What if the rightful king of an enchanted kingdom was transformed into something unrecognizable, and even the witch who cursed him cannot remember what? This is the delightful premise at the heart of The Lost King of Oz, Ruth Plumly Thompson's wildly inventive sequel to the Oz classics. When the notorious Mombi sets out to find Pastoria, the lost father of Princess Ozma whom she herself enchanted decades ago, she must sort through impossible candidates: a Hollywood stunt dummy dressed as royalty, a mysterious tailor with magic ears, and various odd characters who might or might not be a king in disguise. A brave Gillikin boy named Snip, a talkative goose called Pajuka, and the magnificent Kabumpo the Elephant join the chaotic quest, while Dorothy arrives from California with the strangest 'king' the Emerald City has ever seen. Thompson writes with irrepressible imagination, layering absurdity, adventure, and genuine wonder into a story that knows exactly what it is: pure, joyful escapism for readers who want to disappear into a world where anything can happen.
