A Fiery Friendship

Gr 5–8—Late one night, 13-year-old Glinda Gavaria has a vision of wickedness about to be committed by the four witches who control her homeland of Oz. Then, in rapid succession, she graduates from finishing school, learns about magic, watches her mother get kidnapped by a bog monster, acquires some strange new companions, and connects with an underground revolution against the evil enchantresses. There's world-building aplenty in this first installment in the projected "Ages of Oz" series: visitors from Earth, magicked-up 18th-century technology, four elemental spirits, four different types of sorcery, an Ozite creation myth, and an explanation for the historical rulership of Oz taken from plot points in L. Frank Baum's original books. The novel also echoes Baum's work in ornate descriptions of settings and in bizarre character names, which even other characters feel the need to comment on ("Immavinth and Wurlitzoo? She's got to be making those up."). More modern elements include a bit of teenage trash talk and some unsubtle commentary on the sorry choices available to women in Oz, where Glinda's school offers courses with names such as "A Smattering of Geometry Is More Than Enough for Girls." The plot meanders a bit, with quests embedded within quests, but fans of elaborate magical tales won't mind.