A review by saroz162
The Cowardly Lion of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson

2.0

While certainly not a terrible Oz book, this is one of Thompson's blandest, lacking her typical A/B plot alternation and only really bringing in the regular Oz characters (aside from the Lion) in a big deus ex machina. Her first American little boy protagonist, Bob, is peculiarly dour and has very little agency. She's obviously much more interested in Notta Bit More, the clown character, who is perhaps her take on a Shaggy Man-type happy accidental adventurer. His personal philosophy and funny disguises provide most of the humor of the book, which otherwise feels even more disconnected and coincidental than a lot of Ozian quests. It's not a bad read in the moment, but little of it stuck with me as a child, and I never saw any particular reason to recommend it. As an adult, I stand by that assessment.