Who Stole the Wizard of Oz?

by Avi

One of Newbery Honor author Avi's most popular middle-grade mysteries is available in paper once again.  The mystery revolves around a rare edition of The Wizard of Oz missing from the local library. When Becky is accused of stealing it, she and her twin brother Toby set out to catch the real thief and prove her innocence. Clues cleverly hidden in four other books lead to a hidden treasure--and a gripping adventure.  

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 1981

About the author

Avi is a pen name for Edward Irving Wortis, but he says, "The fact is, Avi is the only name I use." Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, and the Crispin series. His work is popular among readers young and old.

Reviews

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now here is a book with great ending! Fast moving plot, exciting clues and twists, and a meaningful message. I recommend to everyone, especially those who love children's literature or enjoy libraries.

[Elazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever!

[Angie Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty great middle grades mystery. Even though it is an older book the kids and I really enjoyed it. It allowed us to explored classics, book collectors and the mystery genre.

[Emily M · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a cute little mystery for kids just starting to read chapter books.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fun, fanciful book. This book could pick up a lot of student interest in other, more classical "children's literature" including The Wizard of Oz, Whinnie The Pooh, Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass, Treasure Island, and The Wind in the Willows. This book talks about looking deeper into what we read, and making connections, indeed an important theme of this book is that books can lead you to treasure... However, just as Becky and Toby find-- the treasure that books lead you to isn't always money. It's the ability to share the experience of joy in reading, as "'A good children's book is a book of promises.' And promises are to keep... and share" (116).

This book talks about how the twin brother and sister duo, Becky and Toby have to dig deeper to find the clues that are strung together in 5 seemingly unconnected books. This reminds me of something that my 11th grade English teacher constantly told us:

"Writers make choices, and readers make connections." That is essentially what the children in this short novel have to do as well. In order to solve the story of the missing books, and maybe even more importantly, a missing treasure, the main characters have to make connections of the books. Which was a daunting task.

In the end, the treasure that was found wasn't for one person alone, but it was for the community to share... In the fact that it was a very expensive, old copy of Alice in Wonderland. The book has a good ending, and is a positive read. However it is a good book to show students that everything that is written in a good book, has meaning behind it. This is an important lesson to know.

:)

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avi knows how to write them.
Another good one of his works.
Worth the read.

[Yone Xin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who stole the wizard of Oz?

The book I am talking about is Who stole the Wizard of Oz It is about 100 pages long. The genre of the book book is a mystery book or an adventure book. The book teaches you how to solve a mystery. It is about two twins that are trying to solve a mystery. The twins’ names are Toby and Becky. They went to the library and there was a stolen book and the name is “Who stole the Wizard of Oz.” Becky was so amazed that it was stolen from the Check town library. So Becky was angry because everyone thought that Becky stole the book. Becky was so angry so she decided to find out who did it.
The characters names are Becky, Toby, Gramp, and Mrs. Cherster, Mrs. Brattle. Becky is the main character. she is the one who solved the mystery. Toby is Becky's Brother. he helped Becky solve the mystery. Gramp is Becky’s grandfather. he knows everybody in the city. Mrs Chester she is the thief.she is the one who stole the children’s book. Mrs.Brattle, and she is the Checktown librarian. She is the one who blamed Becky that she steal the book At the middle of the book which is like page 54 to 70 Becky wanted to solve the mystery but she have no patient and she is always angry.She did not the map even though she know what the place is and Mrs Brattle will not believe her because she think Becky is playing with her and she think Becky is making a joke to her even the policeman don't believe Becky. So she decided to solve the mystery behind everyone's back. Then they went to Mrs Cherster’s room. When they went to her room she was feeling really quiet and she was guilty.Then the twins asked some help to her and she helped them.
So at the end of the book Becky and Toby went into the room that was hidden behind the closet and they both went into the room and it was dark and they wanted have evidence so they set up a trap. Then they tied the hand and it was Mrs. Cherster. She was really scared and she was holding the book in her hand. Toby took the book away from her hand. Toby gave the bookto Becky then Becky give back to Mrs. Brattle then she told her that it was Mrs. Cherster who stole the book.
I like this book because it have a lot of detail and it is a mystery book, which I love. First five chapter are very boring and there are many details that you might forget. But some chapters are really boring it is just talking about games and it did not make sense for me while I read it. It have parts that they are solving the mystery and capturing the thief. But one thing I don’t like is it show hints about the thief, It said Mrs Cherster was really quiet that mean that she is guilty.. I like the book but I will not recommend the book to one who like mystery and show how to solve mystery when there is a time that you have to because when it is a mystery book ,I expected to be a lot mystery and a little bit of teaching you how to be clever,I think the books trying to be smart and act like Becky except for the yelling parts.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH a fun book! This was a favorite of mine when I was younger. I mean, a mystery where the clues are hidden in classic children's books? Count me in! My older son was so excited to hear that we own almost all of the books referenced in this one. It was great to read a book that gets him excited about reading more!

The mystery is well paced, the content is appropriate for elementary-aged kids (even my three-year-old sat through it and enjoyed it), and it's just as good the second time around (perhaps because I hadn't read it in over twenty years, so I was surprised all over again!). A good gift, maybe with the other books listed inside (Treasure Island, Through the Looking-Glass, The Wind In the Willows, Winnie the Pooh, and The Wizard of Oz).

[Danielle Routh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick nostalgia read from my childhood. I'm not sure Avi's books age particularly well, as I tend to like them less when reading them as an adult, but I still enjoyed rereading this one. The allusions to classic literature are fun, and the mystery is something that could actually happen in real life (with a bit of suspended disbelief). I still can't imagine why a sixth-grade teacher would hate "children's books" (they're classics! Come on!) so much, but maybe things were different in the '80s.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever book based mystery: siblings reading classics, following clues and deciphering maps, during summer vacation in a sleepy town, to clear sister's name about books missing from a library book sale. They read and enjoy the 5 books, discuss them VERY briefly (charming) mainly as sources of clues.
(Alice Through the Looking Glass, Treasure Island, Wind in the Willows, Wizard of Oz, and Winnie the Pooh.)

BUT the idea that a small library would keep (and let kids read) a rare book worth $15K (in 1981) is ridiculous.

[Cassie Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was chosen by students I have for a reading group based on interest and level. Most of the time the students were not interested during our meetings about the book. (Completed as a Literature Circle book where students were in charge of the process and their was additional support supplied as needed) I personally found much of the book to have been a little too drawn out just to make it a decent length of pages.

[Angela Carrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

We started this book for a small group reading time. I originally wanted to rate it 3.5- it felt very dated to me, and some of the clues were confusing in how they were discussed by the twins. The twins are also very flat characters. However, watching my very high energy students get so excited to the point of screaming trying to figure out this book changed my mind. The kids may read more mysteries after this that’s for sure!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading a book called Who Stole the Wizard of Oz. It is a really good book I would recommend this book to you. It is about this girl who was suspected as a thief, but it actually wasn't her who stole the book from the Checkertown library. She and her younger brother are trying to find out who it was. They went to their grandpa who used to be a lawn mower guy and was mowing everyone's yard. So he new who had a lot of money and who didn't. So the kids knew that probably people who didn’t have a lot money would get the books and sell them for a lot of money. Read the book and you will figure it out who was the thief.
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[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little mystery. Twins Toby and Becky have just started their school summer vacation. They get drawn into a strange affair when a book Becky was hoping to buy goes missing from the local library, along with four others. Why would someone steal books about to be sold for 5 cents apiece? Are they worth much more? Who donated them to the library in the first place?

[Danielle Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dragged this down from my bookshelf because I was curious. I liked the book as a girl, and I wondered if I still would. One thing that it does is depict exactly what it is like to experience a lazy summer holiday. I also loved how it referenced classic children's novels, which might build some interest in those other books, like a built in Book Rec List. I honestly enjoyed it.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging, clever. I do wish the characters had been better developed. And I don't like anything that reinforces the idea that some ppl think of early editions of books as museum objects. Read the reprint, though, because it is true that they can be worth a lot of money.

Now, is the teacher going to learn that fiction is worthwhile, or is Becky's whole school year going to be frustrating?

[Chelsea DeBarge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book knew how to appeal to its readers. The author didn’t linger too long on each chapter. This author made sure to use eventful twists and turns. My favorite part was when the brother and sister went into detective mode to save the girl from getting in trouble.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is told by Toby, who's twin sister, Becky, is accused of stealing a book from the library. Becky is incensed that anyone could think that of her so the pair decide to find the real culprit. The mystery takes them all over town and through five classic children's books. Well done mystery.

[Samantha Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book with my daughter. I guessed the culprit too early in the book, but then again I'm not the target audience. I loved the premise of a book based on books. This story encourages children to discover how reading is a treasure.🕵‍♀️👑

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my 9-yo:
“I liked how they used the Winnie the Poop and Alice in Wonderland without giving those stories away. Fun Mystery story but I don’t like the cover, it’s creepy”

Good mystery read aloud.

[Portia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do a small reading group with my 3rd graders and we recently just finished the book. They enjoyed it. It kept you guessing who was the thief. All in all it was a good read.

[John Kann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for 4th Graders. Lots of detail in every chapter and ideal for lit circles.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun mystery, with surprise (but confusing) ending.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit confusing, although well-paced for a middle grade mystery reader. One too many characters and convoluted plot points.

[Oscar]

i like this book

[Night · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book its a good 4 out of 5 love it

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that is about having a love of books and involves a mystery is okay by me!!!

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this for the book about books aspect, but that's about it.

Book #1 for Shorty September '23

[Stacey Uffelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, the deductions didn't make a lot of sense. Also, it moved a bit too fast for me.