Sky Island (1912) is a novel by L. Frank Baum. A sequel to The Sea Fairies (1911), Sky Island was part of a larger series of planned novels that Baum hoped would move beyond the universe he created for his Oz books. Discouraged by poor reviews of The Sea Fairies, however, Baum featured several characters from The Road to Oz (1909) in Sky Island, including Button Bright and Polychrome. A young Californian girl named Trot meets a strange boy from Philadelphia named Button Bright. Using his magic umbrella, he has managed to float across the entire country. Together with the brave Cap’n Bill, they set sail for the mysterious Sky Island, the realm of the Blues and the Pinkies. Separated by the Great Fog Bank, the two peoples live vastly different lives and never attempt to cross their borders. On the Blue side, the three adventurers face the wicked tyrant Boolooroo, who threatens to torture them for disobedience. Despite being imprisoned, they manage to escape, braving the fog to emerge in the happier Pink Country. Soon, they face a new type of danger: a strange set of laws threatens Trot, Button Bright, and the Cap’n with immediate expulsion from Sky Island. Filled with rich, detailed layers of fantasy from the mind of L. Frank Baum, Sky Island is a story about the frail innocence of childhood and the will to persevere that can be found in even the youngest of hearts. Long overshadowed by the film, Baum’s novel is required reading for children, adults with children, and adults who refuse to let life lose its flavor of fantasy. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of L. Frank Baum’s Sky Island is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers.
