Customer Reviews

The Emerald Wand of Oz

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As a long-time fan of L. Frank Baum's Oz books, I'm generally suspicious of newer books by other authors set in his world; I'm not even a big fan of Ruth Plumly Thompson, his immediate successor. However, I liked Sherwood Smith's _Crown Duel_ enough that I thought it would be worth giving her Oz book a try -- and I loved it.

Smith's heroines are Em and Dori, who live in Kansas and are reputedly related to the famous Dorothy Gale, who first visited Oz in _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_. When a tornado strikes their house, they're suddenly whisked away -- just like Dorothy -- to the land of Oz. Dori, who's loved Oz all her life, is thrilled, but the more practical Em can hardly believe it. Soon, they're pulled into a quest to save Princess Ozma and Glinda the Oz from a wicked enchantment that's been laid on them.

Smith succeeds in bringing a more modern sensibility to her characters and a genuine sense of threat to the plot without dimming the charm and wonder of Oz. Em and Dori have family problems - their parents are separated - and Smith treats these realistically, with sympathy for the girls and for the adults. The threat to Ozma and Glinda and their country is vivid (particularly when a mysterious, frightening cloud shows up repeatedly), yet the country itself is every bit as inventive as Baum's, with pretty but vain unicorns, poppycocks (little scarlet birds which turn into flowers), and all manner of other Ozzy details. Smith handles Baum's characters nicely, too, particularly the dizzy Patchwork Girl.

This is apparently the first in a series of four connected Oz novels Smith is writing. I'll happily read all of the others and am looking forward to them very much, particularly as _The Emerald Wand of Oz_ closes with some intriguing unanswered questions.

I've been an Oz fan for almost fifty years, and I found this book to be pretty close to Baum's spirit--except for those 75 pages, which went on and on and on and on about some unicorns who reminded me of the worst sappy unicorn stories of the 1980s. I suppose those scenes were put in to appeal to little girls, but as an old lady I found them tedious. Page after page of currying the unicorns, combing their manes and tails, decorating them with flowers, etc. Ugh. I know the author meant it to be tedious, but five pages would have been plenty.

I loved the illustrations, especially the cover with its art deco style. And I loved the gekko guards! Laugh-out-loud funny. The traditional characters like Scraps and Bungle seemed genuine (and they've been old friends of mine all my life). Also loved the little aha moments that only Oz fans would get, for example when Dori looks around and realizes the flowers are all shades of red, and it begins to dawn on her where she is, or when she figures out what Rik is scared of and the reader realizes what he must be.

Only the fact that I know this is the first book of a series keeps me from being more annoyed at the dangling loose ends. I especially wanted to know if those creepy children with the unicorns were like that because of the wand, or if they were inherently creepy, or did it have something to do with the cloud? Knowing that would color my whole perception of Smith's version of Oz. Anyway, I'll look forward to the next book and see if my questions get answered.

email: jasonc65@comcast.net

Lately, there have been new Oz books exploring darker and more adult themes, especially "Wicked". Now, this book is more along the lines of the traditional Oz books, with fewer introtructions to weird characters, and a more strongly felt sense that Oz could be in real danger. A new Wicked Witch is introduced, one who is not so old and ugly, but is just as allergic to water. She has to be defeated by two new characters from the real world, who are said to be related to Dorothy.

I liked how the the author uses the theme of fantasy as metaphor for the imagination, a motif explored by several traditional fantasy writers. Especially given the name of the unbelieving aunt, it seems as if the author has read Narnia, and so Narnia fans will suspect that this is another Susan story. Since the elder of the two sisters thinks like her aunt and disbelieves, she has to learn to appreciate the value of the imagination. In the beginning, she closes her mind to the evidence that the animals can really talk, and therefore hears only animal noises. By the end, she has grown to care as much about Oz as her younger sister.

One of the problems that plagued most of the traditional Oz was the lack of a coherent imaginary world whose facts were consistently explained, an area in which the British authors tend to accel, and in which the Oz authors are usually lacking. Unfortunately, the author does not do any better than the first two Oz books. Like Baum, she will leave the reader wondering how a witch with very little power compared to Glinda and the Wizard could conceive a treacherous plot and so easily pull it off. One would think that when an ambitious young teenage girl with a green wand approaches the throne, Ozma would suspect something. And then when she next attacks Glinda's palace, one would expect her to put up her defenses. Instead, with scant explanation of what has gone on before, the reader is left amused with an Oz in which not only its inhabitants have lost their wits, but so have their leaders. But perhaps after having experienced Katrina and being reminded that even in the real world, leaders are not always their sharpest, we can all relate.

The Emerald Wand of Oz is an Oz story in the classic form created by L. Frank Baum over 100 years ago. Yet it has a modern flavor that may make it acceptable to a young audience.

It has a seal on the front cover proclaiming that Smith has an Official License to be Royal Historian of Oz that comes from The L. Frank Baum Family Trust. Before the Baum Oz books came into the public domain this was very important because the family trust controlled the use and depiction of the characters created by Baum. Lately this has been less relevant, and many authors have taken their hand to writing non-official Oz books with varying degrees of success.

In this book two sisters from Lawrence Kansas who believe they are related to Dorothy Gale get transported to Oz by a tornado. They get adopted into a community of children who groom a herd of wild unicorns, and pick up a strange friend who, like them, wants to escape from the possessive and vain unicorns. Their goal is to find Glinda and ask to be returned home to Kansas. Yet, as in so many Oz stories, there is a threat to the fairy land of Oz . This time it is the neice of the Wicked Witch of the West, who has taken up residence in her aunt's old castle, and has cast a spell on the fairy ruler Ozma, the good witch Glinda, and the Wizard. As in the classic Oz stories, a group of Ozzy characters who seem silly and helpless join together to defeat the villain and restore order. Once things are returned to normal, there is a banquet in the Emerald City, and the children are returned to their normal life much more mature and aware of the importance of group action and compassion.

This is planned to be the first of a three volume series by Smith, and so there are parts of the plot that do not get resolved. This gives the plot a loose feeling that Baum would never have tolerated. Sadly, Byron Preiss who was funding this project tragically died last July, and his publishing company declared bankrupcy this February. So the future of the project is deeply in question. Hopefully, someone will pick it up and see it to completion. Smith feels that the other two books are even better than this one, and it would be a shame if they never see print.

This first of a projected series of Oz books serves as an excellent introduction to young readers who have probably seen the 1939 film, and possibly knew that L. Frank Baum wrote a book about Oz, but have no idea that other Oz books exist.

The opening begins in Oz, introducing two strong female characters, one familiar from the movie (Glinda) and one not (Ozma)--and then shifts to two sisters in Lawrence, Kansas, one of whom loves the Oz books, and the other who thinks fantasy is babyish. The girls' relationship is further strained by the imminent separation of their parents--a situation to which far too many children nowdays can relate. But that is kept firmly in the background as the girls are swept via tornado (familiar from both movie and first book) to Oz, and then have to adjust, each in her own way.

The pacing through the earlier sections is leisurely, introducing concepts slowly. Even third grade readers should be able to pick up clues about the world of Oz.

One the girls meet the mysterious Rik, the pacing accelerates, and includes more of the famous Oz characters from Baum's books. They must overcome the niece of the Wicked Witch at her castle, which is full of scary and funny boobytraps.

Accessible to younger readers, and appealing to older reluctant readers, this book is recommended for school libraries. Perhaps it will spark a renewal of interest in the original Oz books, which are sadly neglected in library choices these days.

I couldn't wait to get this new 'Story of Oz' book and I had Angus & Robertson get a copy so that I wouldn't have to wait too long to get it (since Oz is an American-written story and I'm Australian). I loved reading this book, and I was very eager to find out what happened in this book and see more of William Stout's illustrations . . . here's how the story goes (don't worry, not everything that happens in the story is written in my synopsis/review. A lot more happens in the book).
Glinda the Good and Ozma are worried about Dorothy, who has been gone for quite for a while. Meanwhile, Em starts to make another fight with Dori, when a storm begins to take form, and Dori, looking at a snow-globe, witnesses Princess Ozma having vistors, one of which does something to her and the Cowardly Lion. Em interrupts Dori's watching, and a tornado appears. The girls try to join their mother, but in all the dangerous excitement, they instead get caught up in the wind and find themselves in a peaceful place, with red surroundings. Dori joyfully realizes that they are in Oz, while Em refuses to believe what's happening, which blinds her, stopping her from seeing the true beauty and magic of Oz. They see Unicorns, and meet some children who do beauty contests with the Unicorns, which the girls join in doing. Later, however, when Em meets a mermaid named Larpa, she realizes that they really are in Oz. The two girls go looking around, and after they see a dark cloud (with strange creatures) in the sky - which occassionally appears throughout the story - they meet a boy named Rik, who joins them in their journey to Glinda's Palace. But when they get there, Glinda doesn't act like her usual self. Later, while staying in her palace, Dori and Em try to figure out what's wrong with Oz, when suddenly Dori and Rik are captured by the Winged Monkeys, leaving Em alone with the Patchwork Girl. Dori and Rik are taken to the giant-lizard guarded castle of Bastinda, niece of the Wicked Witch of the West, who vows revenge against Dorothy. The Scarecrow, Jack Pumpkinhead and Bungle the Glass Cat appear and agree to help with the rescue. Rik manages to escape and find Bastinda, who discovers something . . . shocking. A trick was played on her! Rik and Dori then make their escape from their tower prison, setting off and avoiding booby-traps throughout the castle, while the others make their way into the castle. Em gains the Golden Cap and asks for the Winged Monkeys to help. Soon, they all meet up and are cornered by Bastinda, until she gets defeated (*BUT* - Don't think that just because she's the Witch of the West's niece that she can be melted by water). They return to the Emearld City, where they restore Ozma to normal. At the celebration, Dori and Em meet many famous Oz characters. Next morning, Em, Dori, Ozma and Glinda talk to eachother about certain matters before seeing another dark cloud over the palace, which the Royal Rulers say they will investigate. The sisters are then returned home to their parents and (awful) Aunt Susan - who was responsible for Em's earlier behavoiur - even if their adventure in Oz can't be easily believed. But in keeping the snow-globe, the girls hope that maybe someday not only will their dad come back to live them, but also they will make their return to Oz . . .
This was a great book, sometimes slow and a bit long, but greatly enjoyable. 32 Chapters and 262 pages of reading, with excitement, danger and even funny happenings. There are pictures by William Stout, but unfortunately not a lot. Apart from the cover which has Ozma, Scarecrow and the Glass Cat, William only draws 10 pictures which are Dori, Em, Glory the Unicorn, Larpa the Mermaid, a dragon in a cloud, Scraps the Patchwork Girl, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Glass Cat, Bastinda, the Leader of the Winged Monkeys and Princess Ozma and he should've drawn a lot more. Of course, there are a few little mistakes: at the end of the original 'Wonderful Wizard' story, Glinda said that she would give the Golden Cap to the Monkey King after Dorothy and her friends returned to their homes, so how could Bastinda have regained their three services? Also, lunch-pail trees are said to exist in Oz, when actually they originated in the Kingdom of Ev in the 'Ozma of Oz' book. I like how in this book Em represents the people who know only Oz by MGM, and Dori represents the people who know and love Oz by the original books. William even extends this idea by drawing her surrounded by other books like 'Queen Zixi of Ix' and 'Mother Goose in Prose' by Baum and 'Grimms' Fairy Tales'. His illustration of Bastinda is good, but I definitely think that he should've drawn more of her gown. We also meet Rikiko, the Nome King's son. If William Stout did do other pictures, they are unfortuantely not included in here. One of the best things about this book is how Sherwood includes a secret magic thing, made by Glinda, which takes place during Dorothy's visits to and returns from Oz in L. Frank Baum's first few books. Even though I have read about visiting Glinda's palace and the Emerald Throne Room in earlier books, this book had me imagine those places in an entirely new design. And there are a few new magical items that appear ion this adventure, apart from just the Golden Cap and the Snow-Globe.
If Sherwood Smith really is going to write more Oz Stories, then I look forward to getting them as well, and hopefully Em and Dori will have more adventures in Oz.

The magic of the Oz books seems to appeal to every generation. Many writers have continued the stories, and now Sherwood Smith can be added proudly to the list. This is a fun little story about two sisters, Em and Dori, who are direct descendants of the original Dorothy Gale. Em is the practical one and concerned with much more grown-up things than Dori. Dori believes in everything to do with Oz and has a special snow globe that is supposed to have come from Dorothy. The girls are feeling sad and upset because their parents have separated. Then one day, in the middle of a quarrel, a tornado sweeps through. The first thing you know, Em and Dori have arrived at Oz!

In Oz they find themselves in the middle of a group of beautiful unicorns who actually hold beauty contests and enjoy having themselves groomed. While this is all very interesting, the sisters become aware that they must make their way to the Emerald City and have princess Ozma send them back home. After they help a strange boy named Rik escape from the unicorns, he agrees to help get them to Ozma. Unknown to Em and Dori, Rik is a prince and is actually a gnome, which all goes into making this an even wilder adventure.

When the magic snow globe shows the sisters that the Emerald City seems to be under some kind of spell, they are even more cautious as they approach. And indeed, Bastinda --- a young witch descended directly from the evil Wicked Witch of the West --- has succeeded in putting Ozma and the Emerald City under her spell. She eventually wants all of Oz to be under her control and will stop at nothing. Those two little girls and the weird boy with them most definitely do not frighten her. She, however, does underestimate their cleverness as they learn about and eventually switch green wands on Bastinda. A couple of little girls from Kansas are just as clever as their Aunt Dorothy!

Em and Dori have happily encountered some of the more famous of the Oz folk, such as Scraps, The Scrapwork Girl, the Scarecrow and the beautiful (but conceited) Glass Cat. Together they will help bring about the downfall of Bastinda and restore Princess Ozma as leader of the Emerald City. There is a lot to be accomplished if they want Ozma to help them back home! And once they return home, will their parents get back together?

Sherwood Smith has done a fine job reviving some of the older beloved characters and updating the Oz stories. The beautiful cover of the book carries The L. Frank Baum Family Trust official seal. The famous Oz illustrator and "historian," John R. Neill, is the direct inspiration for the outstanding illustrations by artist William Stout. New readers are sure to be enchanted by this entire package. And for those familiar with the other books, a fresh adventure awaits.

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts

Sherwood Sith's first in her projected series of new OZ books, THE EMERALD WAND OF OZ, is a valiant effort. Ms. Smith's books are the only new tales of Oz that have been "officially licensed" by the Baum Family Trust, any and all other Oz books since the end of the original Famous Forty Oz Books apparently being unfit for such endorsement. In its present form, I wonder why this particular story should be so endorsed, as it didn't live up to my expectations. In reading this book, I found myself wondering what Ms. Smith had written before numerous editors had had their way with her manuscript. The protagonists, Em and Dorrie, supposedly related to Baum's Dorothy, arrive in Oz in a most un-original way: by tornado. The opening adventure, which smacks greatly of Ruth Plumly Thompson's 'Unicorners' (in her book "OJO IN OZ") and McGraw's 'Tally-Ho' hunting horse village (in "MERRY GO ROUND IN OZ".) It takes almost half the book for the characters to escape the Unicorn colony. Much of the book revolves around familial relations (lost nieces, sons, etc.), revenge, and the threats to Oz and its citizens seem a bit forced. The main characters are well delineated, especially the differences between the sisters and the evolvement of their relationship and attitudes. The boy Rik comes off not quite as well, seeming hastily sketched in and, given his identity, rather thinly developed. Some of the new characters and creatures are fun and show a great deal of originality, especially the PoppyCocks, but I must confess the "Toomy Looms" and Loomy Tooms" made me raise an eyebrow. Such new characters come and go quickly, and have very little to do, if anything, with the plot. (A trait often shown by Thompson in her books, but done much more elaborately so they were at least interesting and SEEMED relevent, even though they weren't.) The resolution is, for the most part, satisfying, but I too longed for the appearance of some familiar Oz characters much earlier in the story. The writing is well done, with nice imagery, but I quickly grew tired of the over-use of the word "weird", both as an adjective and an exclamation. Overall, though, an enjoyable book and a nice digression from the "new", "darker" Oz portrayed in many of the recent Oz writing(s). I prefer my Oz traditional, and this was a nice attempt at a return to the original style of the books. I am hoping for a little more "meat" in the next one, though. Thanks for an enjoyable read, Ms. Smith.

This first of a projected series of Oz books serves as an excellent introduction to young readers who have probably seen the 1939 film, and possibly knew that L. Frank Baum wrote a book about Oz, but have no idea that other Oz books exist.

The opening begins in Oz, introducing two strong female characters, one familiar from the movie (Glinda) and one not (Ozma)--and then shifts to two sisters in Lawrence, Kansas, one of whom loves the Oz books, and the other who thinks fantasy is babyish. The girls' relationship is further strained by the imminent separation of their parents--a situation to which far too many children nowdays can relate. But that is kept firmly in the background as the girls are swept via tornado (familiar from both movie and first book) to Oz, and then have to adjust, each in her own way.

The pacing through the earlier sections is leisurely, introducing concepts slowly. Even third grade readers should be able to pick up clues about the world of Oz. My sixth grade daughter, who loves horses, liked the beginning, though my older daughter wanted to skim as did I.

One the girls meet the mysterious Rik, the pacing accelerates, and includes more of the famous Oz characters from Baum's books. They must overcome the niece of the Wicked Witch, at her castle, which is full of scary and funny boobytraps.

Accessible to younger readers, and appealing to older reluctant readers, this book is recommended for school libraries. Perhaps it will spark a renewal of interest in the original Oz books, which are sadly neglected in library choices these days.

While the concept of the story, taking two "modern" sisters (who may be related to Dorothy Gale) to the Land of Oz, is a wonderful idea, the execution of the story is not so wonderful. Unlike the Ruth Plumly Thompson or Eric Shanowar stories, the development of new characters is mediocre at best; the opening plotline of the unicorns drags on interminably and the subsequent appearances of the traditional Oz characters is much too late in arriving. The creation of new and unusual characters would have been welcome (besides the two sisters), but for the most part the story and characters are less than memorable. The novel has obviously been left open for a sequel, and I am open to reading it if it should appear; hopefully, more thought will be given to a speedier plot, which the Baum and Thompson novels had.