Customer Reviews

The Engagement of Ozma: Book Two in the Umbrella Man of Oz Series

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3 star:		(1)
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I have been a huge Oz fan since I was four years old, in fact, my mother and uncle were (and are) both huge fans. (There once was a large rift in our family concerning missing copies of "Pirates in Oz" and "The Purple Prince of Oz." We still think my cousin is hiding them, but since we obtained new copies, we no longer care.) I still read every Oz book I own at least once a year. The first book I ever read was my mother's copy of Ozma of Oz; that was it, I was hooked. As a child I read everything in the series through Ruth Plumly Thompson's "The Hungry Tiger of Oz," ( plus Jack Snow's "The Magical Mimics in Oz," which is still out of print) but was unable to obtain any more in the series. Imagine my delight as an adult when I found a number of Oz books still in print and contemporary authors writing more of them! I read the first book in "The Umbrella Man" series and laughed myself silly. The second book is just as cute. Mr. Phipps is obviously a big Oz fan. Some of the things he comes up with (Nick Chopper wearing a stainless steel raincoat to keep from rusting, for instance, or his explanation for Eureka the kitten's changing coat colors - I always wondered about that myself ;) - ) are priceless. However, I did want to take a red pen to both of these books. They have more than their fair share of typos, misspelled words, and grammatical errors. I gave this book three stars rather than four because I felt that the errors detracted from my reading enjoyment. (Okay, they drove me nuts!) But I still think that these books are worth a look for a die-hard Oz fan; if nothing else, it lets us visit our favorite fairyland one more time. Mr Phipps, if you are reading this, PLEASE get yourself a beta reader!