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Oz #12
The Tin Woodman of Oz: The Wizard of Oz Series
The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The Wizard of Oz Series. The Tin Woodman of A Faithful Story of the Astonishing Adventure Undertaken by the Tin Woodman, Assisted by Woot the Wanderer, the Scarecrow of Oz, and Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter is the twelfth Land of Oz book written by L. Frank Baum and was originally published on May 13, 1918. The Tin Woodman is unexpectedly reunited with his Munchkin sweetheart Nimmie Amee from the days when he was flesh and blood. This was a back-story from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I know that some of you have been waiting for this story of the Tin Woodman, because many of my correspondents have asked me, time and again what ever became of the "pretty Munchkin girl" whom Nick Chopper was engaged to marry before the Wicked Witch enchanted his axe and he traded his flesh for tin. I, too, have wondered what became of her, but until Woot the Wanderer interested himself in the matter the Tin Woodman knew no more than we did. However, he found her, after many thrilling adventures, as you will discover when you have read this story.
90 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 1918
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7733 people want to read
About the author
L. Frank Baum
2,242 books2,721 followersalso wrote under the names:
* Edith van Dyne,
* Floyd Akers,
* Schuyler Staunton,
* John Estes Cooke,
* Suzanne Metcalf,
* Laura Bancroft,
* Louis F. Baum,
* Captain Hugh Fitzgerald
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part of a series. In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book became a landmark of 20th-century cinema.
Born and raised in Chittenango, New York, Baum moved west after an unsuccessful stint as a theater producer and playwright. He and his wife opened a store in South Dakota and he edited and published a newspaper. They then moved to Chicago, where he worked as a newspaper reporter and published children's literature, coming out with the first Oz book in 1900. While continuing his writing, among his final projects he sought to establish a film studio focused on children's films in Los Angeles, California.
His works anticipated such later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).
* Edith van Dyne,
* Floyd Akers,
* Schuyler Staunton,
* John Estes Cooke,
* Suzanne Metcalf,
* Laura Bancroft,
* Louis F. Baum,
* Captain Hugh Fitzgerald
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part of a series. In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book became a landmark of 20th-century cinema.
Born and raised in Chittenango, New York, Baum moved west after an unsuccessful stint as a theater producer and playwright. He and his wife opened a store in South Dakota and he edited and published a newspaper. They then moved to Chicago, where he worked as a newspaper reporter and published children's literature, coming out with the first Oz book in 1900. While continuing his writing, among his final projects he sought to establish a film studio focused on children's films in Los Angeles, California.
His works anticipated such later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).
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May 28, 2020Listen. Re-reading these books as an adult is… an experience. With every book your creeping sense of unease grows. You will have Questions. (They will not be Answered.) But nothing is quite as bad as when it is casually mentioned that Oz used to be a perfectly ordinary land, until a passing fairy turned it into a Fairy Land, at which point everyone became immortal by way of having their ages frozen. Children are, eternally, children. Infants will literally never grow up. Old people remain elderly for eternity. Following this logic, pregnant people I guess will just be pregnant forever? And because nobody dies, a tinsmith is apparently capable of replacing someone’s whole body one piece at a time with tin… and then sewing all those leftover body parts together into a new, living frankenperson. These are essentially horror novels thinly disguised as whimsical children’s stories.
December 1, 2018
Possibly my favourite Oz book so far. A proper quest (I'm a sucker for a good quest; it's the next best thing to a good, old-fashioned dungeon crawl) with a proper goal and plenty of twists along the way. Baum even delves into Dr. Frankenstein territory in places; the horror... the horror...
September 18, 2007
Don't get me wrong: the 1939 version of Wizard of Oz is, excepting the flying monkeys, one hundred minutes of unadulterated Technicolor joy. But if you're familiar with Return to Oz, you'll have an idea of how bizarre and playfully bent Oz can become. The key word is playful. In Return to Oz, the weirdness gets a little dark, but in the original books, Baum never forgets to have fun, even when his plots take morbid twists. You should probably start with the first two Oz books, but then I suggest skipping straight to The Tin Woodman of Oz. If you've seen Return to Oz, you'll know the Tin Woodman’s origin story: the Wicked Witch of the East cursed Nick Chopper’s ax because of his love of a Munchkin girl. His cursed ax chopped off his limbs, one at a time, and he had a tinsmith fashion replacement limbs until Nick Chopper was all tin, all man. In this novel, the Tin Man sets out to meet his long lost Munchkin love. Along the way, the Tin Man meets up with his old decapitated head, and their conversation--in Oz, not even severed body parts lose life--is not only genuinely funny but flirts with serious philosophical questions. The problem of identity is further complicated by Chopfyt, the man assembled with Magic Meat Glue from the parts from Nick Chopper and another would-be Munchkin lover, Captain Fy-ter. Despite all the weirdness, Baum's tone is lightly bittersweet at the end. The Tin Man's reunion with his old Munchkin love is especially touching. You can't help feeling sorry the Tin Woodman of Oz, the big-no-hearted Emperor of the Winkies.
April 3, 2022
3.5 stars
L. Frank Baum had a magical way with words, I am not a fan of how he threw them in the pot and mixed them.
Super creepy for sure. Not a fan of the two Tin Woodmen either.
L. Frank Baum had a magical way with words, I am not a fan of how he threw them in the pot and mixed them.
Super creepy for sure. Not a fan of the two Tin Woodmen either.
September 30, 2024
Delightful story about the Tin Woodman who goes back to seek out the young Munchkin Maiden he once loved to re-propose marriage to her as he feels it is his responsibility. You see they were engaged at the time he rusted still in the forest, and after Dorothy oiled him back to life, he never went back to find out what happened to her. This is his adventure along with the Scarecrow and the boy, Woot the Wanderer as they journey back to Munchkinland to see whatever happened to Nimmie Amee.
March 26, 2019
My favorite highlights of this volume:
* The Tin Woodman is off to find his lover of old -- with the conquest to marry! (Oh my goodness, this is such a fun soap opera to watch as it plays out. And it's for kids. And adults. Ha!)
* Randomly (and oh-so hilariously) the Scarecrow grows a bump on his back. SCARECROW IS A HUMPBACK! Ahhhh! I never saw it coming...
* Annnnd... The Tin Woodman meets his twin. Who'd of thunk it?! I love this book so much.
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. (Well, Mr. Baum could. He did it well too.)
* The Tin Woodman is off to find his lover of old -- with the conquest to marry! (Oh my goodness, this is such a fun soap opera to watch as it plays out. And it's for kids. And adults. Ha!)
* Randomly (and oh-so hilariously) the Scarecrow grows a bump on his back. SCARECROW IS A HUMPBACK! Ahhhh! I never saw it coming...
* Annnnd... The Tin Woodman meets his twin. Who'd of thunk it?! I love this book so much.
Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. (Well, Mr. Baum could. He did it well too.)
December 8, 2023
So, if you've seen my other Oz series reviews you already know that I don't mince words, and this review won't be any different. This installment in the Oz series picks up a pretty significant dropped thread from earlier in the saga: Nick Chopper, a.k.a. the Tin Woodsman, jilted a Munchkin girl. Yes, it's true. Allegedly he jilted her because of his enchantment-induced heartlessness. The trouble with this is that as readers, we're all entirely aware of the little bit of dramatic irony that the big three (Nick Chopper, Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion) always had everything they thought they were seeking. So really, the best excuse you could give for him is that he left her because he was self-deluded. And sadly, even if you brush that aside, that still doesn't change the fact that after he was "cured" and believed himself to be cured, he didn't bother to attempt to reconnect. Not even because he assumed she had to have moved on by now, or didn't know if she was still around. Because it *never occurred* to him. It's a weird little branch of backstory--and (I assume) this loose end clearly nagged at some fans enough to inquire about it, so this book is Baum addressing it by sending the Tin Woodsman off to track down his old sweetheart and make amends by carrying through on his original plan to marry her.
The Tin Woodsman is mostly a very lovable character, so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this book opens in such a way that it does no favors to his rep. For one, he basically gets shamed into the journey to begin with. Also, he makes it brutally, brutally clear at many junctures that the mission is purely out of duty and not motivated by romance or (oddly for him) emotion. Apparently his wizard-brand heart is made for like and not for love, or some little loophole of an explanation that doesn't feel very satisfying. Nick's compassion is referenced on many occasions, yet he really doesn't seem to show very much at all for his old sweetheart and is primarily motivated by his intention to keep his word. It's an oddly cold (though I suppose belatedly honorable) way for him to act and so the book feels pretty consistently out of step somehow. And this is all before the unsettling bit of doppelganger theater that takes place later in the book.
As Oz quests go, it's pretty weak. Nick Chopper himself seems reluctant pretty much from the beginning, and the characters don't really stick with you too much. Altogether pretty middle-of-the-road.
The Tin Woodsman is mostly a very lovable character, so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this book opens in such a way that it does no favors to his rep. For one, he basically gets shamed into the journey to begin with. Also, he makes it brutally, brutally clear at many junctures that the mission is purely out of duty and not motivated by romance or (oddly for him) emotion. Apparently his wizard-brand heart is made for like and not for love, or some little loophole of an explanation that doesn't feel very satisfying. Nick's compassion is referenced on many occasions, yet he really doesn't seem to show very much at all for his old sweetheart and is primarily motivated by his intention to keep his word. It's an oddly cold (though I suppose belatedly honorable) way for him to act and so the book feels pretty consistently out of step somehow. And this is all before the unsettling bit of doppelganger theater that takes place later in the book.
As Oz quests go, it's pretty weak. Nick Chopper himself seems reluctant pretty much from the beginning, and the characters don't really stick with you too much. Altogether pretty middle-of-the-road.
July 9, 2021
When I closed the cover of the “Tin Woodman of Oz” realization that my journey through the original Baum series is almost at its end.
While it’s taken me a few years, since I read a bunch of other books between each of them, it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. It feels almost like the land of Oz hit the stop on the timer every time I came to visit. Makes me feel a bit sad.
Anyhow, this was a solid story. I always wondered about the Tin Woodman’s previous, human life and the girl he left behind. I never understood why he didn’t just go back, but I suppose one thing gets in front of another and things you know you should do just slip to the side. (Kinda like keeping a diet, or going to gym :))
This felt like a proper adventure. Many characters, some familiar and some not so much. The same dance of adventure I’ve come to expect now although by now I am also getting a bit fatigued. While it’s nice to keep on visiting Oz, each story through the last few volumes has been very similar to one another. I get it, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, but a part of me wonders what could have been.
I think back to Narnia and how each story was a different adventure from one another, and I am hoping that Baum would do that as well, but it appears he is taking an easy way through it.
Well it’s all good. We’re almost at the end and at this point, might as well finish the series.
Wouldn’t recommend this as a starting point, and if you’ve read along so far in the series, keep on chugging along friends :)
Roman
While it’s taken me a few years, since I read a bunch of other books between each of them, it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. It feels almost like the land of Oz hit the stop on the timer every time I came to visit. Makes me feel a bit sad.
Anyhow, this was a solid story. I always wondered about the Tin Woodman’s previous, human life and the girl he left behind. I never understood why he didn’t just go back, but I suppose one thing gets in front of another and things you know you should do just slip to the side. (Kinda like keeping a diet, or going to gym :))
This felt like a proper adventure. Many characters, some familiar and some not so much. The same dance of adventure I’ve come to expect now although by now I am also getting a bit fatigued. While it’s nice to keep on visiting Oz, each story through the last few volumes has been very similar to one another. I get it, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, but a part of me wonders what could have been.
I think back to Narnia and how each story was a different adventure from one another, and I am hoping that Baum would do that as well, but it appears he is taking an easy way through it.
Well it’s all good. We’re almost at the end and at this point, might as well finish the series.
Wouldn’t recommend this as a starting point, and if you’ve read along so far in the series, keep on chugging along friends :)
Roman
August 28, 2022
Aha, another good book out of the Oz lot. Very very good indeed. A little clumsy too but this beats most of the books in the series.
For once, the name makes sense. Tin woodman is the from the beginning to the end. The new addition, Woot the wonderer is a very agreeable fellow. Not an annoying little stud like Button bright or Patchwork girl. Still, he was a bit of an idiot to think a woman will wait for an infinity of time for a man to return to her. That was sodding dumb but that gave us a journey to read of.
The magic, there's a lot of it in this. Unlike the others, except the first book that is, the magic is all over this book. Yookoohoo magic was fascinating. Undoing it was more fascinating. Poly's magic was quite used in lot of occasions. The magic glue, the air wall, crawl in the rabbit hole (oh alice, eat me drink me has no place in here, there's fairy magic in place), even Chopfyt was quite magical.
I believe this is one of the books where a character's past was revealed in a very smooth manner without a single hiccup in between. The creation of The Tin woodman and The Tin Soldier was quite proper. The circumstances around those two tin fellows were also quite alright.
The sarcasm. Pure and sharp. No matter where the story heads, Frank's consistency on that is something that makes me keep coming back to his work.
Book #50 of 2022.
Book #12 of Oz series
For once, the name makes sense. Tin woodman is the from the beginning to the end. The new addition, Woot the wonderer is a very agreeable fellow. Not an annoying little stud like Button bright or Patchwork girl. Still, he was a bit of an idiot to think a woman will wait for an infinity of time for a man to return to her. That was sodding dumb but that gave us a journey to read of.
The magic, there's a lot of it in this. Unlike the others, except the first book that is, the magic is all over this book. Yookoohoo magic was fascinating. Undoing it was more fascinating. Poly's magic was quite used in lot of occasions. The magic glue, the air wall, crawl in the rabbit hole (oh alice, eat me drink me has no place in here, there's fairy magic in place), even Chopfyt was quite magical.
I believe this is one of the books where a character's past was revealed in a very smooth manner without a single hiccup in between. The creation of The Tin woodman and The Tin Soldier was quite proper. The circumstances around those two tin fellows were also quite alright.
The sarcasm. Pure and sharp. No matter where the story heads, Frank's consistency on that is something that makes me keep coming back to his work.
Book #50 of 2022.
Book #12 of Oz series
June 9, 2025
As someone whos read sci fi and fantasy for 40 plus years, why hasnt anyone ever mentioned this series? Is it because its over a hundred years old? Is it because the Wizard of Oz is so special and the first sequel odd (which sets ups the rest of the books introducing Ozma?) that people never went futher?
Another fun and atmospheric and sometimes creepy good natured adventure.
I fear modern people simply cannot not overlay sex and societal and dark psycological underpinnings to this world.
Like we cant read or enjoy fairyland stories without them being dark and dystopian. Its our job as readers to overcome the modern tropes in the genre. There was a time when goodness and wonder was not naive or hiding diabolical evil.
If you can enjoy these for what they are, and not assume modern unperpinnings its a joyful and refeshing rediscovery of one of the most consistent ongoing fantasy series one author has ever accomplished.
Another fun and atmospheric and sometimes creepy good natured adventure.
I fear modern people simply cannot not overlay sex and societal and dark psycological underpinnings to this world.
Like we cant read or enjoy fairyland stories without them being dark and dystopian. Its our job as readers to overcome the modern tropes in the genre. There was a time when goodness and wonder was not naive or hiding diabolical evil.
If you can enjoy these for what they are, and not assume modern unperpinnings its a joyful and refeshing rediscovery of one of the most consistent ongoing fantasy series one author has ever accomplished.
July 20, 2019
Probably my least favorite of the Oz canon. It's not bad, just...ho hum, I think because there are more jokes in here for the adults than the kids. The idea of the Tin Woodman going off to find the Munchkin woman he promised to marry, after... I dunno, decades? likely wouldn't inspire much interest in the kiddies, and the adults would just be laughing at the nonsensical idea that a woman would wait around for a man. On the plus side, it's got a nice strong female character who laughs at both Nick and the Tin Soldier, and obviously views her mate Chopfyte as more of a pet or a burden than an equal. Woot the Wanderer needs to show up in more books, Tommy Kwikstep is just disturbing, and Polychrome reminds me distinctly of Luna Lovegood -- I wonder if J.K. Rowling read this one...
February 23, 2018
Overall I enjoyed this one as much as I did when I first read it in 6th Grade. The story is well plotted and the adventures are pretty Grand. In true Baum fashion it’s much more about the journey than it is the goal, which is welcome in this case.
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August 11, 2018This book is so weird, and I'm glad I've read it because every once in a while there will be an opportune time to reference it and weird people out. :D
March 7, 2018
The Tin Woodman of Oz
, which is a century old this year and hence the main theme of the upcoming OzCon, was the third Oz book I read, way back in 1989. After reading Wizard and Land, I checked to see what the local library had, and it was this and Cowardly Lion, as well as The Sea Fairies and Sky Island. So I knew about Ozma, and I think I'd heard before that Dorothy eventually returned to Oz to live, but there were a few mentions of characters I was unfamiliar with, like Polychrome and Tiny Trot. It actually ties in pretty well to the first Oz book, not just because the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow are main characters, but because it gives a resolution of sorts to Nick Chopper's original back story concerning his old sweetheart, here given the name Nimmie Amee. When a boy called Woot the Wanderer visits the Woodman and hears this story, he convinces Nick that it's his duty to find Nimmie Amee, and they set out to the Munchkin Country with the Scarecrow. The three of them blunder into a few new locations, including the former home of the giant Mr. Yoop (who appeared in Patchwork Girl), still inhabited by his wife. Mrs. Yoop transforms and imprisons the travelers, but they manage to escape along with another prisoner of hers, Polychrome. When they reach Jinjur's house, Ozma shows up to break the transformations. The party goes on to the forest where Nick used to live, finding along the way another Tin Man, this one a soldier named Captain Fyter who was also in love with Nimmie Amee and also had his body parts gradually replaced with tin ones by the same tinsmith, Ku-Klip. On his advice, they go to Nimmie's last known residence at Mount Munch, and, in a weird twist, find her married to a a man made from the cast-off parts of the Woodman and Soldier. It's another frustrated quest like Ojo's search for magic ingredients in Patchwork Girl, although here it really makes sense. Nick no longer loves Nimmie, and it makes sense that she would have moved on by this point. It's mostly his ego that leads him to believe she still pines for him, and might also contribute to how he and the Scarecrow have no problem entering places without being invited, which repeatedly causes trouble. It's not one of the more fun or exciting Oz stories, but it has a pretty tight narrative for the most part. When going back and reading earlier books in the series, I found it interesting that Ozma and Polychrome don't show any particular skill at magic until this one.
L. Frank Baum had gradually established in earlier books, starting with Road, that death is practically impossible in Oz. Here, he gives an explanation for it with an origin myth that an enchantment by the Fairy Queen Lurline halted death and aging in the land. It's not entirely consistent with everything else we've been told about the subject, but it's a vital piece of history all the same. This story is a digression from the main plot, but it does help to establish the idea that Nick's old flesh body parts are still alive, which becomes central to the resolution. He talks to his own former head, and finds that the two of them don't get along. Even more problematic is Nimmie's husband Chopfyt (I still think "Chopfyte" would have made more sense), a lazy, surly individual made up of parts of both Nick and Captain Fyter. The thing is, while he's rude to them, it still doesn't merit the reaction the Tin Men have where they offer to cut him back into his component pieces. Jealousy mixed with confusion over identity can lead to some dark thoughts. Not only is their old girlfriend married to someone a lot like them, but someone who at least partially IS them. Chopfyt does seem to be a failure as an experiment in person-making, although Dorothy defends his existence by saying the body parts would have otherwise gone to waste, a bizarrely whimsical and amusing notion. In these later tales, Baum's humor is less broadly comic in a vaudevillian sense and more subtle, even if there are characters named Bal and Panta Loon.
L. Frank Baum had gradually established in earlier books, starting with Road, that death is practically impossible in Oz. Here, he gives an explanation for it with an origin myth that an enchantment by the Fairy Queen Lurline halted death and aging in the land. It's not entirely consistent with everything else we've been told about the subject, but it's a vital piece of history all the same. This story is a digression from the main plot, but it does help to establish the idea that Nick's old flesh body parts are still alive, which becomes central to the resolution. He talks to his own former head, and finds that the two of them don't get along. Even more problematic is Nimmie's husband Chopfyt (I still think "Chopfyte" would have made more sense), a lazy, surly individual made up of parts of both Nick and Captain Fyter. The thing is, while he's rude to them, it still doesn't merit the reaction the Tin Men have where they offer to cut him back into his component pieces. Jealousy mixed with confusion over identity can lead to some dark thoughts. Not only is their old girlfriend married to someone a lot like them, but someone who at least partially IS them. Chopfyt does seem to be a failure as an experiment in person-making, although Dorothy defends his existence by saying the body parts would have otherwise gone to waste, a bizarrely whimsical and amusing notion. In these later tales, Baum's humor is less broadly comic in a vaudevillian sense and more subtle, even if there are characters named Bal and Panta Loon.
September 28, 2013
This was not my favorite Oz book, but it was nice returning to the magical, wonderful Land of Oz once again, where no one ages, few die, and anything is possible. This was the third of L. Frank Baum's Oz series that I have read (with my son); the other two were the first, "The Wizard of Oz," and Book 3, "Ozma of Oz." While there may be merits to reading the books chronologically, my experiences have been that you can pick up any book in the series without feeling lost in the world of Baum's creation. "The Tin Woodman of Oz" was the 12th of the 14 book Oz series. Next we will be backtracking to discover the fourth book, "Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz."
This work opens with a letter from Baum, the "Royal Historian of Oz," to his readers. In this letter Baum makes the case that while his works are very popular with children, they are not necessarily meant for any particular age demographic. While these are certainly classifiable as "children's stories," they can be read and enjoyed, as Baum notes, by "all those whose hearts are young, no matter what their ages may be."
In this book, the travelers -- the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and Woot the Wanderer -- go on a magical adventure in search of the Tin Woodman's lost love, Nimmie Amee. On their journey through the strange land of Oz they meet a magical (and cruel) giantess, a transformed fairy, ridiculous balloon-like people in the land of the Loons and a straw-eating Hippo-Gyraf (*gasp* - watch out Scarecrow!). We also meet Ku-Klip (the tinkerer who made the body of the Tin Woodman); a man named Chopfyt(not unlike the monster of Frankenstein), made of pieced together bits of human flesh; drowsy, hungry dragons; a boy with the body of a caterpillar, and familiar characters like Dorothy and Ozma.
While there is nothing magical about the prose, the world of Baum stretches the imagination of readers young and old. Ridiculous as the story may be at times, it challenges the reader to believe, at least so long as one finds themselves lost in the pages where the Land of Oz comes to life. And the power of Baum is that he makes it easy for his readers to believe in magic again.
This work opens with a letter from Baum, the "Royal Historian of Oz," to his readers. In this letter Baum makes the case that while his works are very popular with children, they are not necessarily meant for any particular age demographic. While these are certainly classifiable as "children's stories," they can be read and enjoyed, as Baum notes, by "all those whose hearts are young, no matter what their ages may be."
In this book, the travelers -- the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and Woot the Wanderer -- go on a magical adventure in search of the Tin Woodman's lost love, Nimmie Amee. On their journey through the strange land of Oz they meet a magical (and cruel) giantess, a transformed fairy, ridiculous balloon-like people in the land of the Loons and a straw-eating Hippo-Gyraf (*gasp* - watch out Scarecrow!). We also meet Ku-Klip (the tinkerer who made the body of the Tin Woodman); a man named Chopfyt(not unlike the monster of Frankenstein), made of pieced together bits of human flesh; drowsy, hungry dragons; a boy with the body of a caterpillar, and familiar characters like Dorothy and Ozma.
While there is nothing magical about the prose, the world of Baum stretches the imagination of readers young and old. Ridiculous as the story may be at times, it challenges the reader to believe, at least so long as one finds themselves lost in the pages where the Land of Oz comes to life. And the power of Baum is that he makes it easy for his readers to believe in magic again.
July 31, 2017
Been awhile since I had read one of these. They are so much the same that reading them one after another is kind of a little annoying. And yet this one left me interested in reading the next one immediately. As usual it was a travelogue visiting odd new characters. But at least there was a relatively interesting and reasonable mission. Definitely worth reading aloud to children and one of the better books but still only bubblegum at best. 3.5 of 5.
February 18, 2022
Some weird writing choices, seems half-finished but the man was dying so I'll cut him some slack
March 28, 2024
This was one of my favorite in the series. I know some of the other books mention that the scarecrow is one of the most beloved characters, but I love the Tin Woodman and always have. I loved hearing his story and what happened to him, and his original love story.
Some thoughts:
Relationship with Tin and his future wife (not happening) where she didn’t have to serve him - lol.
It was interesting the message about kindness versus love in a marriage.
I liked the parts about the land with the people who were so puffed up about themselves that they could pop. Good lesson for all people. Do we let our heads get too big for us?
I listened to the book instead of reading. Loved the narrator for this one. Why the German accent? Did Baum write the character as supposed to be German? The 2 characters were pigs. Was it because of the time period and WW1. The pigs weren't very friendly. And these are the original piglets from 1st book with the 9 babies. :) Nice to see them come back.
I loved how many times in all of the books, it is mentioned that the Scarecrow and Tinman can’t eat and don't need to sleep. This is so smart to make them this way so that they can take care of the others and watch over them while they sleep. It is also interesting that since they don't need food, there's always enough for the others. A huge message that hit me - not needing to eat or sleep means more time to talk. That's mentioned at the end of the book and made me really think about what I do with my time, and how I connect with people. I also love that these 2 are great friends and leaders.
Some thoughts:
Relationship with Tin and his future wife (not happening) where she didn’t have to serve him - lol.
It was interesting the message about kindness versus love in a marriage.
I liked the parts about the land with the people who were so puffed up about themselves that they could pop. Good lesson for all people. Do we let our heads get too big for us?
I listened to the book instead of reading. Loved the narrator for this one. Why the German accent? Did Baum write the character as supposed to be German? The 2 characters were pigs. Was it because of the time period and WW1. The pigs weren't very friendly. And these are the original piglets from 1st book with the 9 babies. :) Nice to see them come back.
I loved how many times in all of the books, it is mentioned that the Scarecrow and Tinman can’t eat and don't need to sleep. This is so smart to make them this way so that they can take care of the others and watch over them while they sleep. It is also interesting that since they don't need food, there's always enough for the others. A huge message that hit me - not needing to eat or sleep means more time to talk. That's mentioned at the end of the book and made me really think about what I do with my time, and how I connect with people. I also love that these 2 are great friends and leaders.
February 1, 2024
4.112 stars, I really liked it and will read again, even if I skip some other books in the series
The Tin Woodman of Oz should vie for best of the Oz books (though I haven't read the last one yet). The Scarecrow and his buddy Nick Chopper are prompted by Woot the Wanderer to seek out Nick's sweetheart from before he rusted and Dorothy found him. Indeed, why hadn't the Tin Man sought out Nimmee before?
Mrs Yoop is the first character in Oz I recall that is truly evil, and as a result, instead of being limited to a sequence of entertaining but egregiously eccentric encounters that are usual accompaniment for Ozish quests, she layers a second quest on the first one. But does Ozma mete Justice or Revenge or both?
And Nimmee herself is, well that would be spoiling. But things are much more mixed up than might have been anticipated early on and along with some turn-of-the-last-century point of view on marriage, I think the Tin Man might learn to see himself in a whole new light. Then again, perhaps he won't learn.
"If used carefully, thoughts are good things to have"
The Tin Woodman of Oz should vie for best of the Oz books (though I haven't read the last one yet). The Scarecrow and his buddy Nick Chopper are prompted by Woot the Wanderer to seek out Nick's sweetheart from before he rusted and Dorothy found him. Indeed, why hadn't the Tin Man sought out Nimmee before?
Mrs Yoop is the first character in Oz I recall that is truly evil, and as a result, instead of being limited to a sequence of entertaining but egregiously eccentric encounters that are usual accompaniment for Ozish quests, she layers a second quest on the first one. But does Ozma mete Justice or Revenge or both?
And Nimmee herself is, well that would be spoiling. But things are much more mixed up than might have been anticipated early on and along with some turn-of-the-last-century point of view on marriage, I think the Tin Man might learn to see himself in a whole new light. Then again, perhaps he won't learn.
"If used carefully, thoughts are good things to have"
April 10, 2020
Me ha gustado mucho esta entrega de la saga de Oz, se lleva un 3.5.
Por supuesto que hubo partes ridículas clásicas del autor, esas que normalmente me desespern, pero esta vez no fue tanto como en otras entregas.
La historia de Nick Chopper la encuentro muy chora y que la retome en esta historia me ha parecido una forma de cerrar todo para el3.
Mi personaje favorito por lejos fue Polychrome la Hija del Arcoiris, ha sido muy asertiva durante todo el libro y muy chistosa por lo mismo. Creo que lejos fue la más inteligente de todos y amé su actitud frente a Nick Chopper y el Capitán Fyter, cuando les dio la maña por Nimie Amee.
Otra cosa notable fue conocer a los papás de los pequeños chanchitos de la Ciudad Esmeralda.
Ojalá la siguiente entrega se mantenga en el nivel de esta.
Por supuesto que hubo partes ridículas clásicas del autor, esas que normalmente me desespern, pero esta vez no fue tanto como en otras entregas.
La historia de Nick Chopper la encuentro muy chora y que la retome en esta historia me ha parecido una forma de cerrar todo para el3.
Mi personaje favorito por lejos fue Polychrome la Hija del Arcoiris, ha sido muy asertiva durante todo el libro y muy chistosa por lo mismo. Creo que lejos fue la más inteligente de todos y amé su actitud frente a Nick Chopper y el Capitán Fyter, cuando les dio la maña por Nimie Amee.
Otra cosa notable fue conocer a los papás de los pequeños chanchitos de la Ciudad Esmeralda.
Ojalá la siguiente entrega se mantenga en el nivel de esta.
January 30, 2018
80/100
This has to be one of the more unsettling Oz books. Baum confirms that not only does no one die in Oz, they don't age either. Babies stay babies. Old men stay old men. And body parts stay alive even after the spirits of their owners have moved on to tin bodies. And tin smiths might keep those living body parts, like severed heads, on a shelf in his workshop. And he might decide to sew the parts of different people together to make a new person.
Baum has always toyed with morbid subjects. There was that queen that kept switching heads all of the time. But he goes pretty wild with it here and it's a lot of fun to read because it is surrounded by characters who are unswervingly sweet and innocent.
This has to be one of the more unsettling Oz books. Baum confirms that not only does no one die in Oz, they don't age either. Babies stay babies. Old men stay old men. And body parts stay alive even after the spirits of their owners have moved on to tin bodies. And tin smiths might keep those living body parts, like severed heads, on a shelf in his workshop. And he might decide to sew the parts of different people together to make a new person.
Baum has always toyed with morbid subjects. There was that queen that kept switching heads all of the time. But he goes pretty wild with it here and it's a lot of fun to read because it is surrounded by characters who are unswervingly sweet and innocent.
March 14, 2022
I quite liked this latest instalment in the Oz series, and I think that Baum did a pretty good job of reusing existing characters without it feeling old and stale. I even liked the fact that there was a romance element to this story, in part because it basically centred around the tin woodman feeling as though he ought to marry someone that he loved back when he had a heart.
It’s also potentially the first book in the whole series that isn’t mistitled, so there’s that.
It’s also potentially the first book in the whole series that isn’t mistitled, so there’s that.
February 3, 2022
I was not thrilled by this one. The only part I enjoyed was when the Scarecrow, Tinman, Woot, and Polychrome are transformed by the giant and must escape. Including another tin man with a similar experience to Nick Chopper's was also interesting. But mostly the story felt a little dull, and the ending was a letdown, even though things were resolved neatly.
My favorite line in the book is in Baum's intro: "my books are intended for all those whose hearts are young, no matter what their ages may be."
My favorite line in the book is in Baum's intro: "my books are intended for all those whose hearts are young, no matter what their ages may be."
January 13, 2024
*audio book*
It took twelve books for the tinman to remember that he forgot to find the woman for which he acquired his heart. And so, to find her, he begins another journey, meets a second tin man, finds his head, and tries to set his responsibilities in order.
It's a sweet book, a bit helter kelter as some of these stories tend to be. It had some amusing parts, certainly a fun addition to the series!
It took twelve books for the tinman to remember that he forgot to find the woman for which he acquired his heart. And so, to find her, he begins another journey, meets a second tin man, finds his head, and tries to set his responsibilities in order.
It's a sweet book, a bit helter kelter as some of these stories tend to be. It had some amusing parts, certainly a fun addition to the series!
September 19, 2021
It’s fineeeee… I guessss.
May 26, 2017
Doma Publishing's Wizard of Oz collection has taken me several years to read with my son at bedtime. It was interesting revisiting the texts that I read swiftly through my youth, as I was about his age when I read them and remembered little beyond some of the characters that don't appear in any of the books. I picked up a copy of this version since, for 99c, I could have the complete series along with "All the original artwork by the great illustrator W.W. Denslow (over 1,000 classic illustrations)", and to read the complete 14-book text at bedtime with all original color illustrations on my Kindle Fire knowing that there would be cross-linked tables of contents and no layout issues, it was worth my buck rather than taking them all out of the library. We read these books before bed at home and under the stars by a campfire in the forest, in a hotel in Montreal and in a seaside cottage in Nova Scotia, on a boat and in a car. We read it everywhere, thanks to the Kindle's mobility.
You may be reading this review on one of the individual pages for the original books on Goodreads or Amazon, and if so, all I did was cross-link the books along with the correct dates we read the original texts. The only book I did not cross-link with original dates was the Woggle-bug book, which if you know, is short. Instead, I counted that final book as the review for Doma's Kindle version. You may notice that some books have longer reading spans – probably for two reasons. One, I traded off reading with my wife sometimes, and two, sometimes we needed a little Baum break and read some other books. It did get a little old sometimes, and there are fourteen books totaling 3500 pages in their original library printing.
The first thing I think is worth mentioning is that when I first read these books, it was as a child would read them. I remember them being repetitive but familiar. Comforting and revealing. An antiquated adventure, but a serial adventure with recurring characters unparalleled in any other literature. As an adult with an MA in literature (and soon and MFA in fiction), I am actually somewhat unimpressed with the series. Baum wrote a whimsical set of tales, but they are torturously repetitive and would be easy to plug-and-play by replacing characters and moments with a computer to make an entirely new book. But, they are children's books, and we are completely enthralled and comforted by the familiar. Is not Shakespeare the same play-to-play structurally? Are not Pixar or Star Wars movies definitively archetypal in timing, execution, structure, and character so that they can be completely replaced and reapplied to a new story? Even the films – heck, even the trailers - are cut the same, and if you play them all at once, magic happens (see: youtube, "all star wars movies at once").
I suppose where the real magic of these books happens is in their origin. Baum wrote something completely original that took the world by storm and continues to be a whimsical American bellwether for children's fantasy. It is one of the original series specifically for children, spanning fourteen books written almost yearly and gobbled up by a hungry public. It still remains at the forefront of American culture in many revisits in Hollywood (let no one forget the horrific beauty that is Return To Oz) and capitalizing on nostalgia (as recently as six months ago I received a mailing from The Bradford Exchange that was selling original library-bound volumes signed by – get this – Baum's great-grandson... I love an autographed book if only for the idea of the magic it transmits even though it is somewhat meaningless, but maybe someone can convince me where the magic is in having it signed by a probably elderly great-grandchild who likely never met his great-grandfather?).
So, while some of the books were awesome and some of them were difficult to slog through, I have my favorites. I will also say that the introductions that each volume opens with were sweet letters from the author to his fans, and it was easy to tell that he truly, truly loved his job writing for children. He knew his audience, he knew what worked, and he sold books. Furthermore, I imagined with great sentimentality mailbags upon mailbags arriving at his house filled to the brim of letters from children all over the world, and the responsibility he probably felt to personally respond to each of them. For my career, that is the best anyone can hope for.
What follows is my (and my son's) short reviews of the individual books in the series.
The Original and Official Oz Books by L. Frank Baum
#1 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) READ November 26, 2013 – December 1, 2013
My Kid – At first I thought it was crazy, but then it started getting awesome. I remember the movie, but there's a lot of parts that are different.
Me – I mean, classic, right? The book pretty much follows the film almost entirely with few exceptions. In hindsight after finishing the entire series, it is worth nothing that it is considerably one of the best books in the series, while many others are of questionable quality.
#2 The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) READ December 1, 2013 – January 9, 2014
My Kid – It was scary... Jack Pumpkinhead and Tip escaped and it was really cool.
Me – This is one of the books Return to Oz was based from, The Gump and The Powder of Life coming into play to help Dorothy and Jack Pumpkinhead outwit Mombi. An enjoyable book, quite different than the first book but engineered beautifully with plot and characterization. Enjoyed this one. What was most engaging about this text was Ozma and Tip, and what this book says about gender and youth. I think there is a lot that can be examined about gender at birth and the fluidity of gender as a social construct, witch curse or no.
#3 Ozma of Oz (1907) READ January 9, 2014 – February 22, 2014
My Kid – The boat crashes and they have to ride in the box with the chicken... I like TikTok. They saved the Queen.
Me – This is the second book that Return to Oz was conceived from and a very engaging book. This one requires more understanding and construction of the Oz Universe including the transformation of several of our characters into ornaments and the outwitting of the Nome King in order to save our friends. This was one of my final favorites before the quality of the books fell, as far as I am concerned.
#4 Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (1908) READ February 22, 2014 – August 12, 2014
My Kid – I kinda forgot this one. There was the vegetable people underground and nothing really happened?
Me – Yeah, this one was a bust for me. I think Baum was making some kind of satirical point lost to history... Or maybe the obvious non-referential one, but still, just seemed like the episodic nonsense that didn't have a point most of the time. Keep the beginning, I guess and then skip to the final third, and there's your story.
#5 The Road to Oz (1909) READ August 12, 2014 – February 22, 2015
My Kid – The love magnet was pretty awesome, and Dorothy meets the rainbow girl and Shaggy man... I guess I'll leave off there.
Me – Another one that I thought was a little redundant and repetitive without much of a point. They get lost, they make it back, there are some weird artifacts that help them... Meh. I did like the new characters, however, who make many more appearances in the future books. Shaggy Man and Polychrome are great.
#6 The Emerald City of Oz (1910) READ February 22, 2015 – September 14, 2015
My Kid – The Emerald City was cool and Dorothy was in charge. If I lived there I would sell it all and be rich. There was a war.
Me – This one was pretty good until the end, where everything was buttoned up (apologies, button bright) pretty quickly without there being much of a solid reason. The conflicts were all contrived and there were some more ridiculously ridiculous new characters who never showed up again in the series. A great diversion, but with little substance toward the end.
#7 The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) READ September 14, 2015 – December 22, 2015
My Kid – It was pretty weird how the quilt doll became a patchwork girl and she was really funny. In the end, it didn't matter that they found all the stuff, so it was kinda crazy and funny.
Me – This was relatively silly. I enjoyed it, and the Patchwork Girl is a character I can really get behind as a foil to some of the other characters and somewhat mischievous. The plot is ridiculous, but the powder of life and the glass cat are somewhat illuminating elements of this text. Scraps made this a fun one.
#8 Tik-Tok of Oz (1914) READ December 22, 2015 – April 2, 2016
My Kid – The whole story of the shaggy man's brother being missing and ugly didn’t make sense, but... there was a war and Tik Tok was rescued. There was a man who was not as evil as the other army general guys. It was weird.
Me – This one was primarily about The Shaggy Man and his adventure to resolve a variety of political and interconnected issues happening surrounding everyone's messing around with the Nome King. There is a huge tube that goes through the center of the earth that everything centers on, and Shaggy is trying to get the Nome King to release his brother the whole time. There are a lot of characterization, detail, and plot errors in this that postdate some facts from the earlier books – which is kind of weird – and the intrigue surrounding the plot is somewhat complicating for kids. What I thought was the coolest element was the character of Quox, who passes more than a coincidental resemblance to Catbus from Miyazaki's Totoro.
#9 The Scarecrow of Oz (1915) READ April 2, 2016 – September 1, 2016
My Kid – First of all, there's a lot of people getting lost. Second, if I was in Jinxland, I think I would rather be back in oz.
Me – This one was interesting as it had little to do with The Scarecrow and was mainly about Button Bright, Cap'n Bill, and Trot. This one is probably the height of the ridiculousness, with little shallow plot item after little shallow plot item heaped upon one another. At the end, The Scarecrow has to (and succeeds) in recapturing Jinxland for Gloria, its rightful ruler, and returns to the Emerald City for a celebration. Eh...
#10 Rinkitink in Oz (1916) READ September 1, 2016 – December 1, 2016
My Kid – All these books have someone wicked in them and it's so crazy. I liked the name Kaliko, and the way Dorothy comes to the rescue of everyone being clever solves the problem. What's with all the problems? I feel like there's thousands.
Me – This one was pretty good, as it seemed to deviate from the regular universe of Oz and focus on a different set of locations and characters. It had a very Tolkienian feel in terms of plot, structure, and internal political commentary. It felt very different from the others, and most elements in the text had a point and a long-term purpose. I enjoyed this one.
#11 The Lost Princess of Oz (1917) READ December 1, 2016 – January 19, 2017
My Kid – First of all, they've gotta be responsible for the diamond pan, and that's why they lost it. They weren't responsible. At the end they searched for the tools and didn't need them and it was useless.
Me – Lost Princess was fun. It surrounded the story of Ozma being kidnapped and the Wizard, Button Bright, Trot, and Betsy Bobbin to go rescue her. Everything in this one felt a little random, but it all ties back together in the end. This one was pretty diversionary but not as bad as some of the others.
#12 The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918) READ January 19, 2017 – March 13, 2017
My Kid – Woot is a weird name, and everyone was changed to animals and monkeys and none of them matched up. It was all pretty weird because they all had their new needs as animals and it didn't match with what they were. The love story was kinda weird since the girl didn't want the tin woodmen anymore and the fact that they left and it was all for nothing didn't make sense.
Me – A lot of randomness in this one as well, but there is a love story at its core as we learn of a twin brother that the Tin Woodman had all along who shares the love of a long lost young lady named Nimee Amee. A lot of diversionary stories, adventures, and one cool twist by the end, and everyone arrives back where they started. Not the best, but entertaining. This one, while random at times, was a quality read.
#13 The Magic of Oz (1919) READ March 13, 2017 – April 25, 2017
My Kid – I wish you could transform yourself. Like... What if you wanted to turn yourself into a pea shooter from Plants Vs Zombies? I don't even know how to pronounce the word. I never heard of it, this nonsense word.
Me – This one had a funny gimmick in it with a secret word that when spoken could turn anyone into anything. There is a war on, and a secret force is transforming monkeys into superhuman soldiers (and there is a complication that no one in oz can be hurt but what happens when someone is chopped into a hundred living pieces?). This one was enjoyable, but the gimmick is honestly the only thing holding it all together.
#14 Glinda of Oz (1920) READ April 25, 2017 – May 23, 2017
My Kid – This one was kinda like a world of them figuring out what is going on with the big glass house-world under-water. The opposite of everything and they couldn't figure out how to get it back to normal, so what was going on with the war the whole time? Then they fix it. Everything is all set.
Me – This posthumous volume seemed to be pieced together from notes, as there is a clear difference between the tone of prior volumes and this one. The cadence and structure of the language and story is quite different in parts, and I found it takes itself seriously by comparison. Beautiful art and architecture present this journey, and I have to say, the fact that this was in new hands really shows because there is some wonderful structure that is absent in the other volumes, as well as even reintroductions to the characters when they show up. The end was a little too tidy with another deus ex machina, but the fact that it came from something that was surprising and there all along was different.
*BONUS Oz Works by L. Frank Baum, 'the Royal Historian of Oz'
The Woggle-Bug Book (1905) READ May 23, 2017 – May 24, 2017
My Kid – Actually, I don't have a review for my kid... See below.
Me – This book started cute and had a cute premise. When I began reading it at bedtime, the kid had fallen asleep. I tend to keep reading and save our spot, and then pick it up where he fell asleep the next night. Lucky for me, the terrifyingly racist parlance in this book started after he fell asleep. I read through to the end, with no intention of going back with him tomorrow... It was... shockingly indifferent to complete disregard for everyone. From switching between "Oriental" and "Chinaman" and having a character with a dialect that wasn't just a stereotype but also a stereotype of a racist's impression wasn't nearly as bad as the way Baum used the N-word (and had the character as a monkey's monkey). It was offensive and seemed ridiculously gratuitous for even the time it was published. Not a shining moment for his work at all... But it was pretty cool to learn the Woggle Bug was from Boston, anyway. This one was pretty awful.
You may be reading this review on one of the individual pages for the original books on Goodreads or Amazon, and if so, all I did was cross-link the books along with the correct dates we read the original texts. The only book I did not cross-link with original dates was the Woggle-bug book, which if you know, is short. Instead, I counted that final book as the review for Doma's Kindle version. You may notice that some books have longer reading spans – probably for two reasons. One, I traded off reading with my wife sometimes, and two, sometimes we needed a little Baum break and read some other books. It did get a little old sometimes, and there are fourteen books totaling 3500 pages in their original library printing.
The first thing I think is worth mentioning is that when I first read these books, it was as a child would read them. I remember them being repetitive but familiar. Comforting and revealing. An antiquated adventure, but a serial adventure with recurring characters unparalleled in any other literature. As an adult with an MA in literature (and soon and MFA in fiction), I am actually somewhat unimpressed with the series. Baum wrote a whimsical set of tales, but they are torturously repetitive and would be easy to plug-and-play by replacing characters and moments with a computer to make an entirely new book. But, they are children's books, and we are completely enthralled and comforted by the familiar. Is not Shakespeare the same play-to-play structurally? Are not Pixar or Star Wars movies definitively archetypal in timing, execution, structure, and character so that they can be completely replaced and reapplied to a new story? Even the films – heck, even the trailers - are cut the same, and if you play them all at once, magic happens (see: youtube, "all star wars movies at once").
I suppose where the real magic of these books happens is in their origin. Baum wrote something completely original that took the world by storm and continues to be a whimsical American bellwether for children's fantasy. It is one of the original series specifically for children, spanning fourteen books written almost yearly and gobbled up by a hungry public. It still remains at the forefront of American culture in many revisits in Hollywood (let no one forget the horrific beauty that is Return To Oz) and capitalizing on nostalgia (as recently as six months ago I received a mailing from The Bradford Exchange that was selling original library-bound volumes signed by – get this – Baum's great-grandson... I love an autographed book if only for the idea of the magic it transmits even though it is somewhat meaningless, but maybe someone can convince me where the magic is in having it signed by a probably elderly great-grandchild who likely never met his great-grandfather?).
So, while some of the books were awesome and some of them were difficult to slog through, I have my favorites. I will also say that the introductions that each volume opens with were sweet letters from the author to his fans, and it was easy to tell that he truly, truly loved his job writing for children. He knew his audience, he knew what worked, and he sold books. Furthermore, I imagined with great sentimentality mailbags upon mailbags arriving at his house filled to the brim of letters from children all over the world, and the responsibility he probably felt to personally respond to each of them. For my career, that is the best anyone can hope for.
What follows is my (and my son's) short reviews of the individual books in the series.
The Original and Official Oz Books by L. Frank Baum
#1 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) READ November 26, 2013 – December 1, 2013
My Kid – At first I thought it was crazy, but then it started getting awesome. I remember the movie, but there's a lot of parts that are different.
Me – I mean, classic, right? The book pretty much follows the film almost entirely with few exceptions. In hindsight after finishing the entire series, it is worth nothing that it is considerably one of the best books in the series, while many others are of questionable quality.
#2 The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) READ December 1, 2013 – January 9, 2014
My Kid – It was scary... Jack Pumpkinhead and Tip escaped and it was really cool.
Me – This is one of the books Return to Oz was based from, The Gump and The Powder of Life coming into play to help Dorothy and Jack Pumpkinhead outwit Mombi. An enjoyable book, quite different than the first book but engineered beautifully with plot and characterization. Enjoyed this one. What was most engaging about this text was Ozma and Tip, and what this book says about gender and youth. I think there is a lot that can be examined about gender at birth and the fluidity of gender as a social construct, witch curse or no.
#3 Ozma of Oz (1907) READ January 9, 2014 – February 22, 2014
My Kid – The boat crashes and they have to ride in the box with the chicken... I like TikTok. They saved the Queen.
Me – This is the second book that Return to Oz was conceived from and a very engaging book. This one requires more understanding and construction of the Oz Universe including the transformation of several of our characters into ornaments and the outwitting of the Nome King in order to save our friends. This was one of my final favorites before the quality of the books fell, as far as I am concerned.
#4 Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (1908) READ February 22, 2014 – August 12, 2014
My Kid – I kinda forgot this one. There was the vegetable people underground and nothing really happened?
Me – Yeah, this one was a bust for me. I think Baum was making some kind of satirical point lost to history... Or maybe the obvious non-referential one, but still, just seemed like the episodic nonsense that didn't have a point most of the time. Keep the beginning, I guess and then skip to the final third, and there's your story.
#5 The Road to Oz (1909) READ August 12, 2014 – February 22, 2015
My Kid – The love magnet was pretty awesome, and Dorothy meets the rainbow girl and Shaggy man... I guess I'll leave off there.
Me – Another one that I thought was a little redundant and repetitive without much of a point. They get lost, they make it back, there are some weird artifacts that help them... Meh. I did like the new characters, however, who make many more appearances in the future books. Shaggy Man and Polychrome are great.
#6 The Emerald City of Oz (1910) READ February 22, 2015 – September 14, 2015
My Kid – The Emerald City was cool and Dorothy was in charge. If I lived there I would sell it all and be rich. There was a war.
Me – This one was pretty good until the end, where everything was buttoned up (apologies, button bright) pretty quickly without there being much of a solid reason. The conflicts were all contrived and there were some more ridiculously ridiculous new characters who never showed up again in the series. A great diversion, but with little substance toward the end.
#7 The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) READ September 14, 2015 – December 22, 2015
My Kid – It was pretty weird how the quilt doll became a patchwork girl and she was really funny. In the end, it didn't matter that they found all the stuff, so it was kinda crazy and funny.
Me – This was relatively silly. I enjoyed it, and the Patchwork Girl is a character I can really get behind as a foil to some of the other characters and somewhat mischievous. The plot is ridiculous, but the powder of life and the glass cat are somewhat illuminating elements of this text. Scraps made this a fun one.
#8 Tik-Tok of Oz (1914) READ December 22, 2015 – April 2, 2016
My Kid – The whole story of the shaggy man's brother being missing and ugly didn’t make sense, but... there was a war and Tik Tok was rescued. There was a man who was not as evil as the other army general guys. It was weird.
Me – This one was primarily about The Shaggy Man and his adventure to resolve a variety of political and interconnected issues happening surrounding everyone's messing around with the Nome King. There is a huge tube that goes through the center of the earth that everything centers on, and Shaggy is trying to get the Nome King to release his brother the whole time. There are a lot of characterization, detail, and plot errors in this that postdate some facts from the earlier books – which is kind of weird – and the intrigue surrounding the plot is somewhat complicating for kids. What I thought was the coolest element was the character of Quox, who passes more than a coincidental resemblance to Catbus from Miyazaki's Totoro.
#9 The Scarecrow of Oz (1915) READ April 2, 2016 – September 1, 2016
My Kid – First of all, there's a lot of people getting lost. Second, if I was in Jinxland, I think I would rather be back in oz.
Me – This one was interesting as it had little to do with The Scarecrow and was mainly about Button Bright, Cap'n Bill, and Trot. This one is probably the height of the ridiculousness, with little shallow plot item after little shallow plot item heaped upon one another. At the end, The Scarecrow has to (and succeeds) in recapturing Jinxland for Gloria, its rightful ruler, and returns to the Emerald City for a celebration. Eh...
#10 Rinkitink in Oz (1916) READ September 1, 2016 – December 1, 2016
My Kid – All these books have someone wicked in them and it's so crazy. I liked the name Kaliko, and the way Dorothy comes to the rescue of everyone being clever solves the problem. What's with all the problems? I feel like there's thousands.
Me – This one was pretty good, as it seemed to deviate from the regular universe of Oz and focus on a different set of locations and characters. It had a very Tolkienian feel in terms of plot, structure, and internal political commentary. It felt very different from the others, and most elements in the text had a point and a long-term purpose. I enjoyed this one.
#11 The Lost Princess of Oz (1917) READ December 1, 2016 – January 19, 2017
My Kid – First of all, they've gotta be responsible for the diamond pan, and that's why they lost it. They weren't responsible. At the end they searched for the tools and didn't need them and it was useless.
Me – Lost Princess was fun. It surrounded the story of Ozma being kidnapped and the Wizard, Button Bright, Trot, and Betsy Bobbin to go rescue her. Everything in this one felt a little random, but it all ties back together in the end. This one was pretty diversionary but not as bad as some of the others.
#12 The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918) READ January 19, 2017 – March 13, 2017
My Kid – Woot is a weird name, and everyone was changed to animals and monkeys and none of them matched up. It was all pretty weird because they all had their new needs as animals and it didn't match with what they were. The love story was kinda weird since the girl didn't want the tin woodmen anymore and the fact that they left and it was all for nothing didn't make sense.
Me – A lot of randomness in this one as well, but there is a love story at its core as we learn of a twin brother that the Tin Woodman had all along who shares the love of a long lost young lady named Nimee Amee. A lot of diversionary stories, adventures, and one cool twist by the end, and everyone arrives back where they started. Not the best, but entertaining. This one, while random at times, was a quality read.
#13 The Magic of Oz (1919) READ March 13, 2017 – April 25, 2017
My Kid – I wish you could transform yourself. Like... What if you wanted to turn yourself into a pea shooter from Plants Vs Zombies? I don't even know how to pronounce the word. I never heard of it, this nonsense word.
Me – This one had a funny gimmick in it with a secret word that when spoken could turn anyone into anything. There is a war on, and a secret force is transforming monkeys into superhuman soldiers (and there is a complication that no one in oz can be hurt but what happens when someone is chopped into a hundred living pieces?). This one was enjoyable, but the gimmick is honestly the only thing holding it all together.
#14 Glinda of Oz (1920) READ April 25, 2017 – May 23, 2017
My Kid – This one was kinda like a world of them figuring out what is going on with the big glass house-world under-water. The opposite of everything and they couldn't figure out how to get it back to normal, so what was going on with the war the whole time? Then they fix it. Everything is all set.
Me – This posthumous volume seemed to be pieced together from notes, as there is a clear difference between the tone of prior volumes and this one. The cadence and structure of the language and story is quite different in parts, and I found it takes itself seriously by comparison. Beautiful art and architecture present this journey, and I have to say, the fact that this was in new hands really shows because there is some wonderful structure that is absent in the other volumes, as well as even reintroductions to the characters when they show up. The end was a little too tidy with another deus ex machina, but the fact that it came from something that was surprising and there all along was different.
*BONUS Oz Works by L. Frank Baum, 'the Royal Historian of Oz'
The Woggle-Bug Book (1905) READ May 23, 2017 – May 24, 2017
My Kid – Actually, I don't have a review for my kid... See below.
Me – This book started cute and had a cute premise. When I began reading it at bedtime, the kid had fallen asleep. I tend to keep reading and save our spot, and then pick it up where he fell asleep the next night. Lucky for me, the terrifyingly racist parlance in this book started after he fell asleep. I read through to the end, with no intention of going back with him tomorrow... It was... shockingly indifferent to complete disregard for everyone. From switching between "Oriental" and "Chinaman" and having a character with a dialect that wasn't just a stereotype but also a stereotype of a racist's impression wasn't nearly as bad as the way Baum used the N-word (and had the character as a monkey's monkey). It was offensive and seemed ridiculously gratuitous for even the time it was published. Not a shining moment for his work at all... But it was pretty cool to learn the Woggle Bug was from Boston, anyway. This one was pretty awful.
November 30, 2024
Just as good as the rest of them.
February 21, 2022
More adventures, fun, and satire. Baum seems to be fascinated by questions of identity, and that is addressed head on (literally! There is an argument about whose head belongs on whom!)
March 10, 2024
This book was good but not my favourite. I just realised that my journey with the original L. Frank Baum books is almost over 😭
October 20, 2019
Единственное, чем примечателен этот бездарный, нудный автоплагиат - это тем, что тут сбывается мечта чудовища Франкенштейна!
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