The Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum, William Wallace Denslow (illustrator)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an American children's novel rumble written by author L. Frank Baum, The first novel in the Oz series, the story chronicles the adventures of a young Kansas farm girl named Dorothy in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their home by a tornado.

Dorothy is a young girl who lives with her Aunt Em sorcerers apprentice, Uncle Henry, and dog, Toto, on a farm on the Kansas prairie. One day, she and Toto are caught up in a cyclone that deposits them and the farmhouse into Munchkin Country in the wozard Land of Oz. The falling house has killed the Wicked Witch of the East, the evil ruler of the Munchkins. The Good Witch of the North arrives with three grateful Munchkins and gives Dorothy the magical silver shoes that once belonged to the Wicked Witch. The Good Witch tells Dorothy that the only way she can return home is to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and ask the great and powerful the wizard of dizz to help her. As Dorothy embarks on her journey, the Good Witch of the North kisses her on the forehead, giving her magical protection from harm.

Genres: Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Childrens

208 pages

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

also wrote under the names:
* Edith van Dyne,
* Floyd Akers,
* Schuyler Staunton,
* John Estes Cooke,
* Suzanne Metcalf,
* Laura Bancroft,
* Louis F. Baum,
* Captain Hugh Fitzgerald

Lyman Frank Baum was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, part of a series. In addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum penned 41 other novels (not including four lost, unpublished novels), 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book became a landmark of 20th-century cinema.
Born and raised in Chittenango, New York, Baum moved west after an unsuccessful stint as a theater producer and playwright. He and his wife opened a store in South Dakota and he edited and published a newspaper. They then moved to Chicago, where he worked as a newspaper reporter and published children's literature, coming out with the first Oz book in 1900. While continuing his writing, among his final projects he sought to establish a film studio focused on children's films in Los Angeles, California.
His works anticipated such later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers (The Master Key), wireless telephones (Tik-Tok of Oz), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing (Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work).

Reviews

[Jennifer Cicchetto · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of reviews claiming this is an abridged version of this 1900 Childrens classic. Before reading reviews I just assumed that childrens literature in 1900 was lacking in character development. I'm going to poke around and research if this is true, or if there is an unabridged version that I still need to read. I may edit this review then.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

really nice tale, even though is a kids story (a bit creepy one) i did enjoy it

[tei hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

my comfort book !

[Brie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book. Close to the movie

[Sara Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good book, but I didn't enjoy it as much, as seems to be the theme with classics. Similar to its peers, the book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" had a lot of different characters, and lacked details/descriptions of the numerous people and places. As I read the book, I noticed it jumped from scene to scene fairly quickly, making the story feel rushed and choppy. Along with other disappointing characteristics, I noticed that one of the fundamental elements of a book was missing: character development.

Obviously, this whole book is about the changes that each of the characters desires, such as a brain, a heart, and some courage. The plot is based on these characters getting these life-changing features. Unfortunately, I didn't see a difference in the characters after they received their "gifts." I understand that that may be a hidden theme, but if so, I wish the author would shed more light on the matter. 

Is this book worth reading? Yes, most definitely. I think it is important to read classics and old stories, but the reality is, that these old books may not live up to the standards of today's novels. 

Side note: I found the pictues to be completely and utterly horrifying! Maybe that contributes to my disliking of the book… 😅

[David]

The next stage of catching up on 'children's' books I missed out on in my youth and probably mean more to me in old age. This was a super enjoyable read helped along by Sarah Olgivie's excellent illustrations in the Folio Edition. I had been relying too long on memories of Judy Garland and the MGM film. I had missed out on the allegorical representations the three virtues by the scarecrow, tin man and lion — brains, heart and courage, curiosity, compassion and confidence— and the almost Grimm level of fairy tale beauty and horror of the good and bad witches, the wolves, the winged monkeys, the Munchkins, the dazzling Emerald City and the deadly but beautiful (beware the allure of magnificence) red poppies. And who can ever forget the small, meek girl, Dorothy, from Kansas.

[Samantha Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure my mom read this to me when I was a child, but I wanted to read it as my classic for the year to prepare for Wicked! I thoroughly enjoyed this. I can’t believe I never realized it’s a book about a girl and her dog to counter all the children’s books about a boy and his dog! It was funny, and the humor was dry. He starts off by saying it’s just a story with no moral lesson, but I think there are some clear and good lessons in the story. For being 125 years old, it held up quite well! I did not like the Little Wizard stories at the end, as they didn’t make sense, and I didn’t find them funny. But I loved The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very will-known fairy-tale The Wizard of Oz retold for youngsters that are beginning to read. The texts and storyline are extremely simplified. Of course, in the simplification process, a lot of the original richness of the story has been lost. Whether we refer here to the book or either movie, the black-and-white with Judy Garland, or the more recent one with Michal Jackson.
Imagination will help young readers to fill in those lost details, whether that will be true to the original or nog, it will cetainly be fun.

[Susa · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I should have read the book before watching the movie … as usual … even though I consider the version with Judie Garland an absolute classic.
The story is a bit difficult to read thanks to the style it’s written in.
However, the characters are great and although the plot is sometimes pretty bloody, it has a lot of depth that renders it interesting for all age groups, I believe, especially from a psychological point of view it is totally timeless!

[Olivia Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought it was a cute and imaginative story but it did not flow as smoothly as the movie version. some parts felt a little choppy and slow but i still really enjoyed all the fun and whimsical characters dorothy meets on her journey. it had a charming and magical feel even if it was not as seamless as i expected 🌪️👠

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read the book when I've seen the movie so much. I will say, Dorothy had silver shoes, not red rubies. The crown to control the monkeys wasn't portrayed well in the movie, and there was a lot more violence and killing things in the book than in the movie. Also glinda is a red head. Hahaha take that blondes!

[Kiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I copped like three typos, I’m shocked at how obscure this copy is??? For anyone wondering: it’s a rewrite for younger/elementary audiences by Archie Oliver of The Wizard of Oz, it’s 175 pages with pictures. I kinda wanna read the actual book now but pshhh

[Janet White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation for reading Finding Dorothy. This book was so much better than the movie. So glad I read it.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word, charming. Can't say it is better than the film but worth a read.

[Eg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timeless, memorable characters and symbolism. The ending lacked something more interesting, especially the last lines.

[Vc Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok really slow

[_Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this were so much more violent than I expected

[Gert Naberman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Imperialistisch op een bepaalde manier, klassieke queeste, maar zonder diepte.

[Anna Serra i Vidal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and lighthearted this is a fairytale of sorts, as Baum wanted it to be. Enjoyable both by kids and adults and an easy reread in the heat of the summer.

[Alba · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is really sweet, but it's really slow.

[Kryssy]

Bought at Fireside Theater when we went to see Wizard of Oz

[Regan Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful children's classic. The book is better than the movie. The thought of flying monkeys still gives me the creeps - even if they have more depth in the book.

[S. Nor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 a delightful classic!

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

How well Audrey Daly has done to retell 'The Wizard of Oz' in just 28 pages including some nice illustrations by Angus McBride. And she has done it without ignoring any of the salient points in the tale.

Dorothy lived on the Kansas prairie with her Aunt Em, her Uncle Henry and her dog Toto when one day a whirlwind picked up the house and transported it to a strange country. She wondered where she was only to be told by a woman that she was in the land of thee Munchkins, adding, much to Dorothy's bewilderment, 'Thank you so much for killing the Wicked Witch of the East.'

Dorothy did not know what she was talking about until she discovered that the Witch had been squashed under her house when it landed. The Witch's legs could be seen sticking out from underneath and Dorothy learnt from the lady that the silver slippers she was wearing were magic and now they belonged to her, Dorothy.

So that is where her adventures began as she discovered all about the Wicked Witches of the East and West, with the former now gone! Dorothy was pleased that, without knowing, she had been helpful but she just wanted to get back to Kansas. The Good With directed her to go and see the Wizard of Oz by following the Yellow Brick Road as she would arrange for Dorothy to return to Kansas.

On her way she picked up a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion who, when they realised she was going to see the Wizard of Oz went along with her so that they, too, could gain some benefit from seeing him.

When they arrived, everything was green and the Wizard directed Dorothy to go and kill the Wicked Witch of the West and if she did so he would arrange for her to return home. Dorothy duly fulfilled her duty and then, with her new found friends, returned to the Emerald City to see the Wizard.

He was so pleased he granted all four of them their wishes and Dorothy once more found herself in aunt Em's garden and everybody lived happily ever after!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the version I read as a child, illustrated by Maraja. The characters look quite different from most conceptions. The Scarecrow has a drawn on face and the Tin Woodsman does not wear a hat.

[Laurine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book Megan and I read together. I actually liked the movie more.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pared-down story of "The Wizard of Oz".

[Muhajjah Saratini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelewat ringkas. (ya namanya juga buat anak2)
Tapi tetep kebayang sih garis besar ceritanya.
:)

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great way to read the classics with young readers.

[Brenna Daugherty-Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5