The Marvelous Land Of Oz (1985)

Do You like book The Marvelous Land Of Oz (1985)?

I liked this book. In this sequel to THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, the boy Tip, who has been living with an old witch for all his life, goes on a journey to the Edmerald City to escape the cruel woman's turning him into a statue. With him goes Pumpkinhead, a doll of Tip's creation brought to life by the which, and saw-horse, a saw-horse brought to life by the witch's potion stolen by Tip. They meet the scarecrow and the tinman on their journey...the main plot, however, involves an army of young girls who are sick of men running things and wish to take the land of Oz to run it the way they feel fit. Other reviews say the book is pro-feminist or really crazy. I don't consider it feminist. WHERE did that one come from? The feminists are the BAD GUYS for crying out loud! Besides the way the feminists want to run things is just to make the little boys laugh. Remember, this book was supposed to stir two things in young people: a love of a creative story and a sense of humor. This book isn't meant to be serious or intellectually edifying. It was written to make young people love reading. In my opinion, this is a better adventure book than a lot of the junk written these days.
—Tyler

This book is slightly ridiculous. It’s hard to evaluate The Marvelous Land of Oz for what it is - a children’s book and a sequel (a sequel to a great example of the genre at that) rather than just a book. But it’s a goofy, daffy book. It’s weirdly pro-women (in a way) for 1904 - everyone who makes anything happen is a woman (Jinjur, Mombi, Glinda) and the men all kind of fall into good luck and the fruits of the women’s labor. At the same time, the women who aren’t named Glinda are consistently terrible people. For example, Mombi’s just evil for evil’s sake - well, she really wants to be a witch and isn’t allowed so she’s full of misdirected, crotchety old lady anger. Jinjur’s army of girls (armed with knitting needles, see, because they’re girls) wants to storm the Emerald City so they can steal the emeralds and other gems to make jewelry (not to finance other wars or anything, but to make pretty jewelry, see, because they’re girls). Amusingly, Jinjur’s girls were actually rebelling because they wanted a little more out of their futures than to cook and clean for husbands - Betty Friedan would be proud.In this, the second book in the Oz series, The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and Glinda return for the festivities with a random assortment of friends, enemies, and obstacles. Their adventures are interesting if silly and laden with puns (my god the puns, some make you giggle, some make you want to rip your eyes out). The end though, is great, especially in the gender-swapping tolerance and the surprisingly just outcome of who gets to rule Oz.
—Cecilia

As a little girl I did a lot of reading. As a grown woman I still do a lot of reading, but without the sense of strident purpose that would envelop me whenever I was able to return from the library with stacks of books piled high in my arms. These days I read for the same reason most people keep breathing, because it simply would just never occur to them to do otherwise, but when I was a kid I read with the desperate urgency of a drowning sailor trying to reach a lifeboat. Getting to the end of the page, chapter, or book was a matter of life or death for young Chloe.One of the very first series I fell in love with, L. Frank Baum’s Oz books have been a touchstone for me nearly as long as I can remember. I loved reading of Dorothy’s adventures with her madcap cast of companions and watched the film so many times that the tape grew thin and stretched in places. Once I learned that there were sequels to The Wizard of Oz I devoured them with the rapacious hunger of one just released from long term confinement. There are 14 total books in the Oz canon, but the one I’ve always had the biggest love for was the sequel, published in 1904, called The Marvelous Land of Oz.Within its pages we are treated to the adventures of the young boy Tip, there’s no Dorothy in this followup (though she reappears in a few of the later books), who is forced to go on the run from his guardian, the evil witch Mombi, who was planning on turning him into a marble statue. His companions in flight are the noble Jack Pumpkinhead, a creature brought to life by Mombi’s magics, and the Saw Horse, who comes to life after Tip spills a potion on him. Fleeing Mombi, the trio runs for the Emerald City where they find an Oz ruled over by our familiar friend, the Scarecrow. There are grumblings of discontent from among the women of Oz, though, who are tired of being ruled by one man after another. From these grumblings a rebellion grows when General Jinjur leads an army of knitting needle-armed women to sac the Emerald City of its namesake jewels and leave the drudgery of housework to the hapless menfolk. Tip and his companions must embark on a quest to restore the Scarecrow to power, a quest that will inevitably lead to Tip finding out some very interesting news pertaining to both him and the future of Oz.I pause here to note that spoilers are ahead and should you be wanting to read this book and be surprised you should just stop reading. Spoiler warnings for books that have been in print for over a century may seem unnecessary, but it’s a courtesy I like to extend to readers. Regardless, if you’re still reading, Glinda the Good Witch of the North eventually encounters Tip and reveals that he’s been trapped under an illusion that Mombi had cast for years and that he is, in fact, the rightful ruler of Oz, Ozma. The spell is removed and Ozma retakes her throne, keeping the grateful Scarecrow on as a loyal advisor.Yes. You read that right. The rightful ruler of Oz is a princess trapped in a boy’s body. When younger Chloe read that my imagination was ensnared. Maybe I’m trapped under a spell, I’d daydream, and all I need to do is find Glinda and I could return to normal. From one of the most innocent of sources I had found a role model and touchstone. I would read a lot more books over the years and relate to a lot of different aspects of characters, but Ozma was the first character I can remember who presented an alternative way of understanding gender and the first I can think of who lit the fire under the idea that I didn’t have to be stuck as Tip forever. For that she will always be my favorite trans heroine.
—Chloe