Tik-Tok of Oz

I teach creative writing to children and have used this book as an excellent model for the fantasy genre. It has all the great elements of a fantasy story--strange and enchanted happenings, magical creatures, faeries, and a wonderful quest. Many of Baum's books are not so plot-driven; this, like "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" is an exception, and the story works marvelously. Fans of the Oz series will know that this book is a re-telling of "Ozma of Oz," but there are enough new characters, settings, and details to make it a fresh and rewarding tale. Certainly, old favorites such as Tik-Tok, the Nome King, Polychrome, and the Shaggy Man are at their best in this tale (one of the most delightful scenes is when Shaggy "breaks the law"), while new additions Private Files and Quox the Dragon bring much humor and whimsy. Young children will certainly enjoy the test of the three maidens towards the end of the book. This books has a very cohesive direction (not always the case with Baum) and I especially enjoyed how each chapter title is alliterative (I suppose that's the English Lit in me!). And, as usual, the John R. Neil's illustrations are wonderful; my favorite illustration is that of the greedy Nome King strutting out of his kingdom, his countless pockets filled with jewels.

Tik-Tok of Oz (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum being the 8th book in the oz series written by Baum is the zaniest and funniest oz book to date and also the strangest. Here we are on a wild, fun and odd journey with Betsy Bobbin, Tik-tok, the shaggyman and many other wonderfull charachters. Yes it is true that we also read nothing about Dorothy, ozma or the the olde tyme charachters such as the cowardly lion, the tin man but the story is very well written and the plot is fabolous with strong charachter devlopment and fabulous illustrations as always. I am especially fond of the festy and adventurous Betsy Bobbin and I can not wait to read more exciting oz stories.

Growing up, reading the Oz books, I found "Tik-Tok of Oz" to be one of my favorites. Rediscovering them now, as an adult, I find it still delights me more than most.The plot, I must admit, is quite reminiscent of "Ozma of Oz" -- a girl and a mortal animal wash up on the shores of some fairyland, encounter the man Tik-Tok and find themselves trapped in a battle with the king of the Nomes. It has been said,in fact, that the plot of this novel came when Baum converted "Ozma" into a stage play, then converted the stage play back into a novel.However, the book itself is still quite delightful. We don't meet too many really interesting new characters in this book -- not as many as most Oz books, in fact -- but it no longer follows the tired "someone tries to get to the Emerald City and meets interesting creatures along the way" formula that began in the very first book and crippled several books after "Ozma." Tititi-Hoochoo and Quox the Dragon stand out as the new characters, and it is the sequences featuring them that I find most entertaining. Kaliko and Ruggedo in the Nome Kingdom again draw a grin from me, and the final few pages have a laugh-out loud moment that must have come when someone pointed out an inconsistency in the Oz books that Baum had to suddenly explain away. "Tik-Tok of Oz" may not be the best of the Oz books, but it's probably the funniest, and it's certainly one of my favorites.

Tik-Tok of Oz is one of the best books in the Wizard of Oz series! It introduces many characters, such as Betsy Bobbin, Hank the Mule, and Queen Ann of Oogaboo. (I won't name then all.) Shaggy Man is in search of his brother who is imprisoned by the evil Nome King. The most exciting part of the book is when they visit the Nome King. The things that happen are really funny and very interesting. And, at the end, you'll get to see Ozma, Dorothy, and the Wizard.You should buy this book!

I read Tik-Tok of Oz, and I thoght it was a wonderful tale. It begins when Ann Soforth, queen of Oogaboo decides to conquer Oz. When she sets out with her army towards the Emerald City, Glinda finds out immeadiately about it in her book of records. She then changes the army's road direction, over the deadly desert over to the Nome King's Dominions. Meanwhile, a girl named Betsy Bobbin and her mule Hank are shipwrecked on the shores of the Rose Kingdom after their ship sinks. They go to a nearby greenhouse, where a bunch of female roses cast them out. Then who should come crashing through the roof than the Shaggy Man. He and Betsy pick a rose princess, and proclaim her the new ruler of the Rose Kingdom. However, the roses don't wan't the rose girl, whose name is Ozga, as their ruler, so he to is cast out of the Rose Kingdom. They then travel over a bridge to the Nome Kings Dominions, where they find Tik-Tok crashed in a well. Then Queen Ann's Army comes along and tries to capture the party. The private then resigns, and Tik-Tok takes his place. Then the two parties band together, and go to conquer the Nome King, because they have to rescue Shaggy Man's brother from Ruggedo, the King of Nomes. Then................................, well I'll leave you to read th book and fin out what happens. Anyways, this book is he greatest, and should be greatly praised.