Book info

• Title The Patchwork Girl of Oz
• Author L. Frank Baum
• Year 1913
• Genre Childrens

Forced to venture out of the dark forest, Unc Nunkie and Ojo the Unlucky call on the Crooked Magician, who introduces them to his latest creation: a living girl made out of patchwork quilts and cotton stuffing. But when an accident leaves beloved Unc Nunkie a motionless statue, it is up to Ojo to save him. In his search for the magic ingredients that will restore his uncle to life, Ojo is joined by the Patchwork Girl and by the conceited Glass Cat, who boasts of her hard ruby heart, the resourceful Shaggy Man, and the lovable block-headed Woozy, whose tail hairs are just one of the things Ojo needs to rescue Une Nunkie. As they travel to the Emerald City, home of the wise and powerful Ozma, they meet Dorothy, the kind and sensible girl from Kansas; the gallant Scarecrow; and, of course, Toto. But no one proves more loyal than the spirited Patchwork Girl, who, although she was brought to life as a servant, is determined to see the wide world for herself.

Thoughts

It’s always fun to see an author resurrect a series that they had previously finished off so neatly. After tying up all the loose ends in the last book, Baum has to concede the children love Oz too much not to hear from there again, and hey presto, another story.

I thought this one got off to a bit of a slow start, with monosyllabic Unc and a mediocre journey to the wizard. However, when things go wrong and the Patchwork Girl is created, the traditional adventures start to begin - many strange characters, many strange lands, lots of imagination.

It’s quite nice, too, that Dorothy only comes in at the end of the story, going on only one portion of the journey. And there’s a nice moral about not believing yourself to be unlucky and in thinking positively.

Rating: 3 / 5