The story starts with a boy named Tip who is the ward of a wicked witch named Mombi. He hates his 'foster mother' (for lack of a better term) and decides to play a trick on her. Tip creates a man with a pumpkin for a head and sets him up to frighten Mombi. Mombi, of course isn't frightened and instead uses some of her 'life powder' to bring the man to life. The man is christened Jack Pumpkinhead. Later that night, Tip steals Mombi's life powder and brings a sawhorse to life so he can escape with Jack Pumpkinhead. As all good stories in Oz begin, they decide to run away to the Emerald City. They arrive in the City and all is well until a group of greedy and selfish girls armed with knitting needles invade the city and take over. Their leader, General Jinjur, declares herself queen and kicks out the Scarecrow (anyone who read the first book instead of just watching the movie will know that the Scarecrow was named king of the Emerald City after the Wizard left). The companions must travel through the land of Oz and seek help from the Tin Woodsman and eventually Glinda the Good to put the rightful ruler on the throne of the Emerald City.
Overall Merit: The word I would use to describe this book, and all the books in the series is: charming. They are adorable and whimsical and although they are written for children (most likely Seelie children unfortunately) I still enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, there isn't a whole lot of action and the enjoyment relies heavily on suspension of disbelief, but it is still a wonderful read (no pun intended, this comment is aimed at someone who knows exactly who he is). I would highly encourage you to read the original Oz book if you haven't already. Score-7 (for sheer nostalgia/charm factor)
Characters: Oh this book. My non-existent feminist readers are going to hate this part of the review. However, I'll preface this by saying that fans of the movie might be disappointed to discover that Dorothy is not a character in this book, but never fear, she shows up later in the series. The main group of characters are just the right combination of quirky and lovable. Now for my feminist readers you will hate the depiction of General Jinjur and her army of foolish, vain girls. For my non feminist readers, you will hate them because they are annoying and stupid (let's keep in mind that this was written in 1904). Mombi was a standard one dimensional villain, in fact all the characters were one dimensional. But my dear readers, it's Oz be a little forgiving. I'm biased of course--these books were a major contributing factor to my childhood. However, when my father discovered that I was indulging in Seelie literature, I was beaten thoroughly. Score- 5 (I'm trying to be realistic)
Blush Factor: N/A
Plot: The plot was predictable, you knew what was going to happen from the very beginning although there was a surprising twist at the end. I won't spoil it for you since it does end up being a large factor in the subsequent books. However, if you are looking for something convoluted and intense you are reading the wrong thing. The plot may be sugarcoated, but it still makes you happy to read it just because it is so lighthearted, which makes it difficult to find fault in it. Score-5
Structure: This was lovely, there is no other way I can describe a return trip to Oz. While the characters weren't complex or conflicted, they were still very creative--I want to spend time with a Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug who spends his time making bad puns and acting better than everyone else. It is a goofy and silly book, but that is what makes it so enchanting. The world that Baum creates is both ridiculous and brilliant at the same time and that is a major factor in what makes the book so thoroughly enthralling. Score- 7
On a side note, I will be writing a guest post for Irritating Paramour's blog, which you can check out here: http://eyeforaneyepiece.wordpress.com. Be warned, his posts are dry as burnt toast, but I plan on adding a bit of butter to them, possibly jam too if he lets me. Until next time, which I promise will be soon!
