"The Cowardly Lion of Oz" by Ruth Plumly Thompson is a fantasy novel published in 1923. When a turbaned desert monarch demands the famous Cowardly Lion as his ten-thousandth specimen, an enchanted clown and orphan boy are compelled to capture him. Meanwhile, the Lion believes his courage has run out and embarks on a desperate quest of his own. Their paths collide in an adventure involving a sky-floating island of negative bird-people, flying machines, and stone giants across the magical land of Oz. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
