Ozma of Oz

By L. Frank Baum

Within this third work of Baum's Land of Oz series, Dorothy's story is continued with her beloved companions and given further life with inventive new characters, including a talking hen named Billina and the Hungry Tiger. After being tossed from a steamship during a storm, Dorothy finds herself in the kingdom of Ev, where she becomes involved in a journey to the palace of the evil Nome King to rescue the Queen of Ev and her children. From dodging Wheelers to dangerous guessing games, Dorothy must overcome many obstacles to help the helpless and reach a happy ending in Oz. "Ozma of Oz" is a worthy component of a series of stories that have delighted children for over a century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oregan Publishing
• Release date: Jun 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9782291071013

L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum (1856–1919) was an American children’s book author, best known for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen novel sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and several other works (55 novels in total, plus four "lost" novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings).

Book preview

1907.

The Girl in the Chicken Coop

The wind blew hard and joggled the water of the ocean, sending ripples across its surface. Then the wind pushed the edges of the ripples until they became waves, and shoved the waves around until they became billows. The billows rolled dreadfully high: higher even than the tops of houses. Some of them, indeed, rolled as high as the tops of tall trees, and seemed like mountains; and the gulfs between the great billows were like deep valleys.

All this mad dashing and splashing of the waters of the big ocean, which the mischievous wind caused without any good reason whatever, resulted in a terrible storm, and a storm on the ocean is liable to cut many queer pranks and do a lot of damage.

At the time the wind began to blow, a ship was sailing far out upon the waters. When the waves began to tumble and toss and to grow bigger and bigger the ship rolled up and down, and tipped sidewise—first one way and then the other—and was jostled around so roughly that even the sailor-men had to hold fast to the ropes and railings to keep themselves from being swept away by the wind or pitched headlong into the sea.

And the clouds were so thick in the sky that the sunlight couldn't get through them; so that the day grew dark as night, which added to the terrors of the storm.

The Captain of the ship was not afraid, because he had seen storms before, and had sailed his ship through them in safety; but he knew that his passengers would be in danger if they tried to stay on deck, so he put them all into the cabin and told them to stay there until after the storm was over, and to keep brave hearts and not be scared, and all would be well with them.

Now, among these passengers was a little Kansas girl named Dorothy Gale, who was going with her Uncle Henry to Australia, to visit some relatives they had never before seen. Uncle Henry, you must know, was not very well, because he had been working so hard on his Kansas farm that his health had given way and left him weak and nervous. So he left Aunt Em at home to watch after the hired men and to take care of the farm, while he traveled far away to Australia to visit his cousins and have a good rest.

Dorothy was eager to go with him on this journey, and Uncle Henry thought she would be good company and help cheer him up; so he decided to take her along. The little girl was quite an experienced traveller, for she had once been carried by a cyclone as far away from home as the marvelous Land of Oz, and she had met with a good many adventures in that strange country before she managed to get back to Kansas again. So she wasn't easily frightened, whatever happened, and when the wind began to howl and whistle, and the waves began to tumble and toss, our little girl didn't mind the uproar the least bit.

Of course we'll have to stay in the cabin, she said to Uncle Henry and the other passengers, and keep as quiet as possible until the storm is over. For the Captain says if we go on deck we may be blown overboard.

No one wanted to risk such an accident as that, you may be sure; so all the passengers stayed huddled up in the dark cabin, listening to the shrieking of the storm and the creaking of the masts and rigging and trying to keep from bumping into one another when the ship tipped sidewise.

Dorothy had almost fallen asleep when she was aroused with a start to find that Uncle Henry was missing. She couldn't imagine where he had gone, and as he was not very strong she began to worry about him, and to fear he might have been careless enough to go on deck. In that case he would be in great danger unless he instantly came down again.

The fact was that Uncle Henry had gone to lie down in his little sleeping-berth, but Dorothy did not know that. She only remembered that Aunt Em had cautioned her to take good care of her uncle, so at once she decided to go on deck and find him, in spite of the fact that the tempest was now worse than ever, and the ship was plunging in a really dreadful manner. Indeed, the little girl found it was as much as she could do to mount the stairs to the deck, and as soon as she got there the wind struck her so fiercely that it almost tore away the skirts of her dress. Yet Dorothy felt a sort of joyous excitement in defying the storm, and while she held fast to the railing she peered around through the gloom and thought she saw the dim form of a man clinging to a mast not far away from her. This might be her uncle, so she called as loudly as she could:

Uncle Henry! Uncle Henry!

But the wind screeched and howled so madly that she scarce heard her own voice, and the man certainly failed to hear her, for he did not move.

Dorothy decided she must go to him; so she made a dash forward, during a lull in the storm, to where a big square chicken-coop had been lashed to the deck with ropes. She reached this place in safety, but no sooner had she seized fast hold of the slats of the big box in which the chickens were kept than the wind, as if enraged because the little girl dared to resist its power, suddenly redoubled its fury. With a scream like that of an angry giant it tore away the ropes that held the coop and lifted it high into the air, with Dorothy still clinging to the slats. Around and over it whirled, this way and that, and a few moments later the chicken-coop dropped far away into the sea, where the big waves caught it and slid it up-hill to a foaming crest and then down-hill into a deep valley, as if it were nothing more than a plaything to keep them amused.

Dorothy had a good ducking, you may be sure, but she didn't lose her presence of mind even for a second. She kept tight hold of the stout slats and as soon as she could get the water out of her eyes she saw that the wind had ripped the cover from the coop, and the poor chickens were fluttering away in every direction, being blown by the wind until they looked like feather dusters without handles. The bottom of the coop was made of thick boards, so Dorothy found she was clinging to a sort of raft, with sides of slats, which readily bore up her weight. After coughing the water out of her throat and getting her breath again, she managed to climb over the slats and stand upon the firm wooden bottom of the coop, which supported her easily enough.

Why, I've got a ship of my own! she thought, more amused than frightened at her sudden change of condition; and then, as the coop climbed up to the top of a big wave, she looked eagerly around for the ship from which she had been blown.

It was far, far away, by this time. Perhaps no one on board had yet missed her, or knew of her strange adventure. Down into a valley between the waves the coop swept her, and when she climbed another crest the ship looked like a toy boat, it was such a long way off. Soon it had entirely disappeared in the gloom, and then Dorothy gave a sigh of regret at parting with Uncle Henry and began to wonder what was going to happen to her next.

Just now she was tossing on the bosom of a big ocean, with nothing to keep her afloat but a miserable wooden hen-coop that had a plank bottom and slatted sides, through which the water constantly splashed and wetted her through to the skin! And there was nothing to eat when she became hungry—as she was sure to do before long—and no fresh water to drink and no dry clothes to put on.

Well, I declare! she exclaimed, with a laugh. You're in a pretty fix, Dorothy Gale, I can tell you! and I haven't the least idea how you're going to get out of it!

As if to add to her troubles the night was now creeping on, and the gray clouds overhead changed to inky blackness. But the wind, as if satisfied at last with its mischievous pranks, stopped blowing this ocean and hurried away to another part of the world to blow something else; so that the waves, not being joggled any more, began to quiet down and behave themselves.

It was lucky for Dorothy, I think, that the storm subsided; otherwise, brave though she was, I fear she might have perished. Many children, in her place, would have wept and given way to despair; but because Dorothy had encountered so many adventures and come safely through them it did not occur to her at this time to be especially afraid. She was wet and uncomfortable, it is true; but, after sighing that one sigh I told you of, she managed to recall some of her customary cheerfulness and decided to patiently await whatever her fate might be.

By and by the black clouds rolled away and showed a blue sky overhead, with a silver moon shining sweetly in the middle of it and little stars winking merrily at Dorothy when she looked their way. The coop did not toss around any more, but rode the waves more gently—almost like a cradle rocking—so that the floor upon which Dorothy stood was no longer swept by water coming through the slats. Seeing this, and being quite exhausted by the excitement of the past few hours, the little girl decided that sleep would be the best thing to restore her strength and the easiest way in which she could pass the time. The floor was damp and she was herself wringing wet, but fortunately this was a warm climate and she did not feel at all cold.

So she sat down in a corner of the coop, leaned her back against the slats, nodded at the friendly stars before she closed her eyes, and was asleep in half a minute.

The Yellow Hen

A strange noise awoke Dorothy, who opened her eyes to find that day had dawned and the sun was shining brightly in a clear sky. She had been dreaming that she was back in Kansas again, and playing in the old barn-yard with the calves and pigs and chickens all around her; and at first, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she really imagined she was there.

Kut-kut-kut, ka-daw-kut! Kut-kut-kut, ka-daw-kut!

Ah; here again was the strange noise that had awakened her. Surely it was a hen cackling! But her wide-open eyes first saw, through the slats of the coop, the blue waves of the ocean, now calm and placid, and her thoughts flew back to the past night, so full of danger and discomfort. Also she began to remember that she was a waif of the storm, adrift upon a

Reviews for Ozma of Oz

[matthewbloome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good book to read if you are interested in a further adventure with Dorothy. A few of the characters from The Marvelous Land of Oz are in there as well. I don't feel like the title was particularly appropriate for the story. I would have gone with The Lawless Land of Ev or Ev and the Nome King. Every character from book one made an appearance in this volume, though I wish Toto had come to Ev with Dorothy. I liked the hen, Bill, though I found it odd that she was able to talk after Toto wasn't able to speak in the first book. I though the whole talk when you are in a fairy land rule only applied to creatures that were from the fairy land. I would love to have a conversation with Toto. I would really like to know what he thought of being dragged all over Oz and in the company of a lion that nearly killed him upon meeting him.

[nx74defiant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Forget Dorothy, I wanted to be Ozma.

[capiam1234 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a fun read especially when reading to kids. Baum introduces many new characters in this third book and Tik-Tok has to be the break out star here, but Bellina comes very close behind.

[darthdeverell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun sequel to the Oz series, by Baum himself. Quite enjoyable for all ages and it expands the Oz universe to the Kingdom of Ev, across the desert beyond Oz's borders. If you're a fan of the Wicked series, you'll see some of Gregory Maguire's inspiration in this book.

[karin7-11 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I couldn't finish this.

[carebear36 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As with the first two books in this series, this one was just as fun with interesting characters and creative plot points. I loved the character of Bill/Billina (although Dorothy furthered my dislike of her by suggesting the hen should change her name). I did not like how much of a role Dorothy had, given how idiotic of a character she comes across as (seriously, you have to get advice from a chicken??), but I respect Baum writing more about her to appease his young fans. Overall a good read and very fun adventure.

[rrainer-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Now this book I remember quite well—partly because much of the movie Return to Oz was based on it, but more because I'm sure I had to have read it several times when I was young. While I enjoy it quite a lot, and more than any of the other books it sets up further adventures, it's also very slight when it comes to things actually happening. Still, Ozma remains the best.

[elizabethchapman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This happens to be one of my least favorite of the Oz books. It's interesting to read the reviews here on LibraryThing and realize that Ozma of Oz is many people's favorite. It's hard to put one's finger on what is enchanting -- or not -- in any given children's book. For me, the dangers Dorothy and her friends face in this volume seem less thrilling and the new characters that are introduced seem lesser copies of earlier ideas (The Cowardly Lion / The Hungry Tiger, the Tin Woodman / Tiktok, Billina / Toto). Enjoyable enough for Oz fans, but far from Baum's best.

[chris177 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third book in the L. Frank Baum’s Oz series of books. In this book, Dorothy returns to Oz with a yellow hen, not Toto. We also find out more about Princess Ozma in this book as well as more information about the Land of Oz itself. The story line in this book was combined with the story line in The Land of Oz, the second Oz book, to be the basis of the movie “Return to Oz.”

[snakeshands · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Still loopy but a tad darker. Again, haven't read this in ages; if anything, I remember it better from the cult classic Return to Oz movie, which made for an interesting comparison.But this one gives you lots of fun with Dorothy and the delightful queen Ozma, not to mention an intrepid hen given powers of speech by transition to the fairylands, one of the most Grimm's-ian villains yet with the Nome King and his dangerous guessing game, and my deep and abiding favorite Tik-Tok, whose wind-up personality has a lot more fun to it than he admits--not to mention the endless bickering between the Tin Man and the Scarecrow over who's better off than the poor mechanical fellow (Brains! a heart! etc).It's no wonder this is a lot of people's favorite, and I won't argue with it. Might like the pure bizarreness of Marvelous Land a hair better, but that's a matter of taste.

[mrsbaty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book, the 3rd in the series, holds up well with the first two. Ozma, the sawhorse, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and other familiar characters return. We also meet new characters such as Bellina the hen and Tic Tok. Dorothy is back for her second visit to Oz.

There is, of course, action and adventures and lots of fun! The importance of friendship and loyalty are emphasized as always. The movie, "Return to Oz" is based on many of the adventures in this book with a few things from The Land of Oz. This one is another winner in the Oz series!

[soulflower1981 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book does not take place majorly in the land of Oz, but in the land of Ev which is over the deadly dangerous desert. The story is about Dorothy Gale, from the first book in the series, returning to the land of Oz through the land of Ev.

The story has the same whimsical charm that the first two books have that make them children's classic books. Baum is able to create these fantastical creatures and you believe they could exist in these other worlds. In this case he created the Wheelers who roll around on wheels instead of having hands and feet. Baum takes simple ideas and breathes life into them. It is great to read his books and see what he was capable of creating. He lived in a time where they didn't seem to be as worried about violence and other things in their books so you can see a bit more depth and freedom in what he is writing which makes for a better children's story in my opinion.

[rbeene-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful tale that brings back Dorothy Gale who is one of my favorite characters from the series.

[bzedan_2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Talking chicken! With attitude! God, Baum, you were a crazy person.

[jedimarri · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Ozma of Oz" is the response to the cry of many young readers that Baum bring Dorothy back to the world of Oz. This time she reaches that magical land not by tornado, but by ship wreck, and she first spend a good deal of time in the kingdom of Ev. The kingdom of Ev is languishing because the old King sold off his wife and children in exchange for a long life, and then threw himself into the sea in remorse. Now it's up to Dorothy, Ozma, and their host of friends to figure out how to free the missing Queen and the children.Dorothy, with her sweet personality, makes several new friends in this book that you will fall in love with! There are a lot of little lessons to be learned a long the way as well, so if you are reading this to your kids, you'll have some fun ways to sneak in some teaching moments. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

[runa_17 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ozma of Oz has always been one of my favorites of the Oz series. I loved seeing Dorothy back in the land of Oz, and her reunion with all her old friends was amazing. I also highly enjoyed her meeting with Ozma, and the friendship there is a really great one. [Also, Glinda! Oh, all the connections to the original Oz book, amazingness :D] Never did like the Nome King, but the challenge set by him was pretty clever, and kudos, kudos, kudos to Billina! Baum's cleverness never dies, as we see with his lunch and dinner pails, the green tin pig-whistle, the Nome king's belt, and the picture on the wall, and you know you're really back in Oz. The thing is, I get the feeling that lots of people don't even know these books exist. They are under the impression that the story of Oz began and ended with The Wizard of Oz, and this is just wrong. There's a whole series of storeis out there, a series everyone should read because it never loses the magic and charm found in the first book, and if anything, just adds to it. LOVE the books, always have, always will, I just wish Dorothy could stay in Oz forever :D

[smcamp1234 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a fun read especially when reading to kids. Baum introduces many new characters in this third book and Tik-Tok has to be the break out star here, but Bellina comes very close behind.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorites among the later Oz books; Tik-tok is a worthy predecessor of C3P0 and the gnome king, who is to be the major villain of the series, first appears. Dorothy is washed overboard in the ocean on a chicken coop, and also with a rather snappish and now talking hen, Billina, finds herself in the Land of Ev, across the desert from Oz, where she rescues the mechanical man Tik-Tok (using a gold key to open a stone door--a possible forerunner of The Hobbit?) and learns from him how his former master Evildo had sold his whole family to the Gnome King before drowning himself. The gnome king has turned them into pieces of brick--a-brak in his palace, and Dorothy must choose which items are the enchanted family --if she fails, she joins them. Of course she succeeds. Still, it is suspenseful. It turns out Gnomes are afraid of eggs, which gives Billina a useful power. Eventually Dorothy meets Ozma for the first time.

[stuzle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite of all the Oz books! It has so many memorable scenes---picking lunch and dinner pails off a tree, the princess with lots of different heads, finding enchanted people among rooms full of ornaments, the magic carpet over the desert to Oz, Billina the chicken...I really love it! I read it over just today for the who knows how many time!

[inky_fingers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite of all the Oz books. It has a greally great plot as well as strange characters and funny situations. I wish Peter Jackson would take this on as his next movie project.

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dorothy is back in the fantasy world. On this trip she meets Princess Ozma of Oz, the ruler of Oz.Ozma is on her way to rescue the royal family of The Land of Ev from the evil King of the Nomes. The Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Billina the talking Yellow Hen and a few more characters are with her on the quest. When she and Dorothy meet, Dorothy agrees to help with the rescue.The way is fraught with challenges and evil creatures who want to do harm to them. Through perseverance the group gets through to the palace of the Nome King only to find that the royal family has been turned into knick-knacks to add to the King's collection. An agreement is reached that if one of the group can find the enchanted family members and bring them back to life, all can leave the palace. But the Nome King is not to be trusted!The book also has the original illustrations by John R. Neill, which further enhances the story. Granted it is considered a children's book, adults can enjoy the story too.

[hippielunatic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up years ago, probably in a moment of, "I love the movie, why not read more?" Given it's Walmart special cover of two books for a dollar, that must have played into the cost vs. benefit analysis, too.I am so glad that I did, to the point of I will probably be adding the entire series to my wish list over the coming years.The characters are fun and the action lively. Tiktok and Billina are newcomers to the Oz realm, but each is a nice addition to the circles of friendship that Dorothy develops. The story itself is a magical explorations of the need to accomplish something, and how luck and determination often have to go hand in hand for success to be met.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this one a lot. Honestly, I enjoyed it more than the original (and A LOT more than some of Baum's other stories). Some really fun side characters (like Billina the hen) and some very funny plot points made it a very fun read.

[mirrani_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second of the books used to make up the Return to Oz movie, this is the story dealing with the Gnome King and guessing at his beautiful trinkets. Baum, as always, describes the locations and situations with the grace of a master live storyteller, making up his creations before an audience that hangs on his every word. Baum is the true Wizard of Oz. There's no doubt about that.

[killianmcrae · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In high school (early 1990's) I read all of the Oz books that were written by Baum. While I loved each and everyone, Ozma of Oz remains ones of my favorite. In an era that still often portrayed females as helpless beings constantly in need of rescue, Ozma was a confident and self-assured leader who didn't need a man beside her (or as an authority, given that she's a teenage-like character) to validate her rule, her motives, and her knowledge.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is no lack of adventure for Dorothy in this third book in the Oz series. She meets up with some old friends, but makes some new ones, too. Charming dialogue in this magical plot make this tale an entertaining one for young and old alike.

[drewandlori · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Third in the Oz series, and the second book featuring Dorothy and Toto. Baum's books are a little dated but still a lot of fun.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dorothy ends up in the land of Ev, which is across the desert from Oz. She faces many challenges, makes new friends and shows her courage, if not always her wisdom. This book introduces new friends such as Billina, the talking chicken, Tik Tok, the copper talking, thinking machine and Ozma of Oz. She also meets up with some horrid folks. The Nome king, a woman with 30 interchangeable heads (ewww), and Wheelers. Imaginative and fun, this story promotes clean living, caring for others and loyalty, without preaching. It must have been quite refreshing when it was published compared to all the other morality tales for children of the time.

[vonze-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not as good as the first, but a big improvement over the second book. Glad to have Dorothy back in the storyline.