The Scarecrow wants to know his origins, so he sneaks off to the beanpole in the cornfield where Dorothy found him. Digging there, he falls down a long hole to the Silver Islands, where the people welcome him wildly as the spirit of their long-lost Emperor Chang Wang Woe. Delighted at first, the Scarecrow finds ruling is not much fun, and his "sons" are plotting against him with the help of the magical Grand Gheewizard. Meanwhile, Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion search for the Scarecrow and have many adventures, including a visit to the Great Grand and Mighty Slow Kingdom of Pokes (where they meet a new friend, the brave knight Sir Hokus, and have to sing their way to escape), an attack by the candy giant Bangladore, a stay in Fix City (where all the furniture and food move for the benefit of the inhabitants who stay in one spot), and the acquaintance of the Doubtful Dromedary and the Comfortable Camel. Thompson published this first Oz pastiche in 1921, shortly after the death of Baum, and her version is a decent attempt to carry on the tradition.
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The review of this Book prepared by David Loftus
