Ozma of Oz · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
Chapter 1
Dedication
The author dedicates the book to all the boys and girls who read his stories, with special mention to those named Dorothy.
Chapter 2
Author's Note
L. Frank Baum addresses his young readers, acknowledging that their letters inspired this new Oz book. He responds to requests for more stories about Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, Ozma, and other familiar characters, and introduces new ones like Billina, Tiktok, and the Hungry Tiger. He hopes the children will find this story 'real Ozzy' and looks forward to their letters.
Chapter 3
Ozma of Oz
Dorothy Gale, while traveling by sea with Uncle Henry, is swept overboard during a storm and washes ashore in the magical Land of Ev. She meets Billina, a talking yellow hen, and together they encounter the mechanical man Tik-Tok. They journey to the Nome Kingdom to rescue the royal family of Ev, who have been transformed into ornaments by the Nome King. With the help of Ozma, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Hungry Tiger, Dorothy and Billina outwit the Nome King. Billina guesses correctly to free the royal family, and the Nome King is defeated. The group returns to Oz for a celebration, and Dorothy eventually returns to Uncle Henry in Kansas.
Chapter 4
The Girl in the Chicken-Coop
Dorothy Gale, traveling with her Uncle Henry to Australia, is swept overboard during a violent storm when she goes on deck to find him. She clings to a chicken-coop that becomes her makeshift raft, and after the storm subsides, she finds herself alone at sea, wet and hungry but determined to stay cheerful and await her fate.
Chapter 5
The Yellow Hen
Dorothy awakens in the hen coop adrift at sea and discovers a talking yellow hen named Billina. They discuss the hen's ability to speak, her egg-laying habit, and their shared hunger. They drift to a beautiful but uninhabited shore, where Billina finds a golden key buried in the sand. Dorothy decides to explore the area for breakfast.
Chapter 6
Letters in the Sand
Dorothy and Billina discover a warning written in the sand: 'Beware the Wheelers!' They explore a strange forest where lunch-boxes and dinner-pails grow on trees. After picking food, they are chased by a group of Wheelers, who claim the trees belong to them. Dorothy and Billina escape to a rocky hill where the Wheelers cannot follow, but they are now trapped.
Chapter 7
IV: Tiktok the Machine Man
Dorothy and Billina discover a hidden path on the hill, leading to a rock door that Dorothy unlocks with the golden key she found on the shore. Inside, they find a copper mechanical man named Tiktok, who explains he was made by Smith & Tinker, imprisoned by the cruel King Evoldo, and abandoned after the king sold his family to the Nome King and drowned himself. Dorothy winds up Tiktok's mechanisms, and he becomes her obedient servant.
Chapter 8
Dorothy Opens the Dinner-Pail
Dorothy, Billina, and Tiktok are trapped on a rock surrounded by Wheelers. Tiktok runs down and Dorothy rewinds him, learning that the Wheelers are not truly dangerous. While eating from a dinner-pail marked with the royal crest of Ev, Dorothy hears about the history of Ev and Oz, including the fate of King Evoldo and the revolution in Oz that led to Ozma's rule. Tiktok then offers to lead them to the town of Evna.
Chapter 9
The Heads of Langwidere
Dorothy, Tiktok, and Billina gain an audience with Princess Langwidere, who possesses a collection of thirty interchangeable heads. The Princess, after changing to her most beautiful head, demands Dorothy's head for her collection. When Dorothy refuses, Langwidere orders her army to imprison Dorothy in the North Tower. Tiktok fights the soldiers but runs out of power, and Billina is captured and sent to the chicken-house.
Chapter 10
VII: Ozma of Oz to the Rescue
Dorothy is imprisoned in a tower by Princess Langwidere, who wants to exchange her head. From her window, Dorothy sees a magical procession crossing the desert: a chariot drawn by a Lion and Tiger carrying Ozma, followed by the Scarecrow on a Sawhorse, the Tin Woodman, and twenty-seven soldiers. They arrive at the palace, and Ozma confronts Langwidere, demanding Dorothy's release and offering to free the royal family of Ev from the Nome King. Meanwhile, the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman converse with Tik-Tok about his mechanical nature.
Chapter 11
VIII: The Hungry Tiger
Dorothy reunites with the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, introduces Tiktok, and retrieves Billina from the chicken house after a fight. She meets the Hungry Tiger, who struggles with his conscience about eating living creatures. The group gathers for a conference to plan the liberation of the royal family of Ev.
Chapter 12
The Royal Family of Ev
Ozma and her companions learn the true story of the royal family of Ev, who were sold to the Nome King by the wicked King Evoldo. Despite the danger, they resolve to journey to the Nome King's underground palace to free the prisoners. The chapter also introduces the Cowardly Lion and Hungry Tiger, who join the expedition, and ends with the party setting out at daybreak.
Chapter 13
The Giant with the Hammer
The travelers encounter a giant iron man who pounds the path with a massive hammer, blocking their way. After careful planning, they cross one by one under the hammer's rhythm, with the Cowardly Lion, Tiger, Scarecrow, Tiktok, and Tin Woodman succeeding, while the officers are carried across by the Lion and Tiger, and the private is rescued after a mishap with the Sawhorse.
Chapter 14
The Nome King
Ozma, Dorothy, and their companions confront the Nome King in his underground kingdom to demand the release of the Queen of Ev and her ten children. The Nome King explains that he purchased them as slaves from the King of Ev and transformed them into ornaments. He offers Ozma a chance to free them by guessing which objects are the transformed royals, with the risk of herself being enchanted if she fails.
Chapter 15
XII: The Eleven Guesses
Ozma bravely accepts the Nome King's challenge to guess which ornaments in his palace are the transformed royal family of Ev, using eleven guesses. Despite her careful search and desperate final blind guess, she fails and is herself transformed into an emerald grasshopper. The Nome King then invites the next challenger, and the Tin Woodman steps forward to attempt the rescue.
Chapter 16
XIII: The Nome King Laughs
After Ozma fails her guess and becomes an ornament, the Nome King laughs as the Tin Woodman is also transformed. One by one, the officers and private enter the palace to guess and are turned into ornaments. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tik-Tok, the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger, and the Sawhorse are left waiting. The King eventually retires for the night, and the guests are shown to sleeping chambers. Dorothy realizes Billina is missing and cannot find her, but eventually goes to sleep.
Chapter 17
XIV: Dorothy Tries to Be Brave
Dorothy enters the Nome King's palace to make her guesses, winds up Tiktok, and successfully transforms a purple kitten back into Prince Evring, saving him from being an ornament. She continues guessing but fails further attempts, yet returns to the throne room with the rescued prince.
Chapter 18
XV: Billina Frightens the Nome King
Billina the hen lays an egg in the Nome King's throne room, terrifying him because eggs are poison to Nomes. She bargains for the right to guess the King's enchantments in the palace, and after Dorothy successfully guesses and rescues Prince Evring, the Scarecrow fails and is turned into a gold card-receiver. Billina then insists on taking her turn, despite Dorothy's warnings.
Chapter 19
Purple, Green, and Gold
Billina, the yellow hen, uses her knowledge of the Nome King's transformations to restore the Queen of Ev and her children, as well as the people of Oz, by correctly identifying the purple and green ornaments. She frees Ozma, the Scarecrow, and Tik-Tok, but the Tin Woodman remains missing. The group confronts the Nome King, who has assembled his army in anger.
Chapter 20
The Scarecrow Wins the Fight
Billina successfully guesses the transformations, breaking the Nome King's enchantments and restoring Ozma, the royal family of Ev, and others. The Nome King, enraged, summons his warriors, but the Scarecrow uses Billina's eggs to blind the King, causing the Nome army to flee in terror. Dorothy and her friends are ultimately victorious.
Chapter 21
The Fate of the Tin Woodman
Dorothy uses the magic belt to open the passage out of the Nome King's cavern, but the Tin Woodman cannot be found. The Nome King is forced to admit he is missing, and the party sorrowfully departs without him, using the belt to turn pursuing warriors into eggs and to freeze the giant on the road.
Chapter 22
XIX: The King of Ev
The adventurers return from the Nome Kingdom to Ev, where they reunite with the Tin Woodman after discovering he was enchanted as a whistle in Prince Evring's pocket. They arrive at the royal palace, where the Queen proclaims her eldest son King Evardo Fifteenth, and the people celebrate. The chapter ends with festivities and a gift to Billina.
Chapter 23
The Emerald City
Dorothy accepts Ozma's invitation to return to the Land of Oz. The party crosses the desert via magic carpet, passes through Munchkin territory, and travels the yellow brick road to the Emerald City. They are greeted by joyful citizens, meet Jinjur (now a contented dairy farmer), and visit the College of Art and Athletic Perfection. A grand reception and feast are held, during which Dorothy is made a Princess of Oz, Tiktok receives emerald bracelets, and the private Omby Amby is promoted to Captain General. The chapter ends with the Hungry Tiger having eaten everything and losing his appetite.
Chapter 24
Dorothy's Magic Belt
Dorothy spends happy weeks in Oz but grows concerned for Uncle Henry after seeing him in Ozma's magic picture. She consults Glinda, who advises that the magic belt's power only works in fairyland. Dorothy decides to give the belt to Ozma, who can use it to transport her to Australia without losing the belt. After farewells, Dorothy is wished to Uncle Henry and finds him ill but comforted by her return.
Chapter 25
Endnotes
A brief endnote humorously observes that even princesses must darn their stockings, though it is considered impolite to mention such mundane matters.
