Ruth's Fans (1)

Ruth Plumly Thompson

Author profile

born

July 27, 1891 in Philadelphia, The United States

died

April 06, 1976

gender

female

genre

Children's Books

influences

L. Frank Baum

About this author

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An avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote a weekly children's column for the newspaper. She had already published her first children's book, The Perhappsy Chaps, and her second, The Princess of Cozytown, was pending publication when William Lee, vice president of Baum's publisher Reilly & Lee, solicited Thompson to continue the Oz series. (Rumors among fans that Thompson was Baum's niece were untrue.) Between 1921 and 1939, she wrote one Oz book a year. (Thompson was the primary supporter of her widowed mother and invalid sister, so that the annual income from the...more An avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote a weekly children's column for the newspaper. She had already published her first children's book, The Perhappsy Chaps, and her second, The Princess of Cozytown, was pending publication when William Lee, vice president of Baum's publisher Reilly & Lee, solicited Thompson to continue the Oz series. (Rumors among fans that Thompson was Baum's niece were untrue.) Between 1921 and 1939, she wrote one Oz book a year. (Thompson was the primary supporter of her widowed mother and invalid sister, so that the annual income from the Oz books was important for her financial circumstances.)

Thompson's contributions to the Oz series are lively and imaginative, featuring a wide range of colorful and unusual characters. However, one particular theme repeats over and over throughout her novels, with little variation. Typically in each of Thompson's Oz novels, a child (usually from America) and a supernatural companion (usually a talking animal), while traveling through Oz or one of the neighboring regions, find themselves in an obscure community where the inhabitants engage in a single activity. The inhabitants of this community then capture the travelers, and force them to participate in this same activity.

Another major theme has elderly characters, most controversially, the Good Witch of the North, being restored to "marriageable" age, possibly because Thompson herself never married. She had a greater tendency toward the use of romantic love stories (which Baum usually avoided in his fairy tales, with about 4 exceptions). While Baum's child protagonists tended to be little girls, Thompson's were boys. She emphasized humor to a greater extent than Baum did, and always considered her work for children, whereas Baum, while first and foremost considering his child audience, knew that his readership comprised all ages.

Thompson's last Oz story, The Enchanted Island of Oz(1976), was not originally written as an Oz book.(less)

combine editions
Books by Ruth Plumly Thompson

Average rating: 3.81 · 1811 ratings · 58 reviews · 32 distinct works

	Kabumpo in Oz 384 avg rating — 191 ratings — published 1922 — 4 editions	My rating:
	The Cowardly Lion of Oz (Book 17) by Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill (Illustrator), L. Frank Baum (Based On Work by) 372 avg rating — 85 ratings — published 1923	My rating:
	The Hungry Tiger of Oz (Book 20) by Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill (Illustrator) 375 avg rating — 59 ratings — published 1926 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Grampa in Oz (Book 18) by Ruth Plumly Thompson, L. Frank Baum, John R. Neill (Illustrator) 352 avg rating — 61 ratings — published 1924	My rating:
	Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz (Book 23) 384 avg rating — 55 ratings — published 1929 — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Purple Prince of Oz (Book 26) by Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill (Illustrator), L. Frank Baum (Based On Work by) 391 avg rating — 54 ratings — published 1932	My rating:
	The Yellow Knight of Oz (Book 24) by Ruth Plumly Thompson, L. Frank Baum, John R. Neill 396 avg rating — 52 ratings — published 1930	My rating:
	The Lost King of Oz (Book 19) 369 avg rating — 54 ratings — published 1925	My rating:
	The Gnome King of Oz (Book 21) 380 avg rating — 49 ratings — published 1927	My rating:
	The Giant Horse of Oz (Book 22) by Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill (Illustrator) 368 avg rating — 47 ratings — published 1928	My rating:

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Ruth's Fans (1)

Ruth Plumly Thompson

Author profile

combine editionsBooks by Ruth Plumly Thompson

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Books by Ruth Plumly Thompson