Book info

• Title Glinda of Oz
• Author L. Frank Baum
• Year 1920
• Genre Childrens

Peace, prosperity, and happiness are the rule in the marvelous Land of Oz, but in a faraway corner of this magical domain dwell two tribes--the Flatheads and the Skeezers--who have declared war on each other. Determined to keep her subjects from fighting, the Ruler of Oz, Princess Ozma, along with her dearest friend, Princess Dorothy Gale (formerly of Kansas), embarks on a quest to restore peace.When the Supreme Dictator of the Flatheads refuses to cooperate with Ozma, she and Dorothy seek out Queen Coo-ee-oh of the Skeezers, hoping she will be more reasonable. But the queen imprisons Ozma and Dorothy in her grand city and then traps them by submerging the whole city under water. Now it is up to Glinda the Good to save the day. She assembles all of Ozma's counsellors--including such beloved Oz friends as the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion, Patchwork Girl, Shaggy Man, Tik-Tok, and Wizard of Oz--and they set out to rescue their friends. Will the magic powers of Glinda and the Wizard combined be enough to free Ozma and Dorothy?

Thoughts

There’s definitely a darker tone in this final book of the original Oz series. With an imminent war about to breakout, Princess Ozma goes to intervene and finds herself trapped, in a situation where her magic just won’t help. It’s up to the rest of the gang (and pretty much all of the previous characters were revisited here), to come along and save her, with inspiration coming from an unlikely direction.

It was actually quite a good story, although there were a few too many morals in there for my liking. Aside from Ozma’s clear “this is what you should learn from the story” at the end, there was also the vain Diamond Swan to learn from, as well as the twist and turns of trying to get someone to do what you want when they are being stubborn.

So, all in all, a more interesting story, and quite a nice way to end the series, really. A happy ending, if a slightly darker tale told to get there.

Rating: 3 / 5