Author | Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren McGraw Wagner |
---|---|
Illustrator | Dick Martin |
Language | English |
Series | The Oz Books |
Genre | Fantasy |
Publisher | Reilly & Lee |
Publication date | 1963 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | 303 pp. |
Preceded by | The Hidden Valley of Oz |
Followed by | Yankee in Oz |
Merry Go Round in Oz (1963) is the fortieth book in the Oz series created by L. Frank Baum and his successors. It was written by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and McGraw's daughter, Lauren McGraw Wagner. It was illustrated by Dick Martin. [1]
Merry Go Round in Oz is the last of the "Famous Forty" and the last "official" Oz novel entry. Reilly & Lee had declined offers from many other writers, including previous author Rachel R. Cosgrove, to publish a fortieth Oz novel entry because of poor sales, but were persuaded by McGraw's two Newbery Awards to admit a fortieth book into the series. The sales of Merry Go Round were not good enough to convince the publishers to continue the series. [2]
Halidom and Troth are two adjacent principalities within the Land of Oz, both resembling medieval kingdoms. Heir to the throne of Halidom is Prince Gules. The people of Halidom have always derived their physical and mental abilities from three golden circlets worn by their ruler: the first around his forehead, the second on his right forearm, the third on his right thumb. The first circlet confers intelligence upon all the citizens of Halidom, the second confers physical strength and fighting prowess; the third confers manual dexterity and craftsmanship. The first and third circlets have been lost before the beginning of the book, with attendant loss of abilities by the subjects of Halidom.
Fess is a young pageboy in the household of Prince Gules, but Fess was born in Troth, so the circlets have no effect on him. Awakening one day to discover that all the natives of Halidom are strangely languid, Fess learns that the second (and last remaining) circlet has been stolen. He embarks on a quest with Prince Gules, aided by a unicorn and a Flittermouse (a mouse with wings) to retrieve all three.
Meanwhile, Dorothy Gale and the Cowardly Lion temporarily leave the Emerald City to place an order with the Easter Bunny, whose underground domain is conveniently accessible from Oz. Having placed the order, they get lost on the way back, and meet and join the Prince and Fess in their quest.
Robin Brown, an orphan from Oregon, USA, rides a magic merry-go-round horse to the Land of Oz. The horse whisks him to the Quadling and Munchkin Countries of Oz, where Robin has adventures in View Halloo (a region dedicated to fox-hunting) and Roundabout (a land where everything is round, inhabited by Roundheads). The Roundheads mistake him for a new king foretold by a prophecy, and force him to remain there and serve as their king. Dorothy's party happens on Roundabout and help Robin to escape. Eventually, Robin must help find the missing magic circlets of Halidom.
Merry Go Round in Oz received a largely critical review in Kirkus Reviews , which wrote, "Strange amalgam. Take one large portion of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , lend in a half portion, diluted, of King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table, a dash of Alice — then close your eyes and take a long swallow." [3]
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a cyclone. Upon her arrival in the magical world of Oz, she learns she cannot return home until she has destroyed the Wicked Witch of the West.
The yellow brick road is a central element in the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by American author L. Frank Baum. The road also appears in the several sequel Oz books such as The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) and The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913).
Rinkitink in Oz is the tenth book in the Oz series written by L. Frank Baum. It was published on June 20, 1916, with full-color and black-and-white illustrations by artist John R. Neill. It is notable that most of the action takes place outside of Oz, and no character from Oz appears in the novel until its climax; this is due to Baum's having originally written most of the book as a fantasy novel unrelated to his Oz books over ten years earlier, in 1905. It was followed by The Lost Princess of Oz (1917).
Eloise Jarvis McGraw was an American author of children's books and young adult novels.
Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circumstances are obscure, but she commanded high respect in Robin’s circle for her courage and independence as well as her beauty and loyalty. For this reason, she is celebrated by feminist commentators as one of the early strong female characters in English literature.
Grampa in Oz (1924) is the eighteenth book in the Oz series created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fourth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. Unlike in Baum's books, Grampa in Oz presents a kingdom in Oz that has a monetary economy, and is on the verge of economic collapse. It was followed by The Lost King of Oz (1925).
A magic ring is a mythical, folkloric or fictional piece of jewelry, usually a finger ring, that is purported to have supernatural properties or powers. It appears frequently in fantasy and fairy tales. Magic rings are found in the folklore of every country where rings are worn. Some magic rings can endow the wearer with a variety of abilities including invisibility and immortality. Others can grant wishes or spells such as neverending love and happiness. Sometimes, magic rings can be cursed, as in the mythical ring that was recovered by Sigurð from the hoard of the worm Fáfnir in Norse mythology or the fictional ring that features in The Lord of the Rings. More often, however, they are featured as forces for good, or as a neutral tool whose value is dependent upon the wearer.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, known in Japan as Ozu no Mahōtsukai (オズの魔法使い), is a Japanese anime television series adaptation based on four of the original early 20th century Oz books by L. Frank Baum. In Japan, the series aired on TV Tokyo from 1986 to 1987. It consists of 52 episodes, which explain other parts of the Oz stories, including the events that happened after Dorothy returned home.
The Merry Men are the group of outlaws who follow Robin Hood in English literature and folklore. The group appears in the earliest ballads about Robin Hood and remains popular in modern adaptations. History The Merry Men are Robin Hood's group who work to rob from the rich and give to the poor. They have antagonized the tyrannical rule of Prince John while King Richard is fighting in the Crusades. This also puts them into conflict with Prince John's minions, Guy of Gisbourne and the Sheriff of Nottingham.
The Forbidden Fountain of Oz is a 1980 children's novel written by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and her daughter Lauren Lynn Mcgraw, and illustrated by Dick Martin. The novel is an in the long-running Oz series written by L. Frank Baum and his many successors.
The Ozmapolitan of Oz is a 1986 novel written and illustrated by Dick Martin. The novel is an unofficial entry in the long-running Oz series written by L. Frank Baum and various successors.
Peter Brown is a major character in the Oz novels of Ruth Plumly Thompson, who continued the series of Oz books after the death of their creator, L. Frank Baum. Thompson used Peter as the protagonist in three of her books: The Gnome King of Oz (1927), Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz (1929), and Pirates in Oz (1931).
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz is a musical play with book and lyrics by L. Frank Baum and music by Louis F. Gottschalk that opened at the Majestic Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 31, 1913. It is loosely inspired by Baum's book Ozma of Oz (1907), incorporates much of the material from Baum's book The Road to Oz (1909), and was the basis for his 1914 novel, Tik-Tok of Oz. It was promoted as "A Companion Play to The Wizard of Oz" and directed by Frank M. Stammers. The play is known from its advertising and published music, but survives only in earlier manuscript.
The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak.
Cheshire Crossing is a fantasy webcomic written and originally illustrated by Andy Weir from 2006 to 2008, and later re-illustrated by Sarah Andersen for Tapas from 2017 to 2019. The latter version was published as a graphic novel by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House, in 2019. The story, taking place in the early 1900s, takes characters from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan, and follows Alice Liddell, Dorothy Gale, and Wendy Darling after they are united at "Cheshire Crossing" by the mysterious Dr. Ernest Rutherford and Miss Mary Poppins to study their abilities to travel between worlds before facing the combined forces of the reconstituted Wicked Witch of the West and Captain Hook.
Kingfisher is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Ace Books in February 2016. The first British edition was published in ebook by Gateway/Orion in June 2017.
The Oz books | ||
---|---|---|
Previous book: The Hidden Valley of Oz | Merry Go Round of Oz 1963 | Next book: Yankee in Oz |