The Hidden Prince of Oz
Encyclopedia
The Hidden Prince of Oz is a novel
written by Gina Wickwar and illustrated by Anna-Maria Cool. As its title indicates, the book is an entrant into the series of Oz
books by L. Frank Baum
and his many successors. Fans have been reluctant to canonize it as book #46 because neither Wickwar nor Cool have any connection to the FF or QF7.
The publication of the book was timed to coincide with the centennial of the original Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
(as was also true of Edward Einhorn
's Paradox in Oz
and Dave Hardenbrook's The Unknown Witches of Oz
). It was the winner of the Club;s Centennial book contest, which received over 100 entries in 1998.
Wickwar supplies her book with a range of puns, verbal tricks, and imaginative elements: Silica Valley and its inhabitants, plus the Magnetic Field, the Draw Bridge, a Babbling Brook and Caterwauling Cataracts, Snap Dragons, and Dragon Flies.
. There, Emma Lou falls in with a crowd of old and new Oz characters including the Glass Cat
, Princess Vitrea, Ketzal (an animated feathered boa), and a blue parrot named Beak. (Indeed, Wickwar deliberately crowds her book with characters, in imitation of Baum's The Lost Princess of Oz
. Paddy, the rainbow-painting leprechaun
in search of his lost pot of gold, is one of many.)
The characters have to confront the machinations of Zeebo the Sorcerer. With the aid of familiar figures like the Wizard
, the Tin Woodman
, the Sawhorse
, and Polychrome
the fairy, Emma Lou and her friends unravel the mystery of the missing Prince of the Blue Mountain, Vitrea's love.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Gina Wickwar and illustrated by Anna-Maria Cool. As its title indicates, the book is an entrant into the series of Oz
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
books by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
and his many successors. Fans have been reluctant to canonize it as book #46 because neither Wickwar nor Cool have any connection to the FF or QF7.
The publication of the book was timed to coincide with the centennial of the original Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
(as was also true of Edward Einhorn
Edward Einhorn
Edward Einhorn is an American playwright, theater director, and novelist, noted for the comic absurdism of his drama and the imaginative richness of his literary works....
's Paradox in Oz
Paradox in Oz
Paradox in Oz is a 1999 novel written by Edward Einhorn. As its title indicates, the book is an entry in the series of books about the Land of Oz written by L. Frank Baum and a host of successors.-The book:...
and Dave Hardenbrook's The Unknown Witches of Oz
The Unknown Witches of Oz
The Unknown Witches of Oz: Locasta and the Three Adepts is a 2000 novel written by Dave Hardenbrook, with illustrations by Kerry Rouleau. As its title indicates, the book is an entry in the long-running series of books about the Land of Oz, written by L...
). It was the winner of the Club;s Centennial book contest, which received over 100 entries in 1998.
Wickwar supplies her book with a range of puns, verbal tricks, and imaginative elements: Silica Valley and its inhabitants, plus the Magnetic Field, the Draw Bridge, a Babbling Brook and Caterwauling Cataracts, Snap Dragons, and Dragon Flies.
The plot
Wickwar introduces a new child protagonist, Emma Lou, an orphan from Arizona, a tomboy and baseball pitcher. She is carried to Oz by the agency of Chief Thundercloud, an animated wooden IndianCigar store Indian
The cigar store Indian or wooden Indian is an advertisement figure, in the likeness of an American Indian, made to represent tobacconists, much like: barber poles advertise barber shops; Show globe for an apothecary; or the three gold balls of the pawn shop. The figures are often three-dimensional...
. There, Emma Lou falls in with a crowd of old and new Oz characters including the Glass Cat
Glass Cat
Bungle, the Glass Cat is a character in the Oz books of L. Frank Baum.Bungle first appears in The Patchwork Girl of Oz, the seventh of Baum's fourteen Oz books. The magician Dr. Pipt tests his Powder of Life by animating an ornamental glass cat figurine, for the specific purpose of catching mice...
, Princess Vitrea, Ketzal (an animated feathered boa), and a blue parrot named Beak. (Indeed, Wickwar deliberately crowds her book with characters, in imitation of Baum's The Lost Princess of Oz
The Lost Princess of Oz
The Lost Princess of Oz is the eleventh canonical Oz book written by L. Frank Baum. Published on June 5, 1917, it begins with the disappearance of Princess Ozma, the ruler of Oz and covers Dorothy and the Wizard's efforts to find her...
. Paddy, the rainbow-painting leprechaun
Leprechaun
A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology...
in search of his lost pot of gold, is one of many.)
The characters have to confront the machinations of Zeebo the Sorcerer. With the aid of familiar figures like the Wizard
Wizard (Oz)
The Wizard of Oz, known during his reign as The Great and Powerful Oz, is the epithet of Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L...
, the Tin Woodman
Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman, sometimes referred to as the Tin Man or the Tin Woodsman , is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum...
, the Sawhorse
The Sawhorse
The Saw-Horse, sometimes spelled Sawhorse, is a character from L Frank Baum's Oz books series. He first appears in The Marvelous Land of Oz.-History:...
, and Polychrome
Polychrome
Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. It has also been defined as "The practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." Polychromatic light is composed of a number of different wavelengths...
the fairy, Emma Lou and her friends unravel the mystery of the missing Prince of the Blue Mountain, Vitrea's love.