Oz and related works

[Wiglaf]

What does everyone think about the Oz series and Baum's related works, such as Queen Zixi of Ix? Do they still hold up?
And should the Oz books, official and unofficial, by other authors be included in the series?

I feel that Baum's stories, while for a young audience, are quite entertaining without trying to push an agenda like some more modern works attempt to do.

[Teresa Edgerton]

For me, the non-Baum books -- and even some of the later books by Baum -- lack a certain freshness that the early ones have going for them. I loved The Wizard of Oz, The Land of Oz, and The Road to Oz. The others, which I read when I was a few years older, disappointed me. I didn't know what it was, then, but now I think the whimsey became a little strained.

Although I suppose a reader's reaction (including mine) might depend on the order in which they read the books.

[Wiglaf]

Baum just seems to be ignored. The way his characters succeed with friendship and good sense is kind of nice however. Nowdays it seems that the main character always has some secret power, hidden lineage, and/or destiny; no one justs muddles through with a stiff upper lip, a modicrum of intelligence, and some help from their friends any more it seems.