Glinda of Oz (Books of Wonder)

Rating:
Summary: The Flatheads vs. the Skeezers
Review: "In which are related the Exciting Experiences of Princess Ozma of Oz, and Dorothy, in their hazardous journey to the home of the Flatheads, and to the Magic Isle of the Skeezers, and how they were rescued from dire peril by the sorcery of Glinda the Good."

Always one of my favorite Oz books, Glinda was Baum's last and posthumously published. I can't count how many times I've actually reread it over the years-- that should be enough of a review in and of itself.

Rating:
Summary: Baum's final "Oz" book
Review: Some time ago, I decided I would collect and read all 14 of the "Oz" books by L. Frank Baum. It took me a few years to find them all, but I finally finished my little project with "Glinda of Oz," Baum's final outing. Not one of the best books in the series but not one of the worst, either, "Glinda" falls somewhere in the middle. While visiting the good witch Glinda, Ozma and Dorothy learn of two factions living in a remote corner of Oz that are planning to go to war. Wanting to prevent such discord in her paradise, Ozma and Dorothy travel to this land to prevent the Skeezers and Flatheads from coming to blows, but wind up becoming prisoners in an island beneath a lake.

The biggest problem I have with this book, as with many of the "Oz" books, is that just because the title has a character's name in it doesn't mean he or she is the star. While this is one of Glinda's bigger roles, it's not really her book but more of an ensemble piece. Baum, as if he knew this would be his last outing, crams nearly every character he'd created into the rescue party that sets out to free Ozma and Dorothy (but no Hungry Tiger, sadly), and most of the characters featured in that rescue don't have much to do but stand around befuddled.

The story has a fair amount of magic and introduces a few new characters, but no particularly memorable ones. Though there's nothing really bad about it, the book is noteworthy mainly because it's Baum's last before he died and Ruth Thompson took over the series.

Wow. All this time and I've finally finished reading Baum's "Oz" books. Heh. Time to start looking for the ones written by everyone else...

Rating:
Summary: Not as storng as other OZ titles but still enjoyable
Review: With the completion of Glinda of OZ, I can now claim to have read every one of L. Frank Baum's OZ books, including the short story compilation.

After glancing at Glinda's Magic Record book, Dorothy notices war has been declared in a remote corner of OZ no one has ever visited. Being the good, just, and noble queen she is, Ozma decides to travel there with Dorothy and the wooden sawhorse in order to implore her people to solve their differences without violence. The journey there is practically uneventful (Ozma and Dorothy adroitly find themselves out of only one misstep), but once they visit Evil Queen Coo-eh-oh they find themselves imprisoned under a globe. Glinda, alerted of their peril by an enchanted ring she gave to Dorothy, sets out immediately with all of OZ's favorite characters in order to rescue the two girls and make peace between the Flatheads and the Skeezers.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story as much as I did the others; perhaps that is because I've grown up and lost my ability to see the playful fun in Baum's books-although I certainly hope not!