Yankee in Oz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Yankee in Oz

First edition cover
Author	Ruth Plumly Thompson
Illustrator	Dick Martin
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Oz Books
Genre	Fantasy
Published	1972 (International Wizard of Oz Club)
Media type	Print
Pages	94 pp.
Preceded by	Merry Go Round in Oz
Followed by	The Enchanted Island of Oz

Yankee in Oz is an exciting Oz novel written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was first published in 1972 by The International Wizard of Oz Club. This book tells a new adventure in the magical Land of Oz, featuring a boy from Earth and a very special dog. The story was actually written much earlier, in 1959, but it took a while to be published.

The Adventure Begins

The story starts with a boy named Thomas P. "Tompy" Terry. He's a talented drummer and athlete from Pennsylvania. One day, a big storm called Hurricane Hannah sweeps him away. Tompy was on his way to a parade when this happened.

He lands in the magical Land of Oz, right by Winkie Lake. There, he meets a talking dog named Yankee. Yankee is a Bull Terrier and was the first American dog to go into space! He is super excited to be able to talk.

Wackajammy and a Royal Problem

Tompy and Yankee find themselves near a town called Wackajammy. This town is in the Winkie Country, known for growing lots of food. The King of Wackajammy, Jackalack, believes Tompy and Yankee are there to help. He thinks they will rescue his aunt, Princess Doffi. Princess Doffi is very important because she guides all the bakers in town. Without her, they refuse to work!

The King's advisor, Yammer Jammer, uses a special book called the Mind Reader. This book tells him that Tompy and Yankee don't plan to rescue the princess. So, Yammer Jammer locks them in prison. But Yankee is clever! He digs them out during the night and finds the key. As they leave, they even manage to take the Mind Reader book with them.

Journey Through Oz

Even though they want to go home, Yankee really wants to rescue Princess Doffi. Their journey takes them to many strange places:

• They meet an anteater.
• They visit Tidy Town, where people are obsessed with being neat and tidy. The king there wants everyone to be "listeners."
• They cross into the Gillikin Country with help from a friendly guide named Tim Ber the Trav-E-Log.
• They meet Axel, a kind woodsman who likes his privacy.
• They find a village where people have glowing paper lanterns for heads. These people are only active at night.

Meeting New Friends

As they climb Mount Upandup, they meet a flower fairy named Su-Posy. She tells them she delivers flowers to an imprisoned princess nearby to cheer her up. This princess is Doffi! Also resting on this mountain is Jinnicky the Red Jinn. Tompy and Yankee quickly become good friends with Jinnicky.

The Villain and the Rescue

The villain of the story is Badmannah, who also lives on the mountain. He is the one who kidnapped Princess Doffi. Soon after, Badmannah uses a magic magnifying glass to kidnap Princess Ozma and the entire Emerald City palace!

Tompy, Yankee, and Jinnicky regroup at the Red Jinn's palace. Yankee has a smart idea: he attaches a net to Jinnicky's jinrikisha (a type of carriage). They use it like a giant fishing net to catch Badmannah! They then lower him to the bottom of the Nonestic Ocean. He can't drown there because Ozites are immortal, but it keeps him out of the way for a long time.

Now, they need to get the Emerald City palace back. All the people from the palace (except Ozma) are stuck in a magic box. Jinnicky hasn't opened it until the palace is safe. Once it's opened, they realize Ozma is still missing. Using the Magic Picture, they see her in Badmannah's cave. Ozma had used her Magic Belt to wish herself to the safest place, and with Badmannah gone, his cave was it. Jinnicky uses his red magic to bring the Emerald City back to its proper place.

Returning Home

Jinnicky flies Tompy home in his jinrikisha. He gives Tompy a small jar to open if he ever needs magic help. Back on Earth, Yankee is famous from newspapers. Tompy's dad wants Yankee to be Tompy's pet. The Army first says no, but when Tompy opens the magic jar, they change their mind!

Yankee can now speak once a week. Tompy and Yankee decide to read The Purple Prince of Oz together. They want to learn more about their friend, Jinnicky, and his adventures.

This book is special because it's one of the first Oz books to mention another Oz book within its own story. It also has a very clear, straightforward plot, which was a new style for the Oz series.