Queen Zixi of IX: Or the Story of the Magic Cloak

I first read Queen Zixi of Ix when I was in fourth grade. I loved it then and got really into it. The story concerns a magic cloak that grants wishes (one wish only per person). For entertainment fairies weave the magic cloak and release it to the people of Nopland. The recipient is a little girl, Fluff. Through absurd circumstances her brother, Bud is crowned king of Noland. Ironically only one person in the story ends up intentionally making a wish on the cloak. The others either forget that they are wearing the cloak or don't know about the cloak's magic properties, and so are granted the first wish that they state as they absently talk to themselves. Because the cloak takes things literally this leads to some absurd consequences as people is Bud's palace find their idle wishes come true. Queen Zixi in the neighboring land of Ix has heard about the cloak. She decides to steal it and after a few tries succeeds. However the wish will not be granted if the cloak has been stolen. Queen Zixi doesn't get her wish and discards the cloak without knowing why. Meanwhile Bud's country of Noland is invaded by very round rude people called Roly-Rouges. He and Fluff don't have the cloak to help them and appeal to Zixi for help. She took the cloak while in disguise and switched it for a fake so the kids don't know that the cloak is missing. They only know that it won't work. The rest of the book follows Zixi helping the children as they hunt down the cloak and deal with the Roly-Rouges. Naturally this happens in unexpected ways. As an adult rereading this book I still liked it, but the pacing felt kind of funny. This is a fairly short book and lots happens (more than I can summarize here). When I read this as a child the pacing felt perfect so I probably read faster now. There are still little jokes included here for adults, though. At one point a character muses that this would be the way things work "in a fairytale, but not here in the real world of Noland". So there are little jokes and ways in which things are worded that adults will get but children will likely overlook as they think about fairies, wishes and magic. This book is written more for children, but if you read it as an adult or if you read it aloud to kids there is something for you too. If you have younger children then this book is definitely a good choice for them. I remember it well from my childhood and I loved it. For a child it is a must read. For an adult it is a quick entertaining read.

Hello, my name is Jill, and I am 10 years old. As a child, I think this book was great. Hey all of you adults out there, if you're planning to buy a book for your child, this one is it! It is about a girl named Fluff and a boy named Bud. Since their father died they lived with their Aunt Rivette in the country. One day, they traveled to the Kingdom of Nole, and when entering the East Gate, Bud becomes King and Fluff princess. Why, you may ask, does he become king? Well, the old king had died, and according to the law of the land of Nole, the 47th person to enter the east gate would become the king, and all relations to live in the palace. Anyway, Fluff is given a cloak by a fairy, in which you can wish for 1 thing, and soon the cloak gets passed around the royal palace. Meanwhile, in the land of Ix, the witch-queen hears about this cloak, and decides to steal it. She tries many attemps, and finally obtains it. But the cloak does not work if it is stolen, so she leaves it in the forest. Then creatures called Roly-Rouges invade the kingdom of Nole, so Aunt Rivette, Fluff and Bud run to the kingdom of Ix, and the queen gladly helps them. When they go to the forest to look for the cloak, it is not there! Can they find it in time? Read and find out!

This is one of those books that you remember reading in front of a fire, and for little girl you probably envisionsed actually slipping on the coat made by fairies. I read this about 20 years ago and I can still summon up the feelings I got reading it, just by hearing, "Queen Xixi." I noticed this book by chance and decided I needed to re-own it. Please read this to you child, even if he happens to be a boy. All of us love fairies, we just haven't seen one, but this book allows us to.

This was one of my favorite books as a child - I used to listen to the record (read by Ray Bolger) over and over again. L. Frank Baum out does himself in this one. It is every bit as good as all of the Wizard of Oz books he also penned. Truly magnificent! Read this one to your kids (or just to yourself)!

Baum presents a high fantasy, set in the rival kingdoms of Ix and Noland. Central to the story is a magic cloak woven by fairies, and the mishaps and adventures that various people experience due to the cloak's existence. Baum, as it is known, is a genius when it comes to story-telling, and his non-stop inventiveness and cleverness has no doubt placed him among the pantheon of children's authors throughout history. This book is highly recommended, not only for children, but for everyone because of its sheer brilliance.