I’m not sure I need to summarize this, but why not? Dorothy lives in the gray land of Kansas with her aunt, uncle, and little dog called Toto. One afternoon a tornado strikes and Dorothy, her house, and her dog are swept away to the magical land of Oz. Accidentally, she kills the Wicked Witch of the East, and attains some measure of fame in Oz, but how will she get home?
This was a surprisingly delightful read. It’s not too old and reads very smoothly. The movie and the book are very similar in story, and I’ve seen the film about a million times, so there weren’t many surprises for me here. There are a few extra lands, and some of the events are a little different, but the basic story and characters are completely the same. I’ll admit that it dragged towards the end for me when these extra things were introduced, but I think someone less familiar with the film wouldn’t have felt so impatient.
The book is written for children, so some things are rather simplistic; it’s fairly clear that as the characters develop a bit that they don’t really need their gifts from Oz, but it was all very sweet. Dorothy is a bit too sweet, but I love that she actually had some initiative and seemed quite clever for a little girl. The message for children is excellent, IMO, as all the characters work together to vanquish their foes and try their hardest to be smart, good, and courageous.
I actually read this on my phone and was surprised by how well it held my attention, especially given it was the first book I ever read on there. It’s helpful that it’s so short, but I did find the story absorbing and I looked forward to continuing it when I got pulled away. I’m really looking forward to sharing this with my own children someday, although I think I’ll be getting a paper version before that time! The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has held up as a great children’s classic and I can see it continuing on into the future.
I am an Amazon Associate. I downloaded this book to my phone for free through Aldiko.
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