Although he was never to enjoy the success he had with his first Oz book, Baum sure tried hard with this one (the second in the series). Most like this far better than the first, more famous The Wizard of Oz work. It starts off with Tip living in a cottage deep in a forest in Oz. The witch who keeps him is set on turning him into stone, so Tip must escape. This sets up a whole series of wonderful adventures and interesting characters. The Pumpkinhead character is a favorite. If only someone like Tim Burton would get a hold of this and turn it into a film, then maybe the whole Baum Oz series would get as much recognition as say the Potter series has been getting.
Baum wrote 14 Oz books in the early 1900s. The movie was made from the first in the series. The [Marvelous] Land of Oz is the 2nd in the series, and possibly the best. The short chapter from page 71-81 reaches a level of perfection attained only rarely in the history of literature, and is equal to the best passages of Mark Twain or James Thurber. You can't read that passage without going into a fit of laughing yourself to tears.
We have all grown up with the Wizard of Oz movie, book one, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is basically the same story as the movie with some slight differences. Marvelous Land of Oz, the second book of the series is the one that will reel you in and have you wanting to read more. You will love it, especially the surprise ending which I won't spoil for you. Jack Pumpkinhead, the Woggle Bug and a mean witch named Mombi are all new characters, even more colorful than some of those from book one.
