Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, by L. Frank Baum

 The fourth book in the Wizard of Oz series.

After an introduction by the author, in which he feigns annoyance at his young readers for pressuring him to write another Oz book, for also suggesting storylines and insisting that Dorothy must appear again (along with other favourite characters), Baum gets to the story...

Dorothy has met up with her second cousin Zeb in California. She is with her cat, Eureka (Toto doesn't appear in this novel). The two go riding in Zeb's buggy, which is pulled by his horse, Jim. Suddenly an earthquake hits. Huge craters start opening up everywhere. There is much panic. Helpless against nature's onslaught, Dorothy, Zeb, Eureka and Jim fall into a massive crater. They fall and fall, until they reach a place called The Land of the Mangaboos, a metropolis made of glass. Other adventures ensue until Dorothy and her friends (the "humbug" Wizard of Oz, joins them early in the book) are imprisoned and about to suffer the death penalty. Cool headed Dorothy doesn't panic, but merely advises she only has to give the special signal and Princess Ozma will return them all to Oz. And so it is. The final chapters take place in the land of Oz, with Dorothy re-united with many old friends from the earlier books. 

I didn't find this fourth installment of the Oz books as compelling as the earlier ones. It felt like a series of ad hoc adventures thrown together, one after the other. The novel picked up more once we are returned to Oz. 

Having said that, I'm still looking forward to reading the next installment, and perhaps this fourth book had been a lull in Baum's creative powers.