the ninth Oz book by L. Frank Baum

Dedicated to

"The uplifters" of Los Angeles, California, in grateful appreciation of the pleasure I have derived from association with them, and in recognition of their sincere endeavor to uplift humanity through kindness, consideration and good-fellowship. They are big men--all of them--and all with the generous hearts of little children.

L. Frank Baum

LIST OF CHAPTERS
introduction - 'Twixt You And Me
1 - The Great Whirlpool
2 - The Cavern Under the Sea
3 - The Ork
4 - Daylight at Last
5 - The Little Old Man of the Island
6 - The Flight of the Midgets
7 - The Bumpy Man
8 - Button-Bright is Lost, and Found Again
9 - The Kingdom of Jinxland
10 - Pan, the Gardener's Boy
11 - The Wicked King and Googly-Goo
12 - The Wooden-Legged Grasshopper
13 - Glinda the Good and the Scarecrow of Oz
14 - The Frozen Heart
15 - Trot Meets the Scarecrow
16 - Pon Summons the King to Surrender
17 - The Ork Rescues Button-Bright
18 - The Scarecrow Meets an Enemy
19 - The Conquest of the Witch
20 - Queen Gloria
21 - Dorothy, Betsy and Ozma
22 - The Waterfall
23 - The Land of Oz
24 - The Royal Reception





After the introduction of Betsy Bobbin to the land of Oz in his last Oz book, Baum again brings more mortals to the fairyland, this time, two pleasant characters of a pair of books he wrote after an attempt to 'end' his Oz series. Trot and Cap'n Bill dived underwater in The Sea Fairies, and rose through the air in Sky Island (sharing their adventure with Button-Bright, lost again). This time they go underground, and meet a living "whirly-bird", the Ork.

When they finally reach Oz, they only make it to a remote corner, where Baum incorporates elements of European fairy tales, with a deposed prince, a princess and a wicked King. Still, he has fun with it, making the prince a mopish coward, and freezing the princess's heart with shades of 'The Snow Queen'. (Shades of Alice in Wonderland again appears in this book, with body modification vegetation). In the middle of it, the Scarecrow joins the mortal trio and bumbles his way through attempts to save them.

Even if you weren't familiar with Trot and Cap'n Bill from their other adventures, their manner of approaching the perils and wonders in front of them is appealling. All in all, a pleasant book in the series.

The following curious lines were extracted from this story for passers-by to ogle at:

A whirl in the air makes the whirl in the water
If you start to fall, clasp your arms around my neck
I believe love and cats have nine lives.
Your voice sounds like a refrig'rator
you are fresh and sweet all through and rustle beautifully when you move
"I know you, but you don't know me; so let's get acquainted."



...previous Oz book...the first Trot and Cap'n Bill book...the second Trot and Cap'n Bill book...first chapter...

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