Ozma & Wayward Wand
Grade 3-5 These "Land of Oz" spin-offs have only two features to recommend them: they are fast paced and easy to read for middle graders. Some knowledge of the original "Oz" books is essential to avoid confusion and to provide familiarity with characters and setting. Although the well-loved favorites are present, here Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and others are simply props to hold up flimsy plots. Each book presents one adventure, as Dorothy is transported from her Kansas farm to help solve the problems in Oz. Dorothy and her friends find Princess Ozma's stolen magic wand in . . . the Wayward Wand and rescue a bewitched young boy in . . . Seven-Leaf Clover . Mr. Tinker . . . cures an epidemic of unhappiness. Dorothy and friends stop a wayward young wizard who insists upon practicing forbidden magic in . . .the Magic Belt . The two titles by James Howe and Susan Saunders are slightly superior in plot development and use of descriptive language than the others. In general, however, all four titles simply rework fantasy and folklore themes better served elsewhere, such as in Jay Williams' stories in The Practical Princess and Other Liberating Fairy Tales (Parentsu Magazine Pr, 1978; o.p.). Rose's illustrations are static and pedestrian, even inaccurate. In . . .the Magic Belt , the description of how the magical Sawhorse flies through the air is negated by the drawing on the following page. This series demonstrates that the wily Wizard is not the only "humbug" in Oz. Martha Rosen, Edge wood School Library, Scarsdale, N . Y .Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.