List of Oz books facts for kids

The Oz books are a famous series of stories that started with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. These books tell the magical history of the Land of Oz. A writer named L. Frank Baum created Oz and wrote fourteen full-length Oz books. He was even called "the Royal Historian of Oz" to make it seem like Oz was a real place on Earth, full of magic. Baum wanted readers to believe that characters like Dorothy and Princess Ozma shared their adventures in Oz with him using a special "wireless telegraph."

After Baum passed away in 1919, his publisher, Reilly & Lee, kept publishing new Oz books every year. They chose new "Royal Historians" to continue the stories. Ruth Plumly Thompson wrote nineteen Oz books starting in 1922. After her, seven more books were published by other writers: John R. Neill, Jack Snow, Rachel R. Cosgrove, and Eloise Jarvis McGraw with Lauren Lynn McGraw. Fans call these forty books (Baum's fourteen plus the twenty-six others) "the Famous Forty." They are seen as the main, official Oz stories.

Books by L. Frank Baum: The Original Oz Adventures

L. Frank Baum wrote the first fourteen amazing stories about Oz.

The first Oz books by L. Frank Baum
Cover	Order	Title	Illustrator	Year	Publisher
	1	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz	W. W. Denslow	1900	George M. Hill Company
	A young farm girl named Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are carried to the Land of Oz by a Kansas cyclone. There, she meets a living Scarecrow, a man made of tin, and a Cowardly Lion. Dorothy wants to go home, and the powerful Wizard in the Emerald City might be the only one who can help her.
	2	The Marvelous Land of Oz	John R. Neill	1904	Reilly & Britton
	A boy named Tip runs away from the witch Mombi. He brings a walking wooden figure with a jack-o'-lantern head, Jack Pumpkinhead, to life. Tip joins the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman to help Scarecrow get his throne back from General Jinjur's army of girls.
	3	Ozma of Oz	John R. Neill	1907	Reilly & Britton
	While sailing with her Uncle Henry, Dorothy and a hen named Billina fall overboard. They land in Ev, a country near Oz. They meet the Wheelers and a mechanical man named Tik-Tok. Dorothy then meets Princess Ozma, who is trying to save Ev's royal family from the evil Nome King.
	4	Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz	John R. Neill	1908	Reilly & Britton
	On her way home from Australia, Dorothy visits her cousin Zeb in California. An earthquake swallows them, along with Zeb's horse Jim and Dorothy's cat Eureka. They soon meet the Wizard and travel underground back to Oz.
	5	The Road to Oz	John R. Neill	1909	Reilly & Britton
	Dorothy meets the Shaggy Man. While trying to find a road, they get lost on a magical path. They meet Polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, and a boy named Button-Bright. They have many strange adventures on their way to Oz.
	6	The Emerald City of Oz	John R. Neill	1910	Reilly & Britton
	Dorothy Gale and her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry move to Oz forever. While they explore the Quadling Country, the Nome King digs a tunnel to invade Oz. This book was originally meant to be the last in the series.
	7	The Patchwork Girl of Oz	John R. Neill	1913	Reilly & Britton
	A Munchkin boy named Ojo must find a cure to free his Uncle Nunkie, who has been turned into a statue by a spell. With the help of Scraps, a living patchwork doll, Ojo travels through Oz to save his uncle.
	8	Tik-Tok of Oz	John R. Neill	1914	Reilly & Britton
	Betsy Bobbin, a girl from Oklahoma, is shipwrecked with her mule, Hank, in the Rose Kingdom of Oz. She meets the Shaggy Man there. They try to rescue the Shaggy Man's brother from the Nome King. This book is partly based on Baum's musical, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz.
	9	The Scarecrow of Oz	John R. Neill	1915	Reilly & Britton
	Cap'n Bill and Trot journey to Oz. With the help of the Scarecrow, they overthrow the mean King Krewl of Jinxland. Cap'n Bill and Trot had appeared in two other books by Baum. This book was Baum's personal favorite.
	10	Rinkitink in Oz	John R. Neill	1916	Reilly & Britton
	Young Prince Inga of Pingaree, with King Rinkitink, three magical pearls, and a goat, tries to save his parents and people from warriors. Baum first wrote this as a non-Oz book called King Rinkitink.
	11	The Lost Princess of Oz	John R. Neill	1917	Reilly & Britton
	When Princess Ozma disappears, four groups search for her. Most of the book follows Dorothy and the Wizard's search. Meanwhile, Cayke the Cookie Chef finds her magic dishpan stolen. She and the Frogman leave their mountain to find the pan.
	12	The Tin Woodman of Oz	John R. Neill	1918	Reilly & Lee
	The Tin Woodman, whose real name is Nick Chopper, searches for the Munchkin girl he loved before he became tin. The Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and Woot the Wanderer have many adventures. They meet another living tin man, Captain Fyter.
	13	The Magic of Oz	John R. Neill	1919	Reilly & Lee
	Ruggedo, the former Nome King, tries to conquer Oz again with a Munchkin boy, Kiki Aru. It is also Ozma's birthday, and everyone in Oz is looking for a special gift for her. This book was published a month after Baum's death.
	14	Glinda of Oz	John R. Neill	1920	Reilly & Lee
	Dorothy, Ozma, and Glinda try to stop a war in the Gillikin Country. This was Baum's last Oz book, published after he passed away.

Other Oz-Related Stories by Baum

L. Frank Baum also wrote some shorter stories and newspaper comics about Oz characters. These include Little Wizard Stories of Oz, which are six short tales. He also wrote other books like The Sea Fairies and Sky Island that are set in the same magical world as Oz, even if they don't take place in Oz itself.

The Famous Forty: Continuing the Oz Legacy

After Baum's death, the publisher Reilly & Lee kept the Oz series going. They chose new writers to be the "Royal Historians." These books, along with Baum's original fourteen, make up the "Famous Forty" books, which are considered the official stories of Oz.

Books by Ruth Plumly Thompson

Ruth Plumly Thompson wrote nineteen Oz books. Her stories were often like traditional fairy tales. They usually featured a small kingdom with a prince or princess who had to save their land or Oz from invaders.

Books by John R. Neill

John R. Neill, who illustrated many of Baum's books, also wrote three Oz books. His stories are often more wild, with houses fighting and everything being alive. He took Oz's color scheme (like blue for Munchkin Country) to an extreme, even coloring the sky and skin of characters.

Books by Jack Snow

Jack Snow was a big fan of Baum's work. He wrote two Oz books, focusing on characters created by Baum, and did not include any new characters from Thompson or Neill's books.

Book by Rachel R. Cosgrove

Rachel R. Cosgrove wrote one of the "Famous Forty" Oz books.

Book by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw

Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw wrote the last book in the "Famous Forty" series.

Other Oz Books: New Adventures and Different Takes

After the "Famous Forty," many other writers have continued to tell stories about Oz. Some of these books are published by the International Wizard of Oz Club, while others are written by Baum's family members or other authors who offer new or different versions of Oz.

Books by the International Wizard of Oz Club

The International Wizard of Oz Club has published more Oz stories, including some written by earlier authors that were not published during their time.

Books by Baum Family Members

Some of L. Frank Baum's family members have also written Oz books, continuing the legacy.

Alternate Oz Stories: Different Takes on the Land of Oz

Some books explore different versions of Oz, or tell stories that don't quite fit with the original Oz canon.

See also

• List of characters in the Oz books
• Books in the United States