Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz — A Reader’s Guide

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In Category - Fantasy Juvenile Worlds

Authors: Thompson, Ruth Plumly, 1893-1976, Neill, John R. (John Rea), 1877-1943 [Illustrator], Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank), 1856-1919 [Other] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2017 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Oz (Imaginary place) -- Juvenile fiction; Fantasy fiction; Wizard of Oz (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 40,904

Reading time 178 min

Text sections 6

This digital edition of Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz — A Reader’s Guide is described by source-level measurements including 40,904 words, 2 hr 58 min estimated reading time, and 6 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 15.0 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Oz (Imaginary place) -- Juvenile fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #55806

In this 1939 Oz novel, the Wizard invents an Ozoplane for strato-sphering, leading Dorothy, Jellia Jam, the Scarecrow, and others into high-altitude adventures with spiked airimals and the kingdom of Stratovania. Thompson balances airborne invention with character-driven comedy, notably the Cowardly Lion's antics.

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File: pg55806

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Having had experience with inventors before, Dorothy and Jellia snatched up coats, Dorothy, her own, and Jellia, one of the Wizard's. Then, followed by the rest of the party, they stepped out into the sparkling, starlit evening. The Soldier with Green Whiskers, who had stopped to eat the last pickle in the dish and stuff an extra piece of cake in his pocket, came last of all. At each step he gave a little groan, for--all by himself--the soldier had eaten enough for a whole army. But then, he was a whole army; he was every single man, private, corporal, captain, major, colonel and general in the entire fighting force of Oz.

Anxious to exhibit his latest treasure, the Wizard walked rapidly along, leading the little party across the park, through the Emerald City, out of the Gates and into the thick woodland beyond.

"Where _do_ you suppose he is taking us?" shivered Jellia, thinking longingly of the cozy fire back in the laboratory.

"No knowing," giggled the Scarecrow. "But a-hunting we shall go! A-hunting we shall go! Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta-TAH!" Blowing an imaginary horn, the Scarecrow pretended to gallop and fell flat on his face, his legs never being what you really could call reliable.

"Sh--hh!" whispered the Wizard, looking back warningly as the Tin Woodman jerked the straw man to his feet. "What I am about to show you has been seen by no one in Oz except my faithful assistants! So please be more quiet!"

"You mean it's a secret?" whispered Dorothy, skipping forward to catch up with the Wizard and linking her arm through his.

"Two secrets!" confided Ozma's Chief Magician mysteriously. Pushing impatiently through the last fringe of trees, the group stepped into a moonlit clearing.

Latest Invention of the Wizard of Oz

"Ooooooh! A conservatory!" murmured Jellia, blinking at the shining glass structure that occupied the entire treeless space.

"A barn, if you ask me!" guessed the Scarecrow. "But why build it of glass, Mr. Wiz?"

"Because glass is the latest and lightest building material known. But this is no barn, as you'll soon discover." Handing his flashlight to Dorothy, the Wizard slid back the vast doors, switched on the lights and stood back, his hands in his pockets, as the little group in silence and astonishment viewed the two shining planes housed as snugly as giant butterflys in a glass cocoon.

"Airplanes!" exclaimed Dorothy, when she found her voice at last.

"No, Ozoplanes," corrected the Wizard, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. "Somewhat like the planes in America, but more powerful, for remember, my dear, I had not only the scientific knowledge of aeronautics available to mortals, but the scientific knowledge of magic to help me as well!"

"Well!" echoed the Tin Woodman, gazing approvingly at the Wizard's planes, which, except for their silver wings, might have been huge, silver-and-glass torpedoes.

"Not for the army, I hope," exclaimed the Soldier, clutching his whiskers nervously. Being the entire army himself, and quite old-fashioned and set in his ways, the Soldier felt sure he never could pilot these gleaming airplanes.

"Oh, No! No! NO!" The Wizard frowned at the mere thought of war. "These are pleasure planes for travelling and exploring the unknown regions of the upper air. As soon as Ozma returns from the South, I plan to present them both to our illustrious young Ruler and arrange for her to make the first triumphant flight."

"But there are two," said Dorothy a little wistfully. She had hoped to make the first flight with the Wizard, herself.

"Of course, of course!" he answered in a matter-of-fact way. "Most experimental flights fail because they depend on _one_ ship. We shall have two!"

"We?" Dorothy brightened up considerably at the Wizard's plural.

"Yes, we," repeated the Wizard, turning round to smile at the little girl. "Counting Ozma and those of us here, there will be eight passengers--four for each plane."

"Now please don't bother about me!" begged the Cowardly Lion, his tail dragging on the ground at the very thought of flying. "I'd not think of troubling you. Besides, I'm much too heavy for flying."

"Not at all, not at all," the Wizard reassured him with a wink. "I have made exact calculations about weight, old fellow, and you and the Scarecrow balance each other nicely. So don't worry about that."

"Oh, I'm not worrying about _that_!" rumbled the lion, rearing up on his hind legs to read the names outlined in emeralds on the luminous sides of the Wizard's ships.

"Ozpril and Oztober!" The lion spoke in a slightly trembling roar. "Mmmn! Mmmnnnnmn! Kerumph!"

"Why, those are beautiful names," exclaimed Dorothy, tilting back her head to spell them out for herself.

Continue Reading →

Ruth Plumly Thompson opens Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz not with a journey but with the Wizard pacing his laboratory, checking a clock, and fretting over invitations. The scene establishes a domestic, almost cozy tension: the inventor anxious about his guests, the serving maid Jellia Jam counting places at a table set near a fire. The Wizard’s latest creation—an Ozoplane for “Strato-sphering”—is introduced through his own restlessness rather than a grand announcement. Thompson grounds the fantastic premise in everyday details: the fall evening is “quite cool and frosty,” and Jellia admires a tiny centerpiece house with real smoke. This blend of the wondrous and the familiar sets the tone for a story where high-altitude adventure coexists with the comforts of Oz.

The Wizard as Tinkerer and Host

The Wizard’s laboratory is a space of both invention and social obligation. Thompson shows him pacing, checking the clock, and peering into the darkening garden—a portrait of the magician as anxious host. His repeated question to Jellia—“Are you sure you told them all?”—reveals a character concerned with precision and attendance, not just magical feats. The laboratory itself, “brightly lighted” and set behind the throne room, suggests a private domain where the Wizard’s authority is practical rather than ceremonial. Jellia’s role as serving maid who “counts places” and admires the miniature house positions her as a grounded counterpart to the Wizard’s lofty experiments. This opening dynamic—inventor and assistant, grandeur and domesticity—recurs throughout the excerpts, as when the Wizard later consults a “little book” of flight entries and Jellia reports her observations matter-of-factly.

Airborne Tensions and Magnetic Compasses

Thompson introduces a specific technological detail: the Ozpril’s magnetic compass, which tracks the Oztober’s course “provided both planes are in flight.” This device allows the Wizard to follow Jellia’s exact route, creating a parallel between the two flights. The Wizard’s logbook, with entries for “Clouds, fogs, spiked monsters,” mirrors Jellia’s terse summary—“Oh, nothing much but clouds, fog, an icecloud, and some flying airimals with spikes.” This symmetry underscores a theme of shared experience across distance. Yet the Wizard’s delay is attributed to “difference in speed,” a practical limitation that keeps the narrative from feeling too convenient. The compass and logbook are not mere props; they structure the pursuit and give the Wizard a methodical, almost scientific role. Thompson avoids over-explaining the magic, letting the mechanical details ground the fantasy.

Character Contrasts in the Royal Pavilion

In the Royal Pavilion of Stratovania, Thompson stages a quiet comedy of character through dialogue and action. The Scarecrow, bouncing on air cushions, invites others to join him; the Wizard stacks three cushions and stretches out, murmuring about fatigue after “sixteen hours of flying.” Dorothy curls up on a couch and falls asleep “almost before her head touched the pillows.” Jellia watches them nervously, while the Soldier with Green Whiskers declares he “wouldn’t trade one button on my uniform for all the jewels in Strut’s crown.” Each reaction reveals personality: the Scarecrow’s playful energy, the Wizard’s exhaustion, Dorothy’s easy trust, Jellia’s vigilance, and the Soldier’s loyalty to Oz over Stratovania. Thompson uses the pavilion’s air cushions and blue pillars as a backdrop for these interactions, letting the setting amplify the characters’ distinct voices.

Thompson’s dedication to illustrator John R. Neill—“Bows, cheers and heartfelt appreciation!”—hints at the collaborative spirit behind the book. Readers attentive to the interplay of text and image will find Neill’s drawings amplifying the merriment Thompson mentions in her preface. The excerpts suggest a narrative that rewards attention to small details: the Wizard’s logbook, Jellia’s counting, the Soldier’s uniform buttons. These concrete elements anchor the story’s airborne whimsy, offering a reading experience that balances invention with character-driven humor.

Reading about the Wizard’s airborne contraptions, I remembered my grandfather’s old atlas, where I once traced smuggling routes by lantern light. That same thrill of hidden purpose—the machine’s cleverness, the sailors’ quiet defiance—came back. It’s odd how Ozoplaning and Jack Hardy: A Story of English Smugglers in the Days of Napoleon — Background and Themes both feel like afternoons spent inventing private adventures, no urgency, just wonder.