4 h 48 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a single magic word puts the power to change shape in the hands of an ill-tempered boy?
In L. Frank Baum’s The Magic of Oz, Kiki Aru discovers a word that lets him change shape. The bold Munchkin boy wants power over Oz, and he soon finds a partner in Ruggedo. The former Nome King has lost his throne, but not his greed or his wish to rule again.
Their scheme threatens a land where talking animals and living dolls are ordinary. Princess Ozma rules kindly from the Emerald City, with Dorothy as her loyal friend. Against this gentle world, Baum sets a dangerous gift in unready hands. He explores the use and abuse of power through tricks, mischief and humor rather than a lecture.
What you’ll discover
- A word of power Follow Kiki Aru as a shape-changing spell gives his hunger for power a dangerous outlet.
- An enemy without a throne Meet Ruggedo, whose lost kingdom leaves him eager to seize power through a new scheme.
- The strangeness of Oz Enter a land of talking creatures, living dolls and strange rulers around every corner.
- Kindness against greed Discover the contrast between Ozma’s care for her people and the ambitions threatening her land.
- A light touch Enjoy a fairy tale that explores dangerous power with humor instead of heavy lessons.
Who will love it
Readers who love fairy tales full of talking animals, clever gadgets and odd characters, and who enjoy a villain who schemes against his own partner. It suits families who like reading adventure aloud together.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A sulky boy finds a secret word
- A wicked bargain with the Nome King
- Two strange beasts rouse the forest
- A birthday present leads to a trap
- Magic words change hands
- What the tale says and how it is told
Who’s who
- Kiki AruA cross, unhappy Hyup boy from Mount Munch who steals his father's secret word and wants to see the world and rule Oz.
- RuggedoThe exiled Nome King, afraid of eggs, who schemes to take Kiki's secret and conquer Oz for revenge.
- DorothyA kind Kansas girl and Ozma's dearest friend who plans a surprise birthday cake and never gives up on her friends.
- The Wizard of OzA small, bald and cheerful magician with a black bag of tools who helps Dorothy and rescues friends.
- TrotA little girl who wants to give Ozma a Magic Flower and ends up rooted to a strange island.
- Cap'n BillTrot's old sailor friend with a wooden leg, who is practical, brave and good with a knife and a raft.
- The Glass CatA vain, transparent cat with pink brains who guides travelers, loves praise and enjoys teasing the monkeys.
- GuguThe wise yellow leopard who is king of the wild forest and refuses to see his beasts become slaves.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 4 h 48 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear La Magie d’Oz in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
La Magie d’Oz
by L. Frank Baum · 1919
A Hyup boy steals a word that turns anyone into anything, and a scheming Nome king wants it for himself.
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In short
The Magic of Oz is the last tale of Oz that L. Frank Baum finished, written in 1919 at his home in Hollywood, California.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A sulky boy finds a secret word
On the eastern edge of Oz stands Mount Munch. Its top is shaped like a deep saucer, and in it live the Hyups, who seldom go down because the slopes are too steep. One of them is an old sorcerer named Bini Aru. Ozma has forbidden magic to everyone except Glinda and the Wizard, so he has given it up.
But Bini Aru has made one discovery that nobody else knows. A single word, Pyrzqxgl, will change a person into a beast, a bird, a fish or anything else that can talk, and the same word changes the person back. Before he stops using magic, he writes down how to say it and hides the note under a floorboard in his own house. The word works only when it is pronounced exactly right, and he is the only one who can do it.
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What is The Magic of Oz about?
A Hyup boy named Kiki Aru steals a magic word that changes people into anything, and he and the exiled Nome King try to conquer Oz. Meanwhile Dorothy, the Wizard and friends prepare gifts for Ozma's birthday.
Who is Ruggedo in The Magic of Oz?
Ruggedo is the former King of the Nomes, driven from his underground kingdom by the people of Oz. He wants revenge, fears eggs more than anything, and tries to take Kiki's secret word for himself.
What is the word Pyrzqxgl?
It is the magic word that transforms a person into a beast, bird or fish, and back again. It works only when pronounced exactly right, and Bini Aru of Mount Munch invented it.
The author
L. Frank Baum
1856–1919 · American children's fantasy writer
L. Frank Baum (1856–1919) was an American author of children’s books. He was born in Chittenango, New York, and later lived in South Dakota, Chicago, and California. He published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900 and wrote thirteen further Oz novels. He died in Hollywood, California.
More by L. Frank Baum
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