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The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz #2)

by L. Frank Baum, David McKee (Illustrations)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 6,780 ratings · 477 reviews

Few fantasy lands have captured our hearts and imaginations as has the marvelous land of Oz. For over four generations, children and adults alike have reveled in the magical adventures of its beloved folk. Now, for the first time in over seventy years, the second book about Oz is presented here in the same deluxe format as the rare first edition, complete with all 16 of th

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Paperback, 192 pages

Published April 2nd 1985 by Puffin Classics (first published 1904)

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Aug 12, 2007 Michael Alexander rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: children's book fans, LOONIES

So. Much. Weirder. Both than your memory of this stuff, and even than the first Oz book. You've got the Scarecrow set up, "brains" and all having gone to his head, as King Fool of Emerald City, you've got an antifeminist caricature (not that i mind it when it's so transparent, even for a kid in this modern era) taking over Oz and making the men do housework, you've got the Tin Man fallen into vanity and obsessed with nickel-plating himself, you've got sudden gender-switching, a roly-poly that sp...more

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Sep 15, 2007 Cecilia rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is slightly ridiculous. It’s hard to evaluate The Marvelous Land of Oz for what it is - a children’s book and a sequel (a sequel to a great example of the genre at that) rather than just a book. But it’s a goofy, daffy book. It’s weirdly pro-women (in a way) for 1904 - everyone who makes anything happen is a woman (Jinjur, Mombi, Glinda) and the men all kind of fall into good luck and the fruits of the women’s labor. At the same time, the women who aren’t named Glinda are consistently...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: x-1900s, magic-and-sparkles-and-shit, did-that-animal-just-talk, x-series-bk-2, reviewed, for-the-kiddies, girls-rule-boys-drool, my-future-progenys-bookshelf, amazing-world-building

A boy named Tip escapes from a very wicked witch who wants to turn him into a marble statue, accompanied by two anthropomorphic acquaintances- Jack the Pumpkinhead, and the Saw Horse. Their journey takes them right to the Emerald City, which has changed somewhat since Dorothy left her mark. With no wonderful wizard, the Scarecrow has taken the position of emperor. This doesn't sit very well with the womenfolk of Oz, who are tired living under The Man--or his inanimate equivalents thereof--and de...more A boy named Tip escapes from a very wicked witch who wants to turn him into a marble statue, accompanied by two anthropomorphic acquaintances- Jack the Pumpkinhead, and the Saw Horse. Their journey takes them right to the Emerald City, which has changed somewhat since Dorothy left her mark. With no wonderful wizard, the Scarecrow has taken the position of emperor. This doesn't sit very well with the womenfolk of Oz, who are tired living under The Man--or his inanimate equivalents thereof--and decide to stage a revolution highly reminiscent of Lysistrata.

The women, led by General Jinjur, abandon their homes and their children, refusing to cook, clean, or keep house. They steal all the emeralds in the emerald city and go shopping and wear pretty baubles and watch Pretty in Pink all day while the men do their old chores (very, very badly). I was amused how forward-thinking this book was, considering it was written at the turn of the century when women were still subjugated. In fact, one of the cool things about the Oz books is that the vast majority of the positions of power are held by women. Glinda and Ozma are, by and large, two of the strongest and interesting characters in the book.

Tip, Jack, the Saw Horse, and the Scarecrow are forced to retreat to the country of the Winkies to seek assistance from Jack Chopper, the Tin Woodsman. What Tip doesn't realize is that halting the revolution and putting an end to the wicked witch Mombi's evil deeds will uncover the key to his own mysterious history--and a destiny that will change his life.

Land of Oz isn't the best book in the series, but it's not a boring one at all. I was tempted to give it a 3-star rating at first but the droll humor and quirky characters made me round up half-a-star. If you've seen the movie, you don't really need to read the first book in the series (although they did change some things), so if you're interested in picking up the Oz series, start with this one! I'm re-reading all my old fantasy novels for nostalgia's sake, so prepare yourself for a bombardment of kid-lit showing up in your news-feed. ♥

Next on the list: Ozma of Oz.(less)

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May 01, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, novel, oz, youth

I think I was able to love this sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz more because I wasn't comparing it to my favorite movie of all time, which uses a very different voice to tell the same story. There is however a movie loosely based on this and other Oz books called Return to Oz, starring a very young Fairuza Balk as a Dorothy longing to return to the magical land of Oz. It's really fun and a little strange, and although it may not stick strictly to the facts of the books, it captures the feel...more I think I was able to love this sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz more because I wasn't comparing it to my favorite movie of all time, which uses a very different voice to tell the same story. There is however a movie loosely based on this and other Oz books called Return to Oz, starring a very young Fairuza Balk as a Dorothy longing to return to the magical land of Oz. It's really fun and a little strange, and although it may not stick strictly to the facts of the books, it captures the feel of the books much more accurately than Judy Garland's sappy cinematic treasure. But I digress ...

The Marvelous Land of Oz takes place a little while after the previous tale. The story follows a young boy named Tip, who escapes the old witch Mombi with his "son" Jack Pumpkinhead. Eventually he runs into the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodmen (a.k.a. Nic Chopper) who were ruling the Emerald City and Winkies, respectively, when we last saw them, and Glinda the Good (who, btw, is actually from the South). New characters beside Mombi, Tip, & Jack Pumpkinhead are a sawhorse who comes alive when Tip sprinkles him with magical powder, General Jin Jur, who starts a girls' revolt in Oz, The Highly Magnified and Thoroughly Educated Woggle Bug, and the Gump, another creature brought to life by the magical powder and consisting of a rag-tag collection of spare parts.

Like the rest of Baum's work, this story is an entertaining piece of nonsense, reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, but for some reason I like this a lot more. Sometimes Glenda reminds me of Nanny in Muppet Babies, mostly letting her inexperienced children explore to their hearts' content, but stepping in when they're in danger of doing any serious harm. The Scarecrow and Woggle Bog have ridiculous conversations about who has the better brains, only to have the Sawhorse, with no claims to any brains, interjecting with some of the wisest sayings in the book. There all sorts of ill-understood magic, with Mombi creating numerous illusions to trick our heroes, and Tip's Powder of Life that brings Jack, the Sawhorse, and the Gump to life, but a life more like that of the Scarecrow, where they feel no pain when their body parts are removed. All in all, it was a wonderfully creative piece of fiction.(less)

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Dec 30, 2008 Diana rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I first read this book way back when I was in 5th grade - I read all of the OZ books (14 in the series) one right after the other when I was about 11 or 12. The original Wizard of OZ where Dorothy is introduced has always been my favorite, but I recently decided to re-read all the OZ books, as well as the other tales that Baum wrote - he was prolific. Although I didn't like this book as much as the original, I found it just as empowering to kids as The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. The main character,...more I first read this book way back when I was in 5th grade - I read all of the OZ books (14 in the series) one right after the other when I was about 11 or 12. The original Wizard of OZ where Dorothy is introduced has always been my favorite, but I recently decided to re-read all the OZ books, as well as the other tales that Baum wrote - he was prolific. Although I didn't like this book as much as the original, I found it just as empowering to kids as The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. The main character, Tip, is a young boy who goes on several adventures throughout OZ with the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. He has as much practical gumption as Dorothy does, and, by the end of the tale it turns out he was turned into a boy by Mombi, the witch - Tip is really the Princess Ozma, rightful ruler of OZ. All is put right by the end of the tale. What I especially appreciate in all the OZ books (and all of Baum's other books as well) is his flexibility with gender-specific traits and activities for his characters - the girls are never truly simpering fools that need to be saved, and the boys are not he-men who go out to rescue damsels or refuse to listen to advice. It's interesting in this tale, specifically, that an army of girls led by General Jinjur take over OZ (ruled by the Scarecrow after the Wizard was ousted - it was the Wizard who got rid of Ozma's father, Pastoria, and sent Ozma to Mombi so he - the Wizard - could take over OZ) - the girls and Jinjur fail in their coup because they DO engage in stereotypical "girly" behavior - sit around an eat bonbons, love jewels, are easily scared by mice. Ozma, once Tip is restored to his/her original state, takes her rightful place, and men and women live in a balanced state, respectful of each others' skills and traits. I plan to do a full-lenth study of Baum's works - Oz and beyond - based on his approach to gender. I'm looking forward, also, to simply re-reading some of my childhood favorites with an adult eye - and see how the tales have fared.(less)

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Apr 23, 2011 Lindsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, cleanreads

I adored this book! Which was a bit of a shock to me, since I enjoyed the Oz books all right when I was younger, but I was bothered by the inconsistencies from one book to the next--I had that kind of mind even then.

I saw the entire set for Kindle for a ridiculously low price, and I said, "Hey, they're classics. I'll probably read them again." And then I was away from home with no book, which is like being away from home without clothes on, for me, and there was my Kindle in my purse, and I'd re...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Hallie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this collection would be better read spread out and not straight through. I think the individual stories would have set better with me if I had given them time to digest before heading on to the next story.

I really enjoyed the first story, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." It was so much better than the movie, not so saccharin and really fun story telling. I did get aggravated with the Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion's whining but understood it was needed to get the point of the story across, es...more

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Jan 24, 2010 Jason Pettus rated it 3 of 5 stars

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally. This review covers all 14 of the Baum Oz books, which is why it's found on all 14 book pages here.)

I think it's fairly safe by now to assume that nearly everyone in Western society is familiar with The Wizard of Oz, most of us because of the classic 1939 movie adaptation; and many realize as well tha...more (Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally. This review covers all 14 of the Baum Oz books, which is why it's found on all 14 book pages here.)

I think it's fairly safe by now to assume that nearly everyone in Western society is familiar with The Wizard of Oz, most of us because of the classic 1939 movie adaptation; and many realize as well that author L. Frank Baum ended up penning a whole series of sequels, because of the original book's astounding success back at the turn of the 20th century when it was first published -- 13 sequels altogether, before his death in 1919, which after the movie's success twenty years later became a literal merchandising empire, spawning hundreds more official sequels by various authors and hundreds more unofficial ones once the characters moved into the public domain. And like many others, I've always been interested in what these 14 "canonical" Oz books have to say; and that's why I decided this winter to sit down and read them all in a row for the first time, easy to do because of them being available for free at both Project Gutenberg and the email subscription service DailyLit (which is how I myself read them, and in fact is how I read many of the older books you see reviewed here; I'm a big fan of theirs, and highly recommend them).

But of course, to even approach these books with the right mindset, it's important to understand that like so many other one-hit-wonders, Baum was not only eluded by success in most of his other endeavors but was an active failure at them -- in the 1870s, for example, he unsuccessfully tried his hand at breeding fancy poultry (a national fad at the time), then in the 1880s opened his own theatre and became one of the first-ever Americans to produce modern-style stage musicals, apparently a little too ahead of its time, then in the 1890s moved to the Dakota Territory and opened a dry-goods store that eventually failed, as well as starting a newspaper that folded too. So it was sort of a case of random lightning in a bottle when he decided in the late 1890s to try his hand at children's literature, and ended up with his very first title being the most popular kid's book in America for two years straight, and no surprise that Baum then spent the rest of his life desperately trying to figure out how to bottle that lightning again. Because now that I've read it myself, I can confirm that the original Wonderful Wizard of Oz is astonishingly great, a sort of miraculous combination of traits that makes for an almost perfect children's story; and although most of it follows the same storyline seen in the '39 movie, there are also significant differences, making it worth your while to sit and read the book version if you have the interest. (And by the way, for some really interesting reading, check out the academic analysis that was done of this book in the 1960s, arguing that most of its details symbolically correspond almost exactly to various political and economic issues of the late 1800s, including the yellow brick road representing the much-discussed gold standard of that age, the scarecrow representing the then-hot Populist Party, Toto representing the teetotaler [prohibitionist:] movement, and a lot more.)

But of course, there are a couple of details about this book that have been forgotten over the decades too, which also help explain its record-shattering success -- it was an unusually lavish book for its time, for example, with two-toned illustrations on every page and several full-color plates, and let's also not forget that Baum himself mounted a Broadway-style musical of Oz just two years after the book was published, a huge hit which toured nationally for a decade and that was even more insanely popular than the book itself (including making national stars out of vaudeville performers Fred Stone and David Montgomery, playing the Scarecrow and Tin Man; the stage production left out the Cowardly Lion altogether, which is why he is also barely seen in any of the 13 canonical sequels). And so that's why when Baum attempted starting up other fantasy series in the wake of Oz's success, hoping to turn all of them into lucrative franchises like the original, the audience mostly responded with yawns; and that's why Baum eventually went back to writing more and more Oz books as the 20th century continued, because by now the strength of the brand far outweighed the relative writing skills of Baum when it came to any particular volume.

That's why, at least to adults, it's perhaps actually the introductions to each book that are the most fascinating thing about them; because to be frank, most of the books follow a pretty familiar formula, with a danger-filled quest involving various kooky characters that is usually finished about two-thirds of the way through, followed by a massive parade or party that lets Baum trot out the growing number of main characters added to this universe with each title. (And by the way, prepare yourself for Baum's unending love of the deus-ex-machina plot device; over half the books end along the lines of, "And then our heroes took possession of a super-duper magical device, which they waved in the air and all their troubles went away.") In fact, for those who don't know, that's why the official map of Oz and its surrounding lands eventually grew so large, because Baum still hadn't given up on his dream of having a whole series of kid-lit cash cows out there generating revenue for him, and so would use many of these Oz sequels to introduce entirely new casts of characters who live in entirely new lands, "just over the mountains" or "just past the desert" of Oz itself. By the end of the original 14 books, in fact, Baum had built up a virtual aristocracy of licensable characters, all of whom would have to be dragged out for a cameo at some point in each book to remind the audience of their existence -- not just the cast of the original book and '39 movie but also various other princesses like Ozma and Betsy Bobbin, boy characters like Ojo the Unlucky and Button Bright, adults who help them like the Shaggy Man, Cap'n Bill and Ugu the Shoemaker, and of course a whole litany of quirky fantastical sidekicks, including but not limited to Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Great Jinjin, Billina the Angry Hen, Scraps the Patchwork Girl, and Polychrome the Rainbow Fairy. Whew! And so did the Great Oz Merchandising Experiment keep limping along for two decades, with each sequel selling less and less and getting lazier and lazier (for example, the tenth book in the series, 1916's Rinkitink in Oz, was actually a non-Oz book written a decade previous, published almost unchanged except for a hasty final chapter full of Oz regulars slapped onto the end); and thus did Baum's bad luck in business come back with a vengeance as well, with three more Broadway productions that were all flops, and even the establishment of a film production company in 1914 that eventually went bankrupt.

You can see the progression of all this reflected in Baum's first-person introductions to each book, which like I said is why they might be the most fascinating parts of all for adult readers -- how in the first sequel, for example, he expresses legitimately gleeful surprise and joy at how passionate his fans were, and how thousands of children had literally written to him out of the blue demanding more Oz stories, while with each subsequent sequel his tone becomes more and more snarky, ala "Well, dear and wonderful children, you've yet again demanded another Oz book like the sheep you are, so here it is, you screeching little monsters." In fact, in book six of the series, 1910's The Emerald City of Oz, Baum flat-out states that it's going to be the very last Oz book, and it's no coincidence that many fans actually consider this one to be the best of the original fourteen, because of Baum's extra attention to and enthusiasm for this particular storyline, thinking as he erroneously did that it would be the grand finale of the entire Oz universe; but after his later financial failures forced him back into the Oz business again, the gloves finally come off in his introductions, with most of the rest sounding to today's ears something like, "Well, okay, here again is the sugary teat you all apparently can't get enough of suckling, you infuriating little animals, so open wide and take your medicine." Now, of course, you shouldn't feel too bad for Baum; by the last years of his life, his combined books and plays were generating for him in today's terms roughly a quarter-million dollars a year just in personal royalties.

So all in all, an experience I'm glad I had, reading all fourteen original Oz books in a row, but not something I'd recommend to others; instead, maybe better just to read the first, then skip to the sixth, then skip straight to the 14th, 1920's Glinda of Oz, because of its unusual darkness (probably caused, many scholars agree, by Baum knowing that he was near death). As with many authors I've looked at here at CCLaP, history seems to have correctly adjusted itself in Baum's case, with most of his books now rightfully falling into the obscurity they deserve, even while his one true masterpiece is still rightfully recognized as such. (less)

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May 17, 2009 Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book. In this sequel to THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, the boy Tip, who has been living with an old witch for all his life, goes on a journey to the Edmerald City to escape the cruel woman's turning him into a statue. With him goes Pumpkinhead, a doll of Tip's creation brought to life by the which, and saw-horse, a saw-horse brought to life by the witch's potion stolen by Tip. They meet the scarecrow and the tinman on their journey...the main plot, however, involves an army of young g...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't enjoy this sequel nearly as much as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but it held my interest quite well regardless. I found it to be lacking a likable character; the tin man has become self absorbed and the scarecrow has lost his backbone. The new characters are rather annoying, although I was quite taken with the woggle bug despite his pompous nature. And I'm curious to know how the cowardly lion is, I wonder if he will show up in a future book? I do admire the the book's humor; I'm a sucke...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Rick rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone 4 years old and up

I didn't realize that L. Frank Baum was this good. This series is over a hundred years old and outside of a reference to trolley cars it is still wonderful. Some of the language is archaic, but this book in particular has some fascinating turns. An army of women take over the Emerald city, forcing all the men to do housework. Later, when the boy named Tip is transformed back in to Princess Ozma (gender role reversals abound!) the women go back to their old roles. This is mostly because the men w...more

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Mar 07, 2010 KristenR rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-ya, fantasy, kindle

I enjoyed The Marvellous Land of Oz more than the first book in the series, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This is probably because when reading the first book, I was comparing it to the movie, and found it lacking - and quite violent.

The second book in the Oz seies is much lighter, the characters are quirky, and was overall simply fun. There was Jack Pumpkinhead, an army of pretty little girls who conquer the Emerald City with knitting needles, as well as the Scarecrow and a much kinder and less m...more

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May 12, 2013 Batgrl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gutenberg-and-other-free-ebooks, fantasy

Read via Gutenberg.

Oddly I know of this Baum book's plot thanks to a comic book. (Since this is back in the 70s it was definitely a comic book and not a graphic novel.) I was spending a typical summer vacation with my grandparents, and as usual had the typical need to root around in the various areas of her house that held interesting nicknacks. Tiny china collectables, buttons, costumes, books, etc. etc. There was a typewriter case which you'd think would contain a typewriter, but instead conta...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Jason rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first direct sequel to the original "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and it is clear that Baum's focus had shifted to a more adult audience. The skeletal, meandering plot centers on a feminist revolt against the Scarecrow's patriarchal rule, bizarre from the get-go since he assuredly had no functioning genitalia and was thus sexually ambiguous at best, or purely asexual. The Army of Revolt led by the sapphic Jinjur, a jewel-coveting general, conquers the Emerald City. It is up to the Sc...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The second installment in the Oz series, “The Marvelous Land of Oz”, a story of a young boy’s journey through Oz with his newfound friends, has many of the same good and bad points as its (strikingly similar) predecessor. Although it is not as exciting as “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, introducing new, the addition of original characters enriches the story, and the inclusion of the characters from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” gives the reader a sense of familiarity.
Despite these positive aspects...more

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Mar 18, 2013 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

In this age of video games, smart phones, texting, and the internet, how refreshing it is to slow down and enjoy a work of imaginative literature that has delighted generations of children and adults for over 100 years.

When one mentions The Wizard of Oz, what likely comes to mind for most people are the characters, images and music from the 1939 movie musical starring Judy Garland. We see the moment when Dorothy emerges into a technicolor Munchkinland; we hear the characters singing “Follow the...more In this age of video games, smart phones, texting, and the internet, how refreshing it is to slow down and enjoy a work of imaginative literature that has delighted generations of children and adults for over 100 years.

When one mentions The Wizard of Oz, what likely comes to mind for most people are the characters, images and music from the 1939 movie musical starring Judy Garland. We see the moment when Dorothy emerges into a technicolor Munchkinland; we hear the characters singing “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”; we thrill (at least, as children) to the first appearance of the Wicked Witch of the West. Or, we may envision Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and others singing their way through The Wiz. This story is an icon of American culture, but is invariably remembered through the lens (pardon the pun) of film.

What frequently escapes our collective knowledge is the fact that L. Frank Baum was the J.K. Rowling of the 20th century’s early years, writing nearly 20 books all set in the wonderful world of Oz. This book collects three of the Oz novels in one book: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Land of Oz, and Ozma of Oz.

For those whose experience of Baum’s creativity is limited to the 1939 film, these books are a real pleasure and provide an important reminder of how Imagination can easily fly without electronics. It’s also enlightening to see how much skill and depth Baum had as a children’s author; any screen version necessarily leaves a lot out, and can’t possibly capture Baum’s perceptive wit that gives adults plenty to enjoy while keeping the children entertained.

The iconic stature of the Oz books cannot be considered separately from the original line drawings of W.W. Denslow and John R. Neill; together, they create a unique world, a testament to imaginative vision and a reminder that reading does indeed carry us to new lands and experiences. The books of Oz, though without the depth of Tolkien or the characters of Rowling, constitute a monument of American culture that deserve to be remembered, enjoyed, and READ for generations to come.
(less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Charles Dee Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Success must have set well with L. Frank Baum. This second book has a more relaxed, more expansive tone than the one that made his name and that to this day is one of the most familiar stories in the world.

This time out we have a male hero, Tip, who lives with the witch Mombi, but escapes by stealing her Powder of Life and animating Jack Pumpkinhead, a figure he has created from lumber, scraps of clothes, and a Jack 0'lantern head. Jack and Tip set off on adventures in Oz that are much stranger...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic-literature, childhood-book, children-s-literature, fantasy

Before I discovered that there was a girl named Dorothy with a dog called Toto I discovered the land of Oz. I never understood as a child the rules of series. That you 'had' to read the previous books before reading the second or third books. This was due to my age at the time (things seem rather muddled as a 7 year old when you have a voracious appetite for reading) and the fact that I had the tendency to grab whatever was on my bookshelf.

As far as stepping into the world of Oz went, this was...more
Before I discovered that there was a girl named Dorothy with a dog called Toto I discovered the land of Oz. I never understood as a child the rules of series. That you 'had' to read the previous books before reading the second or third books. This was due to my age at the time (things seem rather muddled as a 7 year old when you have a voracious appetite for reading) and the fact that I had the tendency to grab whatever was on my bookshelf.

As far as stepping into the world of Oz went, this was not the worst place I could have begun. Though it takes place after The Wonderful Wizard of Oz this book easily stands alone, albeit that there are references which one would not understand without knowledge of the predecessor novel. That aside, before I read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz I had read this several times over, enjoying it very much.

The plot, in which our male protagonist Tip, travels through Oz with a bunch of magical creatures and finds his way through several adventures is an interesting one. It certainly kept me enthralled several times as a child. However I missed out on all the metaphors and symbolism that Baum put into his work. Perhaps later I shall re-read the first few Oz novels in order to see them from an adult perspective (as I need to re-read Alice in Wonderland, Watership Down, Peter Pan and The Wind in the Willows). (view spoiler)

When all is said and done as a child I loved this book. I certainly have no problems with allowing children of 6 or 7 to read them. Often many parents and adults will raise a fuss and claim that such novels will provide children with the wrong impressions. However I've found through experience that children are much more conscious than we realise and understand far more than given credit for. Children's novels like these are what they should be reading in my view.(less)

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Jan 03, 2013 Andrewcharles420 rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was surprised to continue in the land of Oz without Dorothy... or the wizard! But this was a fun read--strange--as was the first, really. This story centered around a boy, Tip, who comes upon a box on enlivening dust (iirc it had a better name), and brings to life a jack-o-lantern on a wooden body, and a sawhorse, and then visits the kingdom of Oz, where the Scarecrow rules after the Wizard's departure in the hot-air balloon. They are run out of the city by an army of knitting-needle wielding...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics

A few issues with gender and with some sexism... overall, it was the same feel as the first book, kind of a quest/mission for the group to complete, but with many new characters. Some of which were jerks. The Saw Horse was a jerk, especially to Jack. Poor Jack, he was an anxious fellow but most people treated him pretty badly and he was called stupid countless times. The Woggle-Bug was very annoying, but I loved everyone's reaction to his puns. They were scandalized, haha. Like, it disgusted the...more A few issues with gender and with some sexism... overall, it was the same feel as the first book, kind of a quest/mission for the group to complete, but with many new characters. Some of which were jerks. The Saw Horse was a jerk, especially to Jack. Poor Jack, he was an anxious fellow but most people treated him pretty badly and he was called stupid countless times. The Woggle-Bug was very annoying, but I loved everyone's reaction to his puns. They were scandalized, haha. Like, it disgusted them when puns were made. That just cracked me up. The whole Army of girls thing was terribly sexist but they were all pretty annoying so it was hard to sympathize with them over the sexism.

I also got a totally different feel for the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. The Tin Man was so self-absorbed in this book. I mean, he helps the Scarecrow out when asked but was very vain. "I have called myself an Emperor because I am an Absolute Monarch, and no one interferes in any way with my conduct of public or personal affairs." And he has special, shiny nickel-plating put on him. Ugh.

Whereas the poor Scarecrow, for all his heroics in WoO, continues to be humble to the point of self-deprecating. He gets kicked off his throne by that annoying army of girls, and then, even after trying to get it back with the help of his friends and Glinda, he doesn't get to rule anymore because they "find" Ozma. Ok, granted Ozma is the rightful ruler but she's just a kid and Baum went on about how the Scarecrow was such a wise ruler (even if he did let a bit of it go to his head, so to speak), seems like he could have stayed on to advise Ozma. Instead he's made the Royal Treasurer for the Tin Man... and it ends with them arguing which is better brains or heart.

I liked the book alright, but there was a lot more bickering from this supposed band of new "friends". There wasn't really the color references that there was in the first book, which is fine because they were pretty useless in the first book. And Mombi, the witch, was way creepier in the "Return to Oz" movie than she was in the book. She was more of a nuisance to Glinda than a real threat, which was disappointing.(less)

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Dec 07, 2012 Joshua rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that lauds the stranger denizens of OZ. Jack Pumpkinhead is brought to life by the young lad Tip, and together they escape the evil clutches of the not-good-enough-to-be-a-recognized-witch-but-still-pretty-good-at-magic Mombi. They bring to life a wooden saw-horse along the way, and run into a Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug along their way to the Emerald City. There is a struggle for girl-power underway at the E.C. which causes the strange band to flee with the newly appointed Empero...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Gabriel C. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, 2012

There was a real missed opportunity here. This book came incredibly close to some amazing gender politics, which is marvelous indeed in the early twentieth century, but the devil is in the details and the book doesn't make the grade.

The first place that gender came up was in the girls' revolt. I'm not going to complain much about stereotyped behavior, like pursuit of candy and gems, partially because the straightforward violence and purpose with which the girls wield their knitting needles under...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Chris Holliman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Plot: Let’s get one thing out of the way: Dorothy is not in this one. Our story opens in the Country of the Gillikins, the northern land of Oz, and follows a boy name Tip as he escapes from his cruel master, the witch Mombi. Before leaving, Tip steals some magic powder which he uses to animate a pumpkinhead man that he has made. Their plan is to travel to the Emerald City to meet the Scarecrow, who is now the ruler of that place. Along the way, they animate a saw horse and ride him to the City....more Plot: Let’s get one thing out of the way: Dorothy is not in this one. Our story opens in the Country of the Gillikins, the northern land of Oz, and follows a boy name Tip as he escapes from his cruel master, the witch Mombi. Before leaving, Tip steals some magic powder which he uses to animate a pumpkinhead man that he has made. Their plan is to travel to the Emerald City to meet the Scarecrow, who is now the ruler of that place. Along the way, they animate a saw horse and ride him to the City.

They meet the scarecrow who unfortunately is not much help as his city is quickly overthrown by an army of girls with knitting needles. They all escape to the land of the Winkies where they meet the Tin Woodsman who rules there. They return to the Emerald City but are quickly surrounded by the girl army, escaping by creating a flying machine out of various items including the head of a gump. Eventually they make it to the south country where they meet with Glinda the Good who accompanies them take back the Emerald City from both the girl army and Mombi. There is an excellent plot twist at the end that I will not spoil for you.

Personal Reaction: I felt that this book was different from the first in that L. Frank Baum seemed more sure of the tone that he wanted to strike. In the Wizard of Oz, the story often overwhelmed a great deal of character development (“and then this happened...and then this happened...”). But Baum allows The Marvelous Land to breathe a bit more and lets the characters have extended conversations that illuminate their personalities. One dialogue that I found enjoyable was early on in the book when the Scarecrow and Jack Pumpkinhead are first meeting. They talk themselves into the idea that, because they are from different lands of Oz, then they must need an interpreter to understand each other. Of course, they are speaking the same language the entire time.

I also appreciated how each character was proud in their own way of their uniqueness, but also inclined towards sensitivity on this matter. The Tin Woodsman, for example, has himself nickel plated and is careful to avoid scratches to preserve his lustre. Jack Pumpkinhead is careful not to damage his head and is constantly worried about spoiling. The Sawhorse is embarrassed when one of his legs is damaged and must be switched out with another piece of wood. Baum’s characters wear their weirdness on the outside, but just like people, are inclined to be self conscious about it.

Taken all together, I believe that this book holds up (a bit of sexism concerning the girl army notwithstanding) over a hundred years later. I can cheerfully recommend The Marvelous Land of Oz to 7 year olds and up.
(less)

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Feb 28, 2013 Bish Denham rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-lit

There's always a concern when one returns to a childhood favorite, that one will be disappointed. I was not. The Marvelous Land of Oz was still delightful. Entering again into the United States' first and only true fairyland is still magical. It was fun to become reacquainted with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Glinda the Good, the Saw-Horse, Jack Pumpkinhead and to be reminded of how Ozma of Oz was found after being missing for many years.

Okay, so there's a sprinkling of those dreaded adverbs...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Herman Gigglethorpe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: oz-and-other-frank-baum-books

I picked up this book as part of a Kindle bundle, and the Oz sequels are obscure enough to most people to interest me. This doesn't disappoint!

It's weird enough that it's obvious why it wasn't a movie.

The adventures of Tip begin with him working for an old witch named Mombi. He tries to pull a prank by creating a wooden man with a pumpkin head, but the witch brings it to life. Jack Pumpkinhead is one of the funnier characters, because he is always worried about his head spoiling or being cooked....more

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Aug 08, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book two of Baum's Oz books is a fairly nice continuation of the original. It has the same silly logic and kid-friendly plots, plus it introduced longstanding Oz characters Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse, Mombi the witch, Princess Ozma, the pompous Woggle-Bug, and the Gump, along with giving the Wizard a darker side unseen before. I think I even remember a video version from when I was a kid on cable.

That said, this one may be more dated than the previous one due to the Army of Revolt led by Gen...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Jeff Stockett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, saw-the-movie

I enjoyed this book. It has a very similar feel to the first book. It consists of an unlikely band of friends travelling to and fro in the land of Oz and having various adventures and mishaps.

I was surprised to find that Dorothy does not appear anywhere in this book. But we do get to see our old friends the Tin Woodman (who is now randomly named Nick Chopper) and the Scarecrow.

I think the thing I enjoy most about these books is the dialogue. The stories are whimsical and unlikely, but the chara...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Ashleigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, childrens, classics, ebook

AT first I was very tempted to only give this a 3/5, however in retrospect, while not as good as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz it was still a really good book filled with humour and quirky characters that mirrors all the better qualities of book 1 in the series!

Like the first book in the series, this story is an entertaining piece of nonsense, reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, but for some reason I like Baum's writing a lot more.

The main character, Tip, is a young boy who goes on several adventu...more

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Mar 19, 2013 H. M. Snow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having never read the Oz books, I decided to work my way through all of them in order. The first was interesting mainly because I kept comparing the original to the classic film adaptation. I had no such distraction in reading the second. I rather liked viewing Oz from the inside this time, through the perspective of the boy Tip. Jack and the Sawhorse were very childlike, and the Gump a figure of humor and pathos at the same time. I must admit, though, that the pun-prone H. M. Woggle-bug, T. E.,...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Cordelia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, fantasy

This is the story of what happened after Dorothy left Oz. It's about the politics of Oz, in a way. We, the readers, meet Tip and his creation, Jack Pumpkinhead, as well was the Highly Magnified Woggle Bug and travel with them as they walk, ride, and fly all over the Land of Oz stirring up trouble, stopping rebellions, and causing magical mischief.
I didn't like a lot of things about this book. Baum didn't allow the good Woggle Bug to make all the puns he could have and the other characters shamm...more

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About L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum was an American author, actor, and independent filmmaker best known as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, better known today as simply The Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a plethora of other works (55 novels in total, 82 short stor...more

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“Everything in life is unusual until you get accustomed to it -The Scarecrow - The Marvellous Land Of Oz by L. Frank Baum pg 103 chapter 13” — 6 people liked it

“And I' declared the Sawhorse, filling an awkward pause, 'am only remarkable because I can't help it.” — 5 people liked it

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