The Wishing Horse of Oz (Wonderful Oz Books, No 29) [Paperback]

Ruth Plumly Thompson (Author), John R. Neill (Illustrator), Michael Herring (Painter)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (August 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345337069
• ISBN-13: 978-0345337061
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,847,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sublimely delicious! these books should be reprinted., September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wishing Horse of Oz (Wonderful Oz Books, No 29) (Paperback)

Ruth Plumly Thompson took the wonderful idea of Oz from Baum & continued its development with delightful whimsy. the place names are always imaginative (e.g. Mudge, Torpedo Town). in this story, Chalk, the talking horse, is always ready with a witty retort. you'll never regret visiting the Land of Oz.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thompson's Story Telling Skills Improve, July 5, 2005

By 

John A Lee III "jal3" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wishing Horse of Oz (Wonderful Oz Books, No 29) (Paperback)

Thompson's story telling skills when she first took over from L. Frank Baum left a bit much to be desired. Her early works seemed to involve a lot of aimless wandering with little point to it. Thankfully, her skills did improve with experience. They also seemed to improve when she dealt primarily with characters of her own creation as opposed to those created by Baum. This particular story shows her as more comfortable in her skills and more comfortable working with Oz originals.

This story is about a despotic ruler of a no account country outside of Oz, though still on the magical continent. He manages to obtain possession of a magical emerald necklace that grants wishes. His first with is for a magnificent horse and that one is granted purely by accident. He is naturally delighted but also disappointed that he does not know how to use the necklace. As I said, he lucked out the first time. It is the horse who figures out the secret and they come up with a plan to dispose of the various rulers of Oz, including Ozma, and everyone who could pose a danger to him. He causes everyone in Oz to forget about Ozma and the other notables. He then installs himself as emperor of Oz and it is up to Dorothy to save the day.

This story actually flows very well. The only problem is that the story itself is only of middling interest. Thompson handles Dorothy very well but most of the rest of the primary characters in this story are the ones she created. Dorothy is the exception. Still, she does a good job.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Oz books, May 17, 2002

By 

Nathan M DeHoff (Absurd City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wishing Horse of Oz (Wonderful Oz Books, No 29) (Paperback)

I hold the Oz books in very high regard among books, and this is one of the best of the series. King Skamperoo is a very well-developed villain, who bears some similarity to other bad-tempered, ambitious monarchs throughout the series, yet is developed better than most of them. Instead of just coming out of nowhere to torment the people of Oz, as some villains do, we learn all about his home in Skampavia, and his reasons for wanting to rule Oz. Skamperoo manages to enchant everyone in Oz, except for Dorothy and Pigasus (who was introduced in PIRATES IN OZ), and it is up to them to save the country. As is usual for Oz books, this one introduces interesting new characters and locations, while still providing a sense of familiarity for people who know the other books.