Ozma of Oz facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | L. Frank Baum |
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| Illustrator | John R. Neill |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Oz books |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Reilly & Britton |
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Publication date
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July 30, 1907 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Preceded by | The Marvelous Land of Oz |
| Followed by | Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz |
Ozma of Oz is an exciting adventure story. It was written by L. Frank Baum and first published on July 30, 1907. This book is the third in his famous Oz series. It's special because it was the first time Baum clearly planned to write many more Oz books.
Most of the action in Ozma of Oz happens outside the magical Land of Oz. Only the very last parts of the story take place there. In the first Oz book, Dorothy wanted to get home to Kansas very badly. But in this book, Oz becomes a wonderful place she aims to reach. Dorothy still wants to see her family, but her uncle needs her more than she needs him. This is also the first book where we learn Dorothy's last name, Gale.
The book has many colorful pictures drawn by John R. Neill. L. Frank Baum dedicated this book to all the kids who read his stories. He especially dedicated it to all the Dorothys out there!
Contents
A Grand Adventure Begins
Dorothy Gale is on a ship with her Uncle Henry. They are sailing to Australia. Suddenly, a big storm hits the ship. Dorothy is swept into the ocean! Luckily, she finds a floating chicken coop and climbs inside. A hen is also in the coop. Dorothy names the hen "Billina". Soon, the coop washes ashore on a strange new land.
Dorothy and Billina explore this new place. They meet a scary group of creatures called "Wheelers". These creatures have wheels instead of hands and feet! They roll around very fast. Dorothy and Billina also find a clockwork man named Tik-Tok. He is like an early robot that can think and talk. Tik-Tok joins them on their journey.
Tik-Tok tells Dorothy and Billina that they are in the Land of Ev. This land has no proper ruler. Its king sold his whole family to the scary Nome King.
Meeting Princess Langwidere
Dorothy, Billina, and Tik-Tok visit the castle of Princess Langwidere. This princess has many different heads! She can take them off and put new ones on. Princess Langwidere wants to take Dorothy's head and add it to her collection. Dorothy refuses, of course! This makes the princess very angry. She locks Dorothy in a tall tower.
Luckily, Princess Ozma of Oz is on a special mission. She and her Royal Court from Oz are crossing the Deadly Desert. They are coming to free the royal family of Ev from the Nome King. When Ozma arrives, she takes charge. She quickly frees Dorothy, Billina, and Tik-Tok from Langwidere's castle. The three friends then join Ozma's group on their journey to the Nome King's underground kingdom.
Facing the Nome King
When they reach the Nome King, he reveals a terrible secret. He has used his magic to turn the royal family of Ev into ornaments! Princess Ozma asks him to release them. The Nome King offers a tricky deal. The Oz people can enter his treasure room. They can try to guess which ornaments are the transformed people. But if they guess wrong, they will also turn into ornaments!
Many brave people from Oz try their luck. This includes Ozma herself, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and Tik-Tok. They all try to guess correctly, but they fail. They are also turned into ornaments! Dorothy is very worried. She picks one ornament, and it turns out to be one of the young princes of Ev!
That night, Billina the hen overhears the Nome King talking. She learns how to tell which ornaments are people by their color. She also discovers that the King's magic comes from a special Magic Belt he wears. Billina is very clever! She is able to free everyone who was turned into an ornament. The Nomes are very afraid of eggs. So, the Oz group uses eggs to scare the Nomes. They manage to grab the Magic Belt and escape the Nome Kingdom with the royal family of Ev.
Return to Oz
After returning the royal family of Ev to their rightful place, Ozma, Dorothy, and their friends finally go back to the Land of Oz. A huge party is held in the Emerald City's royal palace to celebrate their victory! Dorothy is officially made a Princess of Oz. Billina decides to stay and live in Oz. Ozma uses the Magic Belt to send Dorothy safely back to Kansas. Dorothy is very happy to be reunited with her Uncle Henry.
Adaptations for Screen and Stage
The story of Ozma of Oz has been used in different plays and movies.
One famous adaptation is the 1985 film Return to Oz. This movie uses ideas from Ozma of Oz and another Oz book, The Marvelous Land of Oz. In the film, Dorothy meets Tik-Tok and Billina. She also faces a character similar to Princess Langwidere, called Princess Mombi. The movie also shows Dorothy going to the Nome King's mountain to rescue the Scarecrow. Instead of the Magic Belt, the movie uses the famous ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz movie.
There was also a musical play in 1913 called The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. It was based on this book. Later, L. Frank Baum rewrote the play into another Oz book called Tik-Tok of Oz.
An animated TV show from 1986, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also included this story. It was later made into a shorter movie for home video. In 1987, a Canadian animated movie called Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz was released. It was a short version of the story.
Images for kids
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A color illustration from the book showing Dorothy, Billina, and Tik-Tok.
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