The Gnome King of Oz

By Ruth Plumly Thompson, L Frank Baum, John R (John Rea) Neill

Book Overview

Return to the enchanting land of Oz in "The Gnome King of Oz" by Ruth Plumly Thompson. This classic work of fantasy fiction continues the timeless adventure in a world brimming with magic and unforgettable characters. Journey into the whimsical realm where gnomes and other fantastical creatures roam.

"The Gnome King of Oz" offers a captivating tale perfect for readers of all ages. Experience a thrilling adventure filled with peril and wonder. Rediscover the enduring appeal of this beloved children's literature classic, meticulously prepared for a new printing. This edition invites you to explore the imaginative landscapes and engaging stories that have made Oz a cherished destination for generations. Immerse yourself in a world of fantasy where anything is possible.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1023484986
• ISBN13: 9781023484985
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Hit & Miss

First off, I love Oz. I first discovered the Wonderful World of Oz when my parents showed me their collection of original Oz books from the early 1900's. I read a couple and fell in love. Recently I've been growing my own Oz collection. I bought THE GNOME KING OF OZ and read through it with joy at reading a whole new Oz story. But even though a worthy addition to the Oz canon, THE GNOME KING OF OZ is a little hit and miss. The basic story revolved around Scraps, the Patchwork Girl, the Gnome King, and another of Thompson's generic boy heroes, this one from her own Philadelphia named Peter. The story picks up as a sort of sequel to KABUMPO IN OZ, at the end of which the Gnome King is banished to the Lonely Isle/Runaway Island as it is referred to both during the book. Scraps has been kidnapped by the Quilties of Patch and made their Queen who has to slave away in the castle of Patch. Peter, the boy from Philadelphia, buys a balloon bird and flies off over the Nonestic Ocean, ending up on Ruggedo's island. The story is interesting, and some great new characters are introducted, such as Wumbo the Wonder Worker, Kuma Party, and Ozwold the oztrich. But other elements fall very flat. The useless bear Grumpy only bumbles along with Scraps on her adventures, and Peter doesn't grow very much as a character at all. His only real development in the story is in him realizing the Gnome King isn't the greatest of Oz folk to know. But then again the story is fun, and has some good twists that can be quite surprising if you haven't read PIRATES IN OZ, which gives away the entire ending of THE GNOME KING OF OZ. Great for a rainy day or something light to read.

Yet another return of Ruggedo

Ruggedo is back, with yet another attempt to conquer the Land of Oz. As usual, Thompson does a good job with this character, making him a threatening yet childish and humorous villain. In this book, he temporarily teams up with Peter Brown from Philadelphia, who is not one of my favorite American visitors to Oz, but does have a well-developed personality. When Peter turns against Ruggedo, he uses his own talents to conquer the former Nome King. (Incidentally, in case you're wondering, Thompson used the traditional spelling of "gnome," hence the book title, but I prefer to use Baum's spelling.) The Patchwork Girl also makes an appearance, and Peter helps her to escape from Patch, another one of the tiny kingdoms scattered throughout Oz (and the second to emphasize sewing). After the escape from Patch, the timing suffers somewhat, with Peter and Scraps, along with the less interesting Grumpy the bear and Ozwold the oztrich, visiting the irrelevant villages that appear in most Oz books. While these villages are fairly clever Thompsonian creations, I found myself wanting to get back to Ruggedo's attempts to conquer the country. I wouldn't call this one of the better Oz books, but it is worth reading just for Ruggedo, and there's a lot of other good stuff in the book as well.