Might like the pure bizarreness of Marvelous Land a hair better, but that's a matter of taste. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mrsbaty
This book, the 3rd in the series, holds up well with the first two. Ozma, the sawhorse, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and other familiar characters return. We also meet new characters such as Bellina the hen and Tic Tok. Dorothy is back for her second visit to Oz.
There is, of course, action
There is, of course, action
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and adventures and lots of fun! The importance of friendship and loyalty are emphasized as always. The movie, "Return to Oz" is based on many of the adventures in this book with a few things from The Land of Oz. This one is another winner in the Oz series! Show Less
LibraryThing member mirrani
The second of the books used to make up the Return to Oz movie, this is the story dealing with the Gnome King and guessing at his beautiful trinkets. Baum, as always, describes the locations and situations with the grace of a master live storyteller, making up his creations before an audience that
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hangs on his every word. Baum is the true Wizard of Oz. There's no doubt about that. Show Less
LibraryThing member Chris177
This is the third book in the L. Frank Baum’s Oz series of books. In this book, Dorothy returns to Oz with a yellow hen, not Toto. We also find out more about Princess Ozma in this book as well as more information about the Land of Oz itself. The story line in this book was combined with the
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story line in The Land of Oz, the second Oz book, to be the basis of the movie “Return to Oz.” Show Less
LibraryThing member Inky_Fingers
This is my favorite of all the Oz books. It has a greally great plot as well as strange characters and funny situations. I wish Peter Jackson would take this on as his next movie project.
LibraryThing member HippieLunatic
I picked this up years ago, probably in a moment of, "I love the movie, why not read more?" Given it's Walmart special cover of two books for a dollar, that must have played into the cost vs. benefit analysis, too.
I am so glad that I did, to the point of I will probably be adding the entire series
The characters are fun and the action lively. Tiktok and Billina are newcomers to the Oz realm, but each is a nice addition to the circles of friendship that Dorothy develops. The story itself is a magical explorations of the need to accomplish something, and how luck and determination often have to go hand in hand for success to be met.
I am so glad that I did, to the point of I will probably be adding the entire series
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to my wish list over the coming years.The characters are fun and the action lively. Tiktok and Billina are newcomers to the Oz realm, but each is a nice addition to the circles of friendship that Dorothy develops. The story itself is a magical explorations of the need to accomplish something, and how luck and determination often have to go hand in hand for success to be met.
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LibraryThing member TheLostEntwife
Shortly into reading Ozma of Oz I started having strange flashbacks. You know those kind of flashbacks when parts of your youth you have forgotten come creeping in and making you think.. did this happen or was it deja vu?
Turns out - it did happen! This book was the biggest influence on Disney's
So, once my curiosity was appeased I settled in to enjoy the wildly fun ride Ozma of Oz gave me. And oh, what fun it was.
This book has everything - from old friends to new, such as the fun Tik-Tok (whom I fell in love with). And you can't forget the private (because the 26 officers need someone to boss around). I giggled, laughed and felt like a child again. I thoroughly enjoyed Billina, the smart hen that.. well, when you read the book you'll know what she does.
I think this is exactly how fairy-tales should be written - full of fun, magic, talking chickens, mechanical objects and happy endings.
Turns out - it did happen! This book was the biggest influence on Disney's
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1985 movie, Return to Oz. I knew the changing heads woman was something I hadn't thought up of on my own! So, once my curiosity was appeased I settled in to enjoy the wildly fun ride Ozma of Oz gave me. And oh, what fun it was.
This book has everything - from old friends to new, such as the fun Tik-Tok (whom I fell in love with). And you can't forget the private (because the 26 officers need someone to boss around). I giggled, laughed and felt like a child again. I thoroughly enjoyed Billina, the smart hen that.. well, when you read the book you'll know what she does.
I think this is exactly how fairy-tales should be written - full of fun, magic, talking chickens, mechanical objects and happy endings.
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LibraryThing member ElizabethChapman
This happens to be one of my least favorite of the Oz books. It's interesting to read the reviews here on LibraryThing and realize that Ozma of Oz is many people's favorite. It's hard to put one's finger on what is enchanting -- or not -- in any given children's book. For me, the dangers Dorothy
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and her friends face in this volume seem less thrilling and the new characters that are introduced seem lesser copies of earlier ideas (The Cowardly Lion / The Hungry Tiger, the Tin Woodman / Tiktok, Billina / Toto). Enjoyable enough for Oz fans, but far from Baum's best. Show Less
LibraryThing member jedimarri
"Ozma of Oz" is the response to the cry of many young readers that Baum bring Dorothy back to the world of Oz. This time she reaches that magical land not by tornado, but by ship wreck, and she first spend a good deal of time in the kingdom of Ev.
The kingdom of Ev is languishing because the old
Dorothy, with her sweet personality, makes several new friends in this book that you will fall in love with! There are a lot of little lessons to be learned a long the way as well, so if you are reading this to your kids, you'll have some fun ways to sneak in some teaching moments. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
The kingdom of Ev is languishing because the old
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King sold off his wife and children in exchange for a long life, and then threw himself into the sea in remorse. Now it's up to Dorothy, Ozma, and their host of friends to figure out how to free the missing Queen and the children.Dorothy, with her sweet personality, makes several new friends in this book that you will fall in love with! There are a lot of little lessons to be learned a long the way as well, so if you are reading this to your kids, you'll have some fun ways to sneak in some teaching moments. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
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LibraryThing member rrainer
Now this book I remember quite well—partly because much of the movie Return to Oz was based on it, but more because I'm sure I had to have read it several times when I was young. While I enjoy it quite a lot, and more than any of the other books it sets up further adventures, it's also very
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slight when it comes to things actually happening. Still, Ozma remains the best. Show Less
LibraryThing member bzedan
Talking chicken! With attitude! God, Baum, you were a crazy person.
LibraryThing member stuzle
This is my favorite of all the Oz books! It has so many memorable scenes---picking lunch and dinner pails off a tree, the princess with lots of different heads, finding enchanted people among rooms full of ornaments, the magic carpet over the desert to Oz, Billina the chicken...I really love it! I
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read it over just today for the who knows how many time! Show Less
LibraryThing member MrsLee
Dorothy ends up in the land of Ev, which is across the desert from Oz. She faces many challenges, makes new friends and shows her courage, if not always her wisdom. This book introduces new friends such as Billina, the talking chicken, Tik Tok, the copper talking, thinking machine and Ozma of Oz.
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She also meets up with some horrid folks. The Nome king, a woman with 30 interchangeable heads (ewww), and Wheelers. Imaginative and fun, this story promotes clean living, caring for others and loyalty, without preaching. It must have been quite refreshing when it was published compared to all the other morality tales for children of the time. Show Less
LibraryThing member capiam1234
Such a fun read especially when reading to kids. Baum introduces many new characters in this third book and Tik-Tok has to be the break out star here, but Bellina comes very close behind.
LibraryThing member chirikosan
This book nwas brilliant. Clean child friendly fantasy with a really peculiar tale about enchanted jewels, it was a thrill to read from start to finish. A standalone novel that can be read without reading the prequels, I think every parent should read this to their children.
I'm glad I own a rare
I'm glad I own a rare
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old edition of this book. :D Show Less
LibraryThing member matthewbloome
This is a good book to read if you are interested in a further adventure with Dorothy. A few of the characters from The Marvelous Land of Oz are in there as well. I don't feel like the title was particularly appropriate for the story. I would have gone with The Lawless Land of Ev or Ev and the Nome
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King. Every character from book one made an appearance in this volume, though I wish Toto had come to Ev with Dorothy. I liked the hen, Bill, though I found it odd that she was able to talk after Toto wasn't able to speak in the first book. I though the whole talk when you are in a fairy land rule only applied to creatures that were from the fairy land. I would love to have a conversation with Toto. I would really like to know what he thought of being dragged all over Oz and in the company of a lion that nearly killed him upon meeting him. Show Less
LibraryThing member smcamp1234
Such a fun read especially when reading to kids. Baum introduces many new characters in this third book and Tik-Tok has to be the break out star here, but Bellina comes very close behind.
LibraryThing member vonze
Not as good as the first, but a big improvement over the second book. Glad to have Dorothy back in the storyline.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1907
Physical description
264 p.; 6.87 inches
ISBN
0345335899 / 9780345335890