Ozoplaning With the Wizard of Oz

Oz Continued #33

by Ruth Plumly Thompson

The Wizard, Dorothy, and the Cowardly Lion find their trip to Red Top Mountain full of unexpected complications

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Classics, Ebooks, Adventure, Juvenile

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

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

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

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

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

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was nice compared to some of Thompson's later books, better plot and pace for sure. What didn't work as well for me is some of the portrayals of Baum's most classic characters. Jellia Jamb stepped up and became a major player, but I'm not sure how crazy I was about that. Another thing was the Tin Woodman's braggart persona when trying to "claim" Stratavania for Oz. How is this the same Tin Emporer that wouldn't let Ojo take the wing off a butterfly to save Unc Nunkie's life? The final character concern is the Soldier with Green Whiskers. Wasn't it firmly established that his name was Omby Amby? Now we have Wantowin Battles, who seems to be more cowardly than the lion.
Thompson does bring us back to a more classical Oz story where a foe is trying to conquer Oz. We even have a hint of a fairy tale story about a deposed princess, that felt slightly out of place. Overall, not the best of the Famous 40, but not a bad final outing for Thompson's run.

[Derek L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I have enjoyed reading Ms. Thompson's Continuing Oz books, I don't think this was her best. It seemed really weak at certain points, and she continues to encourage colonialism in the beginning of the story.

I thought the story was okay but it definitely should have been more fleshed out.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s interesting to me that even though I’ve read a whole bunch of Oz books by this point, there’s still something new for me every time I get round to them.

This one was a different experience for me because I listened to it via an audio book, whereas the rest have all been physical reads. The problem is that it’s hard to track down some of the books, and this is the first time I just couldn’t find anything at all.

So, the plot. It’s kind of weird, but what else is new?

In this one, the wizard has created an aeroplane, except he calls it the ozoplane. Our heroes take the plane and end up in the clouds and trying to claim lands in the name of Oz, which is a bit of a weird throwback to British colonialism. It’s definitely a product of its times.

Speaking of it being a product of its times, the title also has a story behind it. From what I understand, the “with the Wizard of Oz” part was added as an old school equivalent of search engine optimisation because the movie had just come out.

This was by far the weakest of the Plumly Thompson Oz books, and so perhaps it’s no surprise that it’s also her last. Next up, I believe the series is continued by John R. Neil, who’s been the illustrator until this point. I can’t say I’m expecting good things.

[hpboy13 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, thank goodness this is the last of the Thompson Oz books - reading the entire series became such a chore! Nowhere close to the charm, magic, and inventiveness of the originals. These books should not be considered Oz canon.

[Pizzalover157 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.