Rereading: THE ROYAL BOOK OF OZ by Ruth Plumly Thompson

The fifteenth Oz book has the author named as L. Frank Baum, but it actually the first by his replacement, Ruth Plumly Thompson. Thompson was born in 1891, and already a published children’s book author when she was asked by publisher William Lee in 1921 to continue the popular series. She was a fan of Baum’s books, and stepped in ably to continue in his style, gradually adding her own style elements over a long career of nineteen more Oz books for Reilly & Lee, more than Baum, and two later ones as well. The publisher put Baum’s name on this one to “smooth the transition,” telling readers it was developed by Thompson from Baum’s notes, but that was later disproven.

The Wogglebug has a new project, a genealogy of Oz’s most famous citizens, but the Scarecrow is upset when he realizes he has no ancestors or family. He goes off to visit the farm where Dorothy found him hooked on a pole to scare crows, and when he reaches that pole, he digs down around it. Suddenly the ground gives way, and he falls into a deep shaft that brings him eventually to the royal palace of the Silver Islands. The islanders are modeled on then current stereotypes of Japanese or Chinese people, so not politically correct by today’s standards, but they aren’t treated in a derogatory way with a few exceptions for villains. The Scarecrow is treated with reverence, as he resembles the last ruler of the Silver Islands, and the people take him for the reincarnation of that beloved ruler. The Scarecrow makes one new friend, a servant he calls Tappy Oko, but is threatened by the former ruler’s three sons, who want his throne. Meanwhile, Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion go in search of the Scarecrow and have all kinds of adventures in the usual unknown corners of Oz. In one they meet Sir Hokus of Pokes, a British knight in long captivity, who they help escape, and Sir Hokus becomes their new friend and Dorothy’s champion. Later they also meet the Comfortable Camel and the Doubtful Dromedary, who join the search for the Scarecrow.

The relationship between publisher and writer was not always smooth. Wikipedia reports: After submission of the manuscript, the publisher requested the story be completely rewritten. However, Thompson threatened to publish the book elsewhere without the Oz elements, and the publisher decided to publish the book as written.[6] Good for her, I say, marking out her territory and standing her ground.

I think Thompson did a good job filling Baum’s large shoes. Her stories are a bit more reliant on puns for humor, but her new characters are appealing, and fit in well. The plot is pretty typical until the very end, when it begins to feel a bit frantic and overdone, but generally this is a fun read and recommended.

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