Bewitched In Oz

Bewitched In Oz by Laura J. Burns, 255 pages

Zerie and some of her friends have discovered that they can do magic but magic is forbidden in the Land of Oz, except to the Wizard, Glinda, and Ozma herself so Zerie and her friends have found ways to practice in secret.  Unfortunately, one day they are betrayed and one of her friends, Tabitha, is captured by Ozma’s winged monkeys.  Afraid that they will be captured next, Zerie and her two other friends, Vashti and Brink, leave their village.  On the advice of the Glass Cat, who they meet outside of the village, they decide to head to the palace of Glinda, and ask her for her help to get the laws about magic changed in Oz, so that people can practice magic without being arrested.  Of course, they have many adventures along the way, encounters with other odd Oz folks and the strange landscapes and many dangers besides the winged monkeys.   I really enjoyed this story and thought it stayed pretty true to the original Oz stories until the end when the author appears to completely change one character’s purpose and temperament.  However, this book clearly is not the end of the whole story.  Since there will be sequels, I will try to reserve judgment and hope that the author takes that part in a different direction.  Generally, I think that fans of the Oz books and fans of fantasy will probably like this book.