MMGM: Ozma of Oz

Today's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday pick:

Ozma of Oz, The Books of Wonder edition 

Ozma of Oz

Written by L. Frank Baum
Illustrated by John R. Neill
Originally published by Reilly & Lee, 1907
Wiliam Morrow/Books of Wonder, 1989
Ages 8-12, Lexile 1070L
272 pp, 37000 words


Themes:
Fantasy Adventure


Opening:
"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."


Thoughts:
Dorothy, accompanied by Billina the hen, travel to Ev to battle the Nome King and free the royal family.

I was surprised how much I liked this book. Though I like Oziana, I would not consider myself a fan of the original series. In general I find I like the ideas more than the stories themselves. Ozma is an exception. Perhaps I've grown wiser or perhaps this book is just funnier. I loved the writing style better than previous books. Of course, I saw the movie when I was in high school (do the math) and absolutely fell in love with many of the characters from Ozma. The movie played in my head as I read.

Have you read any of the other Oz authors? Most people say the sequels are inferior to L. Frank Baum's stories, but I am fond of John Neill's The Purple Prince of Oz. 

You'll find my review of the movie Return to Oz on last Friday's Summer Drive-In.


Bonus: 
1. Fans can join the International Wizard of Oz Club.

2. Ben, of My Comfy Chair, reviewed Rinkitink in Oz for MMGM way back in 2011.

3. Other MMGM bloggers recommend

Land of Stories: Beyond the Kingdoms, by Chris Colfer, reviewed by Reading Violet.
The Ever Afters: Of Sorcery and Snow, by Shelby Bach, reviewed by Green Bean Teen Queen.
The Aviary, by Kathleen O'Dell, reviewed on That's Another Story
No Passengers Beyond This Point, by Gennifer Choldenko, reviewed here on Middle Grade Mafioso.
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis, reviewed by BookishAmbition.

The Land of Stories book 4,
by Chris Colfer
and Brandon Dorman

Ever Afters book 1,
by Shelby Bach and Cory Loftis

The Aviary,
by Kathleen O'Dell
Cover by Molly Bosley

No Passengers
Beyond This Point, 
by Gennifer Choldenko
and Tyson Mangelsdorf

Check out the Summer Drive-In review of Return to Oz partially based on Ozma of Oz, from
August 18, 2017.
View all the Summer Drive-In reviews for 2017.

Check out all the recommended titles for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday for August 21, 2017August, 21, 2017 available on Shannon Messenger's Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe.

Now Playing: Return to Oz

Perfect Picture Book Friday will return in September.
Until then,

Welcome to the Bookish Ambition 

Summer Drive-In 

The Circle Drive-In from my childhood. Still open and now with double features on two screens!

Now Playing: 
Return to Oz
Ozma of Oz written by L. Frank Baum
Illustrated by John R. Neill
Originally published by Reilly & Lee, 1907
Ages 8-12, Lexile 1070L

Return to Oz, Disney 1985
Poster by Drew Struzan

First edition Ozma of Oz, Reilly & L, 1907 

Highlights from the book? 

• A whole new Baum land to explore
• Billina's feisty role in the story
• The lunch pails
• The return of classic Oz characters
• Tongue-in-cheek writing

Highlights from the movie?

• Tik-Tok and Jack Pumpkinhead
• Dazzling array of special effects still holds up over 30 years later
• Costuming by Raymond Hughes
• Spectacular claymation both fascinating and creepy
• Faithful continuation of Oz series

Opening:

"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."

Movie Trailer:

Return to Oz is based on two books by L. Frank Baum, Ozma of Oz and The Marvelous Land of Oz. The film picks up where the MGM classic leaves off. Dorothy has helped the Scarecrow and her other friends reclaim Oz from the witch and travelled home by means of the ruby slippers. Back in Kansas, Dorothy and her family must rebuild the farm after the tornado's destruction. None of the adults in Dorothy's world believe her tales of Oz. This sets up the meeting with the Kansas villains who have Oz counterparts played by the same actors. After a storm, Dorothy finds herself back in Oz. She battles Princess Mombi and the Nome King to rescue the Tinman, Scarecrow, Lion, and Ozma from their clutches.

 Return to Oz combines the best parts of the two books and includes an array of creative characters. The movie incorporates most of the settings in the book, changing them to be parts of Oz itself. Where Ozma rescues Dorothy in the book, in the movie rescuing Ozma becomes one of Dorothy's goals, placing her squarely in the role of heroine. Mombi is actually a combination of Langwidere and Mombi. The Gnome King is a fabulous villain, part claymation, part prosthetic. His transformation of the residents of Oz, as opposed to the royal family from the book, is a clever confrontation. The movie combines Henson puppetry, clay, costuming, green screen, animatronics, and other special effects to provide a seamless fairy land experience which holds up even after thirty years.

I would note that this film can be frightening to kids, as was The Wizard of Oz before it. The wheelers' comic appearance heightens their fear-factor (think scary clowns or dolls.) The Princess Mombi has a terrifying secret. Dorothy and Jack Pumpkinhead in particular face very dangerous moments. And in classic Oz style, Dorothy's misadventures in a mental institution back in Kansas are extremely unnerving.

Of course, those scary moments are what make this such a great adventure film. Fairuza Balk's believable performance as Dorothy, truly magical moments where gumps fly and metal men battle, comic highs, terror-filled lows, and sparkling sets and costumes, complete the cinema experience. Watch. This. Film. You won't be sorry. It's a masterpiece of kidlit come to life.

Reminisce with intermission commercials
from Captain Bijou on You Tube.

Visit Our Snackbar!

Snackbar food isn't always conducive to a healthy diet. Chicken fingers are kid-pleasing and a healthier choice than standard fare.

Plenty of parents make their own chicken fingers, but I admit I'd rather buy them frozen or fried from the snack stand. I highly recommend SimpleBites chicken dip made with just three ingredients. We serve it with fries and chicken (and anything else we can think of.) You'll find their chicken finger coating and their easy Honey-Mustard dip on their website.

Nostalgic for a drive-in movie?
There are over 5,000 drive-in theaters across the U.S. mapped for you on Cinema Treasures.

Not many theaters show cartoons anymore. If you're longing for a taste of the fifties, watch the 1939 Disney short below, The Little House, another children's book-turned-movie, this one based on The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.

Have you seen any screen adaptations of L. Frank Baum's works? What's your opinion?

Have you reviewed any Oz books? Please leave your link in the comments below. Thanks!

View all the Summer Drive-In reviews for 2017.

Check out the Marvelous Middle Grade Monday review of  Ozma of Oz, coming August 21, 2017.