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The Hungry Tiger of Oz
	Cover of 1st Edition (US)
Author	Ruth Plumly Thompson
Illustrator	John R. Neill
Language	English
Series	The Oz books
Genre	Children's novel
Publisher	Reilly & Lee
Publication date	July 1, 1926
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	261
Preceded by	The Lost King of Oz
Followed by	The Gnome King of Oz

The Hungry Tiger of Oz (1926) is the twentieth book in the Oz series created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the sixth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson.^[2] It was illustrated by John R. Neill. The novel was followed by The Gnome King of Oz (1927).

Plot summary

Thompson begins with a usurping tyrant, Irasha the Rough, the Pasha of Rash, a tiny kingdom in the southwest of Ev. The Pasha has a problem: his prison is too full to cram any more Rashers in. His Vizier's solution is to obtain a ferocious animal from nearby Oz to devour the luckless prisoners. Travelling to the Emerald City by his magical "hurry cane", the Vizier lures the Hungry Tiger (first seen in Ozma of Oz) to Rash. As might be expected from his history, however, the Hungry Tiger is too tenderhearted to eat prisoners.

Meanwhile, through an unfortunate series of events involving a winding road and a pair of Quick Sandals, Betsy Bobbin (introduced in Tik-Tok of Oz) and her new acquaintance, Carter Green, the Vegetable Man, end up in Rash, and no sooner do they arrive than they're thrown into the crowded prison. There they meet the Scarlet Prince Evered (known as Reddy), the rightful ruler of Rash. Together with the Tiger, they escape, and have varied adventures with Big Wigs and Gnomes in their search for three magic rubies.

Back in Oz, Princess Ozma has troubles of her own: she is confronted by Atmos Fere, a balloon-like being who lives in the upper stratosphere. His plan is to kidnap her up to his own kingdom, to prove to his skeptical fellows that living beings can exist on the surface of the Earth. Ozma, however, has a secret weapon (a pin).

In time, the adventurers recover the magic rubies, and Reddy is restored to the Rashian throne. The Pasha and his evil Vizier end up stranded on a desert island in the Nonestic Ocean.

Promotion

Publisher Reilly & Lee mounted an imaginative promotional campaign for the book. The company returned to the tactic of issuing press releases in the form of the Ozmapolitan, the supposed newspaper of the Emerald City. They also formed a fan-club for children called the Ozmite Club — though it lasted for only two years.^[3]

References

^ Publishers Weekly June 5, 1926.
^ Simpson, Paul (2013). A Brief Guide to Oz. Constable & Robinson Ltd. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-47210-988-0. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
^ David L. Greene and Dick Martin, The Oz Scrapbook, New York, Random House, 1977; p. 72.