Marvelous Land of Oz [Abridged] [Audio Cassette]

 

 

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 Title: The Marvelous Land of Oz
            Author: L. Frank Baum
             Publishing Company: HarperCollinsPublishers and Books of Wonder
 
Have you ever wondered if there were such creatures as a Woogle Bug, a Saw Horse, a talking pumpkin head and a Gump? Well in this book, it's all real. The Marvelous Land of Oz is an exciting fantasy book about a young boy named Tip. Tip is very adventurous and always wanted to run away from his mean guardian, Mombi. Tip then found out that Mombi had a special powder that could turn things to life. He decided to take the powder and make a friend out of some sticks and a pumpkin head. Tip named him Jack. Tip and Jack then went on a journey through the Land of Oz and met some new friends like the Woogle Bug, the Saw Horse, Gump, Glinda the Good Witch, the Tin Woodman, and Scarecrow. They also saw new places like Emerald City.
 
Tip, is the main character. He is very brave and smart. On his journey he takes along from home Jack, who has a pumpkin for his head and a stick body. Jack can't think that straight but is very kind. Another character he met on the beginning of his journey was the Saw Horse, who is small but can run fast and is very friendly. There are other characters in this book that you meet for example, Scarecrow. He is the king of Emerald City and is smart thinking. After you meet the Scarecrow you meet the Tin Woodman whois the Emperor of the Winkies and is very kind to people and other creatures. The most important character in the Land of Oz is Glinda. She is the Good Witch of the Land of Oz and is very powerful with good magic. Later on in the book, Tip meets two other characters known as Gump and the Woogle Bug. Gump is a flying deer head on a plaque that has magical powers to make things fly. Woogle Bug is not a regular bug. Instead he is a giant bug; he scares some people with his size but is very nice. One of the villains in this book is Jinjur, a woman who was tired of getting pushed around by men and has begun to take over Emerald City. Another villain is Mombi, the guardian of Tip who has magic powers and is very mean.
 
This book is a real page turner. When I was reading this book I kept on wanting to read more and more each day because it just got more exciting and funny, from the beginning to the end of each chapter. If I rated this book, I would give it a 10. I gave this rating because this book has a lot of descriptive words for you to imagine the scene and some pictures to show some of the scenes. I would really recommend this book to the fan of Wizard of Oz. This book is also great for all ages!

Baum wrote a dozen or so Oz books in the early 1900s. The movie was made from the first in the series. "The [Marvelous] Land of OZ" is the 2nd in the series, and possibly the best.

The short chapter from page 71-81 reaches a level of perfection attained only rarely in the history of literature, and is certainly equal to even the best passages of Mark Twain or James Thurber. I can't read that passage out loud to my kids without going into a fit of laughing myself to tears. I wish I could reprint it here.

You must try if you can to obtain the wonderful hardcover (or sometimes called 'library binding') edition that goes by the ISBN number of 0688054390. It is a stunning, faithful, amazing facsimile of the original 1904 edition complete with its beautiful color-illustrated endpapers and dozens of gorgeous original color plates and black and white illustrations so charmingly integrated with the text.

I snapped up a dozen and gave them away as birthday gifts for kids age 7 and up. I don't know if there are any left in print, and it's a good bet these will go up in value. Fine first edition OZ books command a pretty penny.

I am most familiar with the fantasy world of Oz through the classic musical film starring Judy Garland. "The Marvelous Land of Oz," by L. Frank Baum, could be read as a sequel to the film. Three of the film's most important characters -- the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and good witch Glinda -- are important characters in this book (although Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion do not appear).

Baum creates a marvelous cast of new characters to interact with the three familiar ones mentioned above. Central to this story is Tip, a young boy whose unhappy life with a mean witch will probably remind some readers of Harry Potter's less-than-ideal home life with the Dursleys. Tip's escape from the clutches of the witch Mombi is the start of a fantastic adventure that leads him to the fabulous Emerald City, to an encounter with an all-female army led by a bold conqueress, and to relationships with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and a host of equally fantastic beings.

The new characters are really great, but probably my favorite is Jack Pumpkinhead, an artificially-constructed, pumpkin-headed being brought to life by magic. Jack has a childlike innocence that I found quite endearing. Also memorable is the ornery but courageous Saw-Horse, another magical being.

There is a curious undercurrent of subversive gender politics to the book; although the main party of adventurers are male, the most powerful characters in the book are ultimately its female characters (both heroic and villainous). And one jaw-dropping plot twist (which I will not ruin by revealing!) furthers this theme.

This book is quite simply a wonderfully delightful story, well-told by Baum and superbly complemented by John R. Neill's whimsical illustrations. And despite the fact that it's a fantasy, I felt that the book has some relevant real world themes, most notably the ideas of respecting diversity and valuing "unusual" folks. And the friendship between the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman is especially heartwarming. "The Marvelous Land of Oz" is a great classic for both adults and young people.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Marvelous Land of Oz
The title of my book is "The Marvelous Land of Oz." It is by
L. Frank Baum, who is well known for writing the Oz books. Read more

Published on Nov 6 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the perfect sequal.
I have read all 14 of L. Frank Baum's Oz books. This is the first sequal. And not a very good one either. Read more

Published on Mar 17 2000 by S. A. Hanson

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