YMMV / Handy Mandy in Oz

• Fair for Its Day: This book provides a refreshing example of a strong female character who's differently-abled (it would be inaccurate to say "disabled", since her seven arms are actually an advantage and it is demonstrated throughout the story), but doesn't let it discourage her; something that's in short supply even in today's fiction. The way Mandy is treated in Oz for being different (being called an "octopus", being given the nickname "Handy", or even immediately assumed to be a villain by Scraps based on her appearance) would seem harsh by today's standards, but wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the 1930's when this was written. Ruth Plumly Thompson isn't remembered for being as ahead of her time and progressive as was Baum, but this is one book where she succeeded in that.