The Marvelous Land of Oz recap

In the Gillikin country of Oz, a boy named Tip runs away from the harsh old witch Mombi, taking with him Jack Pumpkinhead, a figure he built and Mombi's magic brought to life, and a jar of the Powder of Life. Bringing a wooden Saw-Horse to life to ride, they head for the Emerald City, which the Scarecrow now rules in the departed Wizard's place. But General Jinjur and her army of girls seize the city, and the Scarecrow, Tip, and Jack flee to the Tin Woodman, gathering the pompous Woggle-Bug along the way. To escape, they assemble and animate a flying machine, the Gump, and after airborne mishaps they seek out Glinda the Good. Glinda reveals that the Emerald City's rightful ruler is a princess Mombi hid long ago, and forces Mombi to confess she had disguised the lost heir by transforming her into the boy Tip. Tip is changed back into her true form, Princess Ozma, who takes her throne, deposes Jinjur, and rewards her loyal companions.

Previously, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Kansas girl named Dorothy was carried by a cyclone to the magical land of Oz, where her house landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East, freeing the Munchkins and leaving Dorothy with the dead witch's silver shoes. To find her way home she followed the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to ask the great Wizard for help, gathering companions along the way: a Scarecrow who wanted brains, a Tin Woodman who wanted a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wanted courage. The Wizard demanded they destroy the Wicked Witch of the West first, which Dorothy did by dousing her with water. The Wizard was then exposed as an ordinary humbug, who nonetheless gave the friends what they sought and floated away in a balloon, leaving the clever Scarecrow to rule the Emerald City. Dorothy returned home with the aid of the good sorceress Glinda. This book follows Oz after the Wizard's departure.

In the northern Gillikin country, a boy named Tip, weary of serving the harsh old witch Mombi, builds a comical figure with a carved pumpkin head, meaning to scare her. Mombi instead uses a newly obtained Powder of Life to bring the figure, Jack Pumpkinhead, to life, and plans to transform Tip as punishment. Tip steals the magic powder and flees with Jack. To carry the tiring Jack, Tip sprinkles the powder on a wooden Saw-Horse, which springs to life and becomes their tireless steed. Together the unlikely trio set off along the road toward the Emerald City, seeking help and adventure, with Jack fretting about his perishable head and the Saw-Horse marveling at being alive.

The travelers reach the Emerald City, now ruled by the Scarecrow in the Wizard's place, but their arrival coincides with disaster: General Jinjur, a bold young woman, has raised an Army of Revolt made up of girls armed with knitting needles, and they overrun the city and seize the throne. The Scarecrow, Tip, and Jack Pumpkinhead escape and flee westward to the Winkie country to seek the aid of the Scarecrow's old friend, the Tin Woodman, who now rules there. Along the way their company grows with the addition of the Woggle-Bug, a hugely enlarged and thoroughly self-important educated insect. The friends resolve to win back the Emerald City from Jinjur's army.

To escape their enemies and travel more quickly, the companions build a strange flying machine, the Gump, from two sofas, palm-leaf wings, and a mounted animal head, and bring it to life with the Powder of Life. They take to the air, but their journey aloft brings mishaps and a crash, and they must repeatedly rely on cleverness and the last of their magic to keep going. Pursued by Jinjur's forces and by the scheming Mombi, who has not given up on Tip, the friends decide their best hope is to seek out Glinda the Good, the powerful and just Sorceress of the South, and ask her to help set right the question of who should truly rule the Emerald City.

Glinda the Good agrees to help and uncovers the truth at the heart of the story: the rightful ruler of the Emerald City is Princess Ozma, daughter of the old king, whom the witch Mombi hid long ago. Glinda forces Mombi to confess that she concealed the lost princess by using magic to transform the infant into a boy, raising her in disguise, and that this boy is Tip. Though frightened to lose the only self he has ever known, Tip consents, and the spell is undone, restoring Tip to her true form as Princess Ozma. Ozma takes her throne; General Jinjur and her army are driven out, and Mombi is stripped of her magic. The new young queen rewards all the friends who helped her, and Oz is left at peace under its true ruler.

With Glinda the Good's help, the mystery of who should truly rule the Emerald City is solved. Glinda compels the old witch Mombi to confess a secret she has kept for years: the city's rightful ruler is Princess Ozma, the daughter of its former king, whom Mombi had hidden by using magic to transform the infant princess into a boy and raise her in disguise. That boy is Tip. Confronted with the truth, Tip is frightened at first to give up the only self he has known, but agrees, and Mombi's spell is reversed, restoring Tip to her true form as the lovely Princess Ozma. Ozma takes her rightful place on the throne of the Emerald City. General Jinjur and her army are driven out, Mombi is stripped of her magic so she can do no more harm, and Ozma warmly rewards the friends who helped her: the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Saw-Horse, the Woggle-Bug, and the Gump. Oz is left at peace under its true young queen, who will rule it from then on.