''Merry Go Round in Oz'' (1963) is the fortieth book in the Oz series created by

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', part of a series. In addition to the 14 ''Oz'' books, Baum penned 41 other novels ...

and his successors. It was written by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and McGraw's daughter, Lauren McGraw Wagner. It was illustrated by Dick Martin. ''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.

Synopsis

Halidom and Troth are two adjacent principalities within the

Land of Oz The Land of Oz is a fantasy world introduced in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, W. W. Denslow. Oz consists of four vast quadrants, the Gillikin Countr ...

, 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 Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by the American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most o ...

and the

Cowardly Lion 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, and like all animals in Oz, he can speak. Although he often self-doubt, doubts himself, the Cowardly Lion no ...

temporarily leave the

Emerald City The Emerald City (sometimes called the City of Emeralds) is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's ''Oz'' books, first described in '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Fictional description Located in the center of ...

to place an order with the

Easter Bunny The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" origi ...

, 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 A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

horse to the

. 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.

Reception

''Merry Go Round in Oz'' received a largely critical review in ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', which wrote, "Strange amalgam. Take one large portion of ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''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 ma ...

'', 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."

References

External links

On ''Merry Go Round in Oz''
* {{Portal bar, Children's literature, Novels 1963 American novels 1963 children's books 1963 fantasy novels Fiction about unicorns Novels by Eloise Jarvis McGraw Oz (franchise) books Reilly & Britton books