Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum # 1920 Club

Glinda of Oz cover

Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum is my first choice for the 1920 Club hosted by Simon at Stuck in a Book and Karen at Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings

I bought this book years ago but hadn’t got around to reading it before now. I had been under the impression that this was the only sequel to The Wizard of Oz so was very surprised to discover that this is number 14 in the series and there are also a few short story compilations too.

In this one, two of the tribes who inhabit the land of Oz are at loggerheads. The Skeezers are led by Queen Coo-ee-oh who is incredibly supercilious and a tyrant, her people are afraid of her but as she rules by magic they’re unable to do anything about her behaviour.

The Flatheads are furious because Queen Coo-ee-oh turned their queen into a Golden Pig and there’s nothing they can do about it. When Dorothy and Princess Ozma discover what is going on they’re determined to help the situation, but its some time before all of the magic that Coo-ee-oh has performed can be undone. It’s made more difficult because Coo-ee-oh has been turned into a swan and is so enamoured of herself that all she can do is admire her reflection in the lake. Princess Ozma has to ask for Glinda’s help.

This was a lovely light read, just right for the moment. It’s another journey involving a Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, a Patchwork Girl and various others, but I feel that the book has a serious side, presented in a light manner. The lesson being that war is to be avoided if at all possible, something that I’m sure a lot of people felt just two years after the end of World War 1.

9 thoughts on “Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum # 1920 Club

  1. I read several of the Oz books to my son when he was young. Unfortunately I don’t remember which ones. I had forgotten when they were written. I did know that there were a lot of them, but on Fantastic Fiction it shows 50 or more. If I ever decide to finish my “century of books” challenge, maybe I will pick one of those.

    • tracybham,
      I didn’t realise there were as many as 50. It sounds to me like those Oz books must have been some sort of franchise, farmed out to ghost writers as they seem to have been churned out. Still, it was a worthwhile read.

      • L. Frank Baum wrote 14 Oz books – this was the last of them. He tried to stop (like Conan Doyle with Holmes) but readers kept demanding more and he gave in, producing one a year till his death. It’s other authors who wrote the rest — keeping the “franchise” going, but in an inferior vein to my mind.

        The first few are the best, before Baum got tired of Oz … but Glinda is not bad. I think you are right about the anti-war message. Most of the books have some satirical or comic relationship to modern life, which makes them a bit more than mere fluffy entertainment.

        • Lory,
          Thanks for the info, I suspected the Oz books must have been ‘farmed out’ eventually.

          I think most children’s books that become classics can be read by children of all ages and do have an underlying message, if people care to think about it.
          Thanks for dropping by.
          Katrina

  2. Sounds like the perfect thing for now đŸ˜€ I’ve never even read the first one, but I do remember finding out there were a zillion of them, and couldn’t quite bring myself to embark on it all.

    • Simon,
      I’ve never even seen any of the other many Oz books, so I can safely say I won’t be reading any more although as you say this one was perfect for the situation now. Thanks for dropping by.
      Katrina

  3. Pingback: #1920Club – round up – Stuck in a Book

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