Phoebe Daring

Book excerpt: Published in 1912, ‘Phoebe Daring’ is the sequel to L. Frank Baum’s earlier children’s story ‘The Daring Twins’. Young Toby Clark, an orphaned friend of the twins Phoebe and Phil Daring is working as a clerk for Judge Ferguson. The Judge is in possession of widow Mrs Ritchie’s secure box, which contains much of her wealth. When the Judge dies and the box goes missing, Mrs Ritchie accuses Toby of being the thief, and it is up to Phoebe to find the true culprit and clear his name. An exciting sequel from the popular children’s author. Lyman Frank Baum (1856 – 1919) was a prolific and well-known American writer. He is best known for his famous series of modern fairy tales set in the imaginary land of Oz. The first of the books, ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ is widely considered to be the first true American fairy tale and was the basis for the hugely popular 1939 classic musical ‘The Wizard of Oz’ starring Judy Garland. Born and raised in New York, Baum held a range of jobs including as a poultry farmer, clerk, and storekeeper before pursuing his talent for writing at the age of 41. He wrote 14 novels in the Oz series, as well as over 40 other novels and over 80 short stories. He died in California in 1919.