The Lost Princess 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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1917 |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | Rinkitink in Oz |
| Followed by | The Tin Woodman of Oz |
The Lost Princess of Oz is the eleventh book in the famous Oz series by L. Frank Baum. It was published on June 5, 1917. The story begins when Princess Ozma, the kind ruler of Oz, suddenly goes missing. The book follows Dorothy and the Wizard as they try their best to find her.
L. Frank Baum shared that he got the idea for this book from a letter a young girl sent him. She wrote, "I suppose if Ozma ever got hurt or losted, everybody would be sorry." Baum dedicated the book to his new granddaughter, also named Ozma Baum.
Contents
The Search for Ozma
One morning, Dorothy wakes up in the Emerald City and checks on her friends. She notices that Princess Ozma has not yet woken up. When Dorothy goes into Ozma's room, she finds it empty! Ozma is gone.
Meanwhile, in the Quadling Country, Glinda also wakes up to a surprise. Her special Great Book of Records is missing. This book tells her everything happening in Oz. She tries to prepare a magic spell to find it, but her magic tools are gone too! Glinda quickly sends a message to the Emerald City to tell them about the theft.
When the Wizard hears the news, he offers his own magic tools to help Glinda. But guess what? His tools are also missing! Glinda, Dorothy, and the Wizard decide to organize search parties to find Ozma and the missing magic items.
Joining their search are friends like Button-Bright, Trot, and Betsy Bobbin. Dorothy and the Wizard's group starts their search in the Winkie Country, which is west of the Emerald City.
Cayke's Missing Dishpan
At the same time, in the southwestern part of the Winkie Country, on a high flat area called a plateau, Cayke the cookie cook has a problem. Her special diamond-studded gold dishpan has been stolen! This dishpan is very important because it makes her cookies perfect every time.
A fancy frog, who calls himself the Frogman, hears Cayke's story. He is a human-sized frog and acts as an adviser to the Yips, the people who live there. The Frogman offers to help Cayke find her dishpan.
New Friends and Clues
Dorothy, the Wizard, and their group travel into two new places they had never heard of before: Thi and Herku. The people of Thi are led by the High Coco-Lorum, who is secretly their King. The Thi people tell the same story about the Herkus: they use very large people as helpers.
In the Great Orchard, which is between Thi and Herku, the search party enjoys many different kinds of fruit. Button-Bright eats a peach from the only peach tree in the orchard. When he gets to the center of the peach, he finds it's made of gold! He puts the gold peach pit in his pocket to show Dorothy, Betsy, and Trot later. He does this even though local animals warn him that the evil Ugu the Shoemaker has put a spell on it.
In the city of Herku, Dorothy and the Wizard's group meet the Czarover of Herku. He is thin but very cheerful. He has invented a special energy mix called zosozo. This mix makes his people strong enough to have large helpers. The Czarover gives them six doses of zosozo for their journey. He also casually mentions that Ugu the Shoemaker came from Herku.
Ugu found magic books in his attic one day. He learned many magical things because he was related to a very powerful enchanter from the past. The Shoemaker has since moved from Herku and built a castle high in the mountains. This clue makes Dorothy and the Wizard think that Ugu might be the one who stole all the magic items and kidnapped Ozma.
They leave Herku and head towards Ugu's castle. Along the way, they meet the Frogman, Cayke the Cookie Cook, and the Lavender Bear. The Lavender Bear is a stuffed bear who rules Bear Center. He carries a small wind-up toy called the Little Pink Bear. This toy can answer any question about the past.
Confronting Ugu
When the combined group arrives at Ugu's castle, Button-Bright gets separated and falls into a deep pit. Before they rescue him, the Wizard asks the Little Pink Bear where Ozma is. The toy says she is in the pit too. After Button-Bright is pulled out, the Little Pink Bear then says that Ozma is right there among the party. Confused by these answers, the group moves towards the castle.
They soon realize that Ugu is indeed the thief! The castle's magic defenses use tricks that Glinda and the Wizard know. After getting past these defenses, the group finds themselves standing before Ugu himself.
Ugu uses magic to make the room spin and then tries to escape. Dorothy stops the spinning by making a wish with the magic belt. She uses its power to turn Ugu into a dove. However, Ugu changes the spell so he stays human-sized and still acts aggressively. Fighting his way past Dorothy and her friends, Ugu the dove uses Cayke's diamond-studded dishpan to fly away to the Quadling Country.
Ozma's Return
Once all the magic tools are found, the group focuses on finding Ozma. The Little Pink Bear finally reveals that Ozma is being carried in Button-Bright's jacket pocket! She is inside the gold peach pit that Button-Bright had put there. The Wizard opens the pit with a knife, and Ozma is released.
Ozma explains that Ugu had kidnapped her when she found him stealing her and the Wizard's magic items.
Everyone in the Emerald City and all of Ozma's friends celebrate her safe return. Days later, Ugu, still a dove, flies in to see Dorothy. He asks for her forgiveness for what he did. Dorothy forgives him and offers to change him back with the Magic Belt. But Ugu has decided that he likes being a dove much better!
