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Oz Continued #23
Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz
Return to L. Frank Baum’s wonderful world of Oz with this illustrated children’s book series.
Peter, the lad from Philadelphia, joins forces with Jack Pumpkinhead to rescue Ozma and the Emerald City from conquest by Mogodore, the infamous Red Baron of Baffleburg. Even with the help of Belfaygor of Bourne, whose beard grows at an alarming rate, and the consistently charming and rhyming Iffin—which, as everyone knows, is a griffin who’s lost his grrrr —their efforts seem in vain.
The horrendous Scare City, an enchanted pirate sack that can scoop up entire armies, a magic dinner bell, and a forbidden flagon are mixed up in the adventure, too—but it takes the legendary Red Jinn of Ev to provide the red magic that could help Jack Pumpkinhead save the Land of Oz.
Praise for the Oz series
“Where the young stay young and the old grow young forever—these books are for readers of all ages.” —Ray Bradbury
“The land of Oz has managed to fascinate each new generation. . . . The Oz books continue to exert their spell . . . and those who read [them] are often made what they were not—imaginative, tolerant, alert to wonders.” —Gore Vidal
“I was raised with the Oz books, and their enchantment, humor and excitement remain with me. They are still a joy and a treasure. I welcome this Oz revival.” —Stephen R. Donaldson
Peter, the lad from Philadelphia, joins forces with Jack Pumpkinhead to rescue Ozma and the Emerald City from conquest by Mogodore, the infamous Red Baron of Baffleburg. Even with the help of Belfaygor of Bourne, whose beard grows at an alarming rate, and the consistently charming and rhyming Iffin—which, as everyone knows, is a griffin who’s lost his grrrr —their efforts seem in vain.
The horrendous Scare City, an enchanted pirate sack that can scoop up entire armies, a magic dinner bell, and a forbidden flagon are mixed up in the adventure, too—but it takes the legendary Red Jinn of Ev to provide the red magic that could help Jack Pumpkinhead save the Land of Oz.
Praise for the Oz series
“Where the young stay young and the old grow young forever—these books are for readers of all ages.” —Ray Bradbury
“The land of Oz has managed to fascinate each new generation. . . . The Oz books continue to exert their spell . . . and those who read [them] are often made what they were not—imaginative, tolerant, alert to wonders.” —Gore Vidal
“I was raised with the Oz books, and their enchantment, humor and excitement remain with me. They are still a joy and a treasure. I welcome this Oz revival.” —Stephen R. Donaldson
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1929
1 person is currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Plumly Thompson
108 books51 followersAn avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote a weekly children's column for the newspaper. She had already published her first children's book, The Perhappsy Chaps, and her second, The Princess of Cozytown, was pending publication when William Lee, vice president of Baum's publisher Reilly & Lee, solicited Thompson to continue the Oz series. (Rumors among fans that Thompson was Baum's niece were untrue.) Between 1921 and 1939, she wrote one Oz book a year. (Thompson was the primary supporter of her widowed mother and invalid sister, so that the annual income from the Oz books was important for her financial circumstances.)
Thompson's contributions to the Oz series are lively and imaginative, featuring a wide range of colorful and unusual characters. However, one particular theme repeats over and over throughout her novels, with little variation. Typically in each of Thompson's Oz novels, a child (usually from America) and a supernatural companion (usually a talking animal), while traveling through Oz or one of the neighboring regions, find themselves in an obscure community where the inhabitants engage in a single activity. The inhabitants of this community then capture the travelers, and force them to participate in this same activity.
Another major theme has elderly characters, most controversially, the Good Witch of the North, being restored to "marriageable" age, possibly because Thompson herself never married. She had a greater tendency toward the use of romantic love stories (which Baum usually avoided in his fairy tales, with about 4 exceptions). While Baum's child protagonists tended to be little girls, Thompson's were boys. She emphasized humor to a greater extent than Baum did, and always considered her work for children, whereas Baum, while first and foremost considering his child audience, knew that his readership comprised all ages.
Thompson's last Oz story, The Enchanted Island of Oz(1976), was not originally written as an Oz book.
Thompson's contributions to the Oz series are lively and imaginative, featuring a wide range of colorful and unusual characters. However, one particular theme repeats over and over throughout her novels, with little variation. Typically in each of Thompson's Oz novels, a child (usually from America) and a supernatural companion (usually a talking animal), while traveling through Oz or one of the neighboring regions, find themselves in an obscure community where the inhabitants engage in a single activity. The inhabitants of this community then capture the travelers, and force them to participate in this same activity.
Another major theme has elderly characters, most controversially, the Good Witch of the North, being restored to "marriageable" age, possibly because Thompson herself never married. She had a greater tendency toward the use of romantic love stories (which Baum usually avoided in his fairy tales, with about 4 exceptions). While Baum's child protagonists tended to be little girls, Thompson's were boys. She emphasized humor to a greater extent than Baum did, and always considered her work for children, whereas Baum, while first and foremost considering his child audience, knew that his readership comprised all ages.
Thompson's last Oz story, The Enchanted Island of Oz(1976), was not originally written as an Oz book.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 3, 2023
Okay, so by this point, I feel as though Ruth Plumly Thompson is running out of ideas, although to be fair to her, I think she lasted longer than L. Frank Baum did. And to be even fairer to her, running out of ideas is basically one of the key themes of the Oz series, anyway.
Still, this book was okay, if you don’t mind having more of the same. I mean, we’re talking about a book that’s so derivative of what’s come before that I got a quarter of the way through it and had to check Goodreads to make sure that I wasn’t accidentally re-reading it.
The good news is that there are a lot of fun gags here, as well as some cracking wordplay, and we’re starting to get to a point at which I actually think that Thompson is doing a better job with the series than Baum did.
And while I didn’t start reading the Oz books until I was an adult and wasn’t a particular fan of the movie as a kid, there’s a quality to this that makes me nostalgic. It’s happened with the other Oz books, but this is where I’ve felt it the most.
Still, this book was okay, if you don’t mind having more of the same. I mean, we’re talking about a book that’s so derivative of what’s come before that I got a quarter of the way through it and had to check Goodreads to make sure that I wasn’t accidentally re-reading it.
The good news is that there are a lot of fun gags here, as well as some cracking wordplay, and we’re starting to get to a point at which I actually think that Thompson is doing a better job with the series than Baum did.
And while I didn’t start reading the Oz books until I was an adult and wasn’t a particular fan of the movie as a kid, there’s a quality to this that makes me nostalgic. It’s happened with the other Oz books, but this is where I’ve felt it the most.
June 24, 2008
I loved the Oz books when I was a kid. I recently read that the original book was a populist allegory and decided to revisit the series.
I recently was visited by my 13-year-old sister and thought I would school her in the John Hughes ethos of my generation, so we watched "Pretty in Pink", which I haven't seen in years. It wasn't long before I was shifting uncomfortably in my seat and trying to explain that actually this movie is unacceptably racist and that rape is not funny...but that I still have affectionate feelings for the overall theme (painful adolescent experiences, acted by real teenagers who actually look like they're awkward and 15).
I'm having some similar feelings stirring as I read this book. It was written by Ruth Plumly Thompson after L. Frank Baum's death, and I can't tell yet if she is attempting to carry on with his political symbolism or just writing really embarrassing racist characters.
I recently was visited by my 13-year-old sister and thought I would school her in the John Hughes ethos of my generation, so we watched "Pretty in Pink", which I haven't seen in years. It wasn't long before I was shifting uncomfortably in my seat and trying to explain that actually this movie is unacceptably racist and that rape is not funny...but that I still have affectionate feelings for the overall theme (painful adolescent experiences, acted by real teenagers who actually look like they're awkward and 15).
I'm having some similar feelings stirring as I read this book. It was written by Ruth Plumly Thompson after L. Frank Baum's death, and I can't tell yet if she is attempting to carry on with his political symbolism or just writing really embarrassing racist characters.
April 28, 2019
A much harder book to come by than the public domain Oz books, my local library happened to have a 90 year old copy that it was amazingly still letting people check out, and as Jack Pumpkinhead is one of my favorite Oz characters, I was eager to give it a read.
Our hero is Peter, who's now on his third Oz trip. He's a pretty flat character unfortunately. We've seen Thompson do better with main protagonists, such as with Handy Mandy. Why Peter got to have three trips to Oz I've no clue. Jack Pumpkinhead seems himself though, and it was rather satisfying to hear him tell his thoughts on his "father" Tip becoming Ozma near the beginning of the book; something along the lines of "I think she'd rather have stayed a boy, but my opinion doesn't count for much."
They spend the first few chapters going on random filler adventures while trying to get to the Emerald City (the humor is increased when you look at an Oz map and see just how quick and easy they could have gotten there, Jack lives basically just outside the city). They meet Snif the Iffin, a griffin who lost his "grr", who provides the story with some witty commentary, and a prince who's beard won't stop growing out of control who had his fiance stolen by Mogodore the Mighty, who gets the idea to conquer all of Oz to impress his concubine. This is achieved due to Oz's leadership playing a game of blind man's bluff and all being blindfolded during the invasion, making it pathetically easy. I think it's high time Ozma hired better security than the Soldier with the Green Whiskers.
Making the story age extremely badly is of course the Red Jinn and his magic slave, who are only there to provide deus ex machina throughout the story. I've never liked this character, and not just because of how racist it is either (the racism is even worse in The Silver Princess in Oz).
In all though, it's not a terrible Thompson Oz book. It was nice to see Jack Pumpkinhead finally get some spotlight, but the novel could have been better with certain elements changed or removed; namely a more interesting audience surrogate than Peter, and get rid of the Red Jinn.
Our hero is Peter, who's now on his third Oz trip. He's a pretty flat character unfortunately. We've seen Thompson do better with main protagonists, such as with Handy Mandy. Why Peter got to have three trips to Oz I've no clue. Jack Pumpkinhead seems himself though, and it was rather satisfying to hear him tell his thoughts on his "father" Tip becoming Ozma near the beginning of the book; something along the lines of "I think she'd rather have stayed a boy, but my opinion doesn't count for much."
They spend the first few chapters going on random filler adventures while trying to get to the Emerald City (the humor is increased when you look at an Oz map and see just how quick and easy they could have gotten there, Jack lives basically just outside the city). They meet Snif the Iffin, a griffin who lost his "grr", who provides the story with some witty commentary, and a prince who's beard won't stop growing out of control who had his fiance stolen by Mogodore the Mighty, who gets the idea to conquer all of Oz to impress his concubine. This is achieved due to Oz's leadership playing a game of blind man's bluff and all being blindfolded during the invasion, making it pathetically easy. I think it's high time Ozma hired better security than the Soldier with the Green Whiskers.
Making the story age extremely badly is of course the Red Jinn and his magic slave, who are only there to provide deus ex machina throughout the story. I've never liked this character, and not just because of how racist it is either (the racism is even worse in The Silver Princess in Oz).
In all though, it's not a terrible Thompson Oz book. It was nice to see Jack Pumpkinhead finally get some spotlight, but the novel could have been better with certain elements changed or removed; namely a more interesting audience surrogate than Peter, and get rid of the Red Jinn.
November 27, 2020
Well this one felt like the old Oz books. It was a story about a new American kid who goes on crazy adventures in Oz and helps to solve problems.
Originally written in the late 1920's I was impressed with how easily it was to explain to a child and the children reading the book about being Transgender. Ozma was we know by now is a Trans character a Woman who was trapped in the body of a boy and when realises this is able to become the most fabulous queen of Oz. But before Tip was able to Transform into Ozma he created Jack Pumkinhead. So Jack knows that Ozma is his father. There is a really nice part explaining all of this in nice language for kids. How Ozma is a woman but was also able to be a father and about their transition. I was really impressed for the time when this seems to be a concept many think children won't get it and are unsure how to explain it, when it is simple.
The only thing that kills me about this book. While it might still be progressive with gender equality it is not when it comes to racism. The Ozure people are not in this book but Black Slaves are and they are depicted in minstrelsy.
Minus the racism which this book could easily remove and it would not affect the story. This felt like an old Oz story not going far away from the source materials and for that I did enjoy it.
Originally written in the late 1920's I was impressed with how easily it was to explain to a child and the children reading the book about being Transgender. Ozma was we know by now is a Trans character a Woman who was trapped in the body of a boy and when realises this is able to become the most fabulous queen of Oz. But before Tip was able to Transform into Ozma he created Jack Pumkinhead. So Jack knows that Ozma is his father. There is a really nice part explaining all of this in nice language for kids. How Ozma is a woman but was also able to be a father and about their transition. I was really impressed for the time when this seems to be a concept many think children won't get it and are unsure how to explain it, when it is simple.
The only thing that kills me about this book. While it might still be progressive with gender equality it is not when it comes to racism. The Ozure people are not in this book but Black Slaves are and they are depicted in minstrelsy.
Minus the racism which this book could easily remove and it would not affect the story. This felt like an old Oz story not going far away from the source materials and for that I did enjoy it.
June 23, 2024
Finally, a good Oz story written by Ruth Plumly Thompson... It has been hard to keep pace with her storytelling way. Since Kabumpo in Oz and Grampa in Oz, it has been a series of half-entertaining stories with lots of absurd and repeating elements over and over. But, surprisingly, Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz turned out to be a really fun adventure. It was like a Dungeons & Dragons style story. I loved all the characters in it. They don't waste much time visiting absurd countries in the middle of an important quest (in the way to the Emerald City). And the story doesn't jump constantly from one group of characters to another.
I wish Ruth Plumly Thompson had had more time to publish more books like this one. It's hard to produce one good story per year without falling into the monotonous. Up to this point, in the series, it's kind of obvious that she was running out of ideas and that her only intention to keep on with the series was purely for money. (Mr. Baum did it too, I know it, but there's no room for comparison between the quality of stories.)
Is this a perfect story? Definitely not, but it's a good success.
I wish Ruth Plumly Thompson had had more time to publish more books like this one. It's hard to produce one good story per year without falling into the monotonous. Up to this point, in the series, it's kind of obvious that she was running out of ideas and that her only intention to keep on with the series was purely for money. (Mr. Baum did it too, I know it, but there's no room for comparison between the quality of stories.)
Is this a perfect story? Definitely not, but it's a good success.
February 18, 2025
"We're always doing something we don't expect."
These read kind of like the Xanth novels of today - like, each book takes place in the same world, with new main characters every book and background characters who USED to be main characters. Even some of the puns/jokes are similar. Like the "iffin" who is "a griffin with the grrrr" is very Piers Anthony-coded. Or I guess I could say, his books are very Oz-coded.
These read kind of like the Xanth novels of today - like, each book takes place in the same world, with new main characters every book and background characters who USED to be main characters. Even some of the puns/jokes are similar. Like the "iffin" who is "a griffin with the grrrr" is very Piers Anthony-coded. Or I guess I could say, his books are very Oz-coded.
June 10, 2021
Okay so here's the thing. While I did enjoy the storyline and liked seeing Peter from Philadelphia back in this book, I really didn't care for the racist aspect of the book. I get that this book is a product of its time, but it was unnecessary. A four star book knocked down to a three because of Thompson's stupidity.
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January 21, 2024Who knows when I read several of these? 😅 Around 1998?
November 4, 2013
A poor Ruth Plumly Thompson Oz book. The book opens with a whole host of poor irrelevant episodes (Chimney villian, the goody shop, the Christmas tree, the scares etc.) randomly roaming about Oz for the first 100 pages or so before anything resembling a plot begins. The plot (when it eventually starts) is uninspired involving a Baron and a kidnapped princess and yet another attempt to conquer the Emerald City. Thompson wrote some fairly good Oz books (although very different to L. Frank Baum's) but this isn't one of them. Even the usually reliable John R. Neill's illustrations are below standard.
January 19, 2016
Pretty good Oz story, reminiscent of the early Baum Oz stories where a child who has already been to Oz somehow finds itself back in Oz for more adventures. Peter from Philadelphia is back this time, and has adventures primarily with Jack Pumpkinhead, who was introduced in "Land of Oz" and has has been along for the ride ever since. This novel is flawed only by the introduction of an unnecessarily racist character: a small black slave who appears with food when a bell is rung. I know it was a different time when the book was written, but, even so, it can make one uncomfortable, and this is the second time Thompson has injected racism into the Oz series.
September 24, 2011
Nowhere close to the charm, magic, and inventiveness of the originals. These books should not be considered Oz canon.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews