Speedy in Oz facts for kids
Speedy in Oz is an exciting adventure story from 1934. It's the twenty-eighth book in the famous Oz series, which was started by L. Frank Baum. This particular book was written by Ruth Plumly Thompson and beautifully illustrated by John R. Neill. It's a tale full of flying islands, talking dinosaur skeletons, and brave young heroes!
Contents
The Story of Speedy in Oz
A Floating Island in Trouble
The story begins with a special place called Umbrella Island. This island actually floats in the sky! It flies around thanks to a giant umbrella that helps it lift off and protects it. But the king of Umbrella Island isn't very good at steering. One day, he accidentally crashes the island into the head of a huge giant named Loxo.
Loxo is very upset about this crash. To make up for it, he demands that the king's daughter, Princess Gureeda, become his servant. Loxo thinks Gureeda is a boy and wants her to lace his enormous boots. He gives the Umbrella Islanders three months to teach her how to do this job.
Speedy's Unexpected Arrival
Meanwhile, a brave boy named Speedy, who you might remember from The Yellow Knight of Oz, is off on another adventure. He's exploring and looking at a dinosaur skeleton when something amazing happens. A geyser (a natural hot spring that shoots water into the air) suddenly blows him high into the sky!
Even more surprising, the dinosaur skeleton magically comes to life! It becomes a friendly, living dinosaur skeleton named Terrybubble. Speedy and Terrybubble land right on Umbrella Island, just when the islanders are worried about Princess Gureeda.
New Friends and a Tricky Plan
Speedy quickly becomes good friends with Princess Gureeda. He also meets the island's kind wizard, Waddy, who is very wise. However, there's a sneaky minister on the island who notices something important. Speedy and Gureeda look very much alike, almost like twins!
The tricky minister comes up with a bad plan. He decides to trick Loxo by giving him Speedy as a servant instead of Princess Gureeda. He thinks Loxo won't notice the difference.
Escape and Rescue
Luckily, Terrybubble, the dinosaur skeleton, finds out about this sneaky plan. He acts fast! Terrybubble helps Speedy and Gureeda parachute off Umbrella Island to escape. But their escape doesn't last long. All three of them are captured by the giant Loxo!
Now, it's up to the clever wizard Waddy to save his new friends. He must find a way to outsmart Loxo and bring Speedy, Gureeda, and Terrybubble back to safety.
Oz Connections
While most of the story focuses on these new characters and their adventures, there is a small part where Princess Ozma and her advisers from the Land of Oz are consulted. This helps connect the story to the wider Oz universe, even though the main characters are creations of Ruth Plumly Thompson.
