Synopsis:

This is the first Oz book written byRuth Plumly Thompson, who was but 20 years old when she wrote it, taking over as Royal Historian of Oz from the late L. Frank Baum.

  In this tale, Professor Wogglebug lets fall the weighty observation that the Scarecrow has no background - no family tree. So the Scarecrow, in an effort to prove the know-it-all bug wrong, indignantly goes in search of his family tree in the blue Munchkin corn field, where he had long ago been placed on a pole to frighten away the crows.

  The pole turns out to be a magic bean pole (as do most things in Oz!), and the Scarecrow falls down it - far below the surface of Oz - down to the Silver Islands. Here, the Scarecrow discovers that he is supposed to be the re-created (i.e., reincarnated) Emperor Chang Wang Woe. Leaving is no longer an option as the Silver Islanders plan on transforming him into the real Chang Wang Woe.

  Among the new characters introduced are Sir Hokus of Pokes (a knight from England, also known as The Yellow Knight of Oz), Comfortable Camel and Doubtful Dromedary.