Yaaaaaay, an Oz book!!!! I love Oz books. So many puns, puns are my favorite. And so many strange characters, many of whom have names that are puns.
The Marvelous Land of Oz/Land of Oz was the second Oz book, after Baum had the surprise hit with the first one. There’s no Dorothy (don’t expect it) and it takes place fully within Oz, no outsiders allowed. There is a lot of mythology and world building, a LOT of puns (if Jack Pumpkinhead loses his head, he could become squash), and a nice pleasant rhythm to the story that just keeps moving right along.
It’s out of copyright so it is available for free here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54/54-h/54-h.htm
Or you can get the whole series on kindle for $1.99
Or you can get a copy from your local library, or buy a used copy for almost nothing from basically anywhere, or get a new copy from the dollar bin at Target, it’s really quite available.
And on Sunday May 1, we can talk about it! For May Day!