Dorothy thinks she's lost forever when a tornado whirls her and her dog, Toto, into a magical world. To get home, she must find the wonderful wizard in the Emerald City of Oz. On the way she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion. But the Wicked Witch of the West has her own plans for the new arrival - will Dorothy ever see Kansas again?
I knew very little about the book prior to reading it (for example: I didn’t know it was just the first in a big series, and I didn’t know her shoes were actually SILVER OMG I GREW UP WITH LIES). Everything I knew was from the movie.
- wonderful, 2) a bizarre menagerie, 3) oddities of travel
And per usual, the book completely blew the movie out of the water. Guys, it’s so much better. Here’s why:
- Adventure: There’s so much more to the story than going to the Emerald City and melting the Wicked Witch of the West. There’s a whole slew of adventure and places that they travel! I had no idea!
- More than a kid’s book: The story is very clever with a lot of adult undertones. My favorite parts of the book were easily everything about the “heartless” tin man, the “cowardly” lion, and the “brainless” scarecrow. They are fantastic characters.
- Detail: It’s the details of this book that really make it superior (and why movies almost always will pale in comparison to their book counterpart). It’s such an imaginative and bizarre world that Baum created. Truthfully, it’s worth the read just to see what crazy things his mind came up with.
I wanted this review to be really short and me saying: READ THIS BOOK. But It went on a little longer. Oops.
Bottom line: If your childhood also failed you and you haven’t read this yet, I would definitely recommend you do it ASAP. It’s super short, poignant, and so dang fun!
PS: I listened to the audiobook, and OMGoodness the narrator (Tavia Gilbert) had the cutest and most perfect voice for a children’s novel. Loved every minute of it! I almost wonder if I liked this more as the audiobook than I would have had I read it.
PPS: The entire Wicked soundtrack was playing through my head as I read this book. I’m actually listening to it as I type this review.
- S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger (at “the bandar blog”) to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available now wherever books are sold.
Originally published in 1900, The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum follows Dorothy who thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home, Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. Together with her companions – the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion – Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure.
Rating:
I absolutely love The Wizard of Oz film adaptation so I was really interested to read the story that inspired it.
It’s hard to review the book without thinking about the film as I was expecting a little more, in a way. Of course, there are a lot of differences between them as the film is more complex, running away with Baum’s ideas, while the book is very much a children’s fantasy that sparks a lot of imagination.
So because there’s a lot more to the film, I did expect some deeper themes in the book. With not as much depth, I had to take a step back and remember that it was only intended to be a children’s story to appreciate the fantastical ideas, the magical adventure, and the warm characters. And of course, they are all there in heaps and bounds as it was Baum’s talented mind that inspired such a brilliant film in the first place.
Overall, the film brilliantly emphasises the messages of the book, while also making Dorothy a more compelling character by linking the World of Oz to her life in Kansas where she felt lost and alone. Without this connection, the book didn’t quite have the same grip for me, as an adult reader, but I also loved seeing how this children’s story was brought to life in such a brilliant and vivid way.
Most of all, I was shocked by how some of the scenes in the book felt more appropriate for children, while others felt a lot darker (the tin man detailing his limbs being chopped off, the scarecrow snapping the necks of the birds). Overall, the film is much scarier with more of a focus on the Wicked Witch, but I loved seeing Baum’s original ideas and how they influenced the classic film.
What is the overall message of The Wizard of Oz?
Because everybody knows that this is the moral of The Wizard of Oz. “There's no place like home” neatly sums up the moral of the story, even people who say that “home” refers to people.
Why is The Wizard of Oz a good book?
With her companions the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy experiences an adventure full of friendship, magic and danger. A much-loved children's classic, The Wizard of Oz continues to delight readers young and old with its enchanting tale of witches, flying monkeys and silver shoes.
What age group is The Wizard of Oz books for?
Book Review Frank Baum is the first in the “Oz” series and was originally published by the George M. Hill Company. Many different publishing houses currently publish this book. The Wizard of Oz is written for kids ages 12 and up.
Is The Wizard of Oz age appropriate?
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following: Dorothy has to avoid falling trees and flying debris in the tornado. Dorothy's house is caught up in the tornado and flies up into the sky.