75 pages • 2 hours read
L. Frank BaumThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1900A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 17-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 17 Summary: “How the Balloon Was Launched”
The Scarecrow, the Woodman, and the Lion are thrilled with their gifts, finding them to be completely effective. After several days, Oz summons Dorothy to say that he has thought of a way to help her return to Kansas. He believes that they can construct a balloon, much like the one that swept him from America in the first place, that could transport them back (Oz has decided that he would also like to return home to America). Dorothy helps him make a balloon out of silk and summons a basket. The residents of the Emerald City gather to watch Oz depart; Oz tells them that he is going to visit a fellow wizard in the sky.
As the balloon fills with air, Dorothy realizes that Toto is missing. She runs to retrieve him but returns too late; the balloon floats away without her. As he drifts away, Oz decrees that the Scarecrow will rule in his absence.
Chapter 18 Summary: “Away to the South”
Dorothy is devastated to have missed the opportunity to join Oz in the balloon; she fears that she will never return to Kansas, and she weeps bitterly.
