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The Hackers of Oz
10-year-old computer geek Elizabeth Gale Callahan is fully in control of her nice, tidy, life. Fully, thank you. Until...the Scarecrow and Scraps appear in her bedroom and refuse to go back home-to Oz.
The Scarecrow looked solemnly at Elizabeth. "You see, little girl, mistakes might have been made. When a witch is destroyed, that energy sometimes doesn't go away. Like Einstein said, it's sometimes...transformed."
"You mean it goes somewhere else?" said Elizabeth.
The Scarecrow nodded.
"Somewhere like here?" said Elizabeth.
The Scarecrow nodded again.
Hackers of Oz is a gift for mothers and daughters, a valentine to the city of Chicago, and a celebration of all of us who wore ruby slippers or a pointy black hat on Halloween!
Tom Mula has been an award-winning Chicago actor, director, and playwright for far, far, far too long. Audiences have tolerated his performances in a good deal of Shakespeare, as Koko in Hot Mikado, and in solo turns in The Circus of Dr. Lao and Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol. Tom also spent seven grueling seasons at the Goodman Theatre playing Scrooge.
Mula's plays include Almighty Bob, The Golem, Nicole Hollander's Sylvia's Real Good Advice, and adaptations of John Gardner's In the Suicide Mountains and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In 1995, Adams Media published Tom's book Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol; it was a Chicago Tribune bestseller. The award-winning play version has had hundreds of productions worldwide.
Tom spends most of his summers acting and directing at Peninsula Players in Door County, Wisconsin. He teaches in the Theatre Department at Columbia College Chicago. Tom Mula is a lucky, lucky man. He may be reached at tommula.com.
The Scarecrow looked solemnly at Elizabeth. "You see, little girl, mistakes might have been made. When a witch is destroyed, that energy sometimes doesn't go away. Like Einstein said, it's sometimes...transformed."
"You mean it goes somewhere else?" said Elizabeth.
The Scarecrow nodded.
"Somewhere like here?" said Elizabeth.
The Scarecrow nodded again.
Hackers of Oz is a gift for mothers and daughters, a valentine to the city of Chicago, and a celebration of all of us who wore ruby slippers or a pointy black hat on Halloween!
Tom Mula has been an award-winning Chicago actor, director, and playwright for far, far, far too long. Audiences have tolerated his performances in a good deal of Shakespeare, as Koko in Hot Mikado, and in solo turns in The Circus of Dr. Lao and Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol. Tom also spent seven grueling seasons at the Goodman Theatre playing Scrooge.
Mula's plays include Almighty Bob, The Golem, Nicole Hollander's Sylvia's Real Good Advice, and adaptations of John Gardner's In the Suicide Mountains and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In 1995, Adams Media published Tom's book Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol; it was a Chicago Tribune bestseller. The award-winning play version has had hundreds of productions worldwide.
Tom spends most of his summers acting and directing at Peninsula Players in Door County, Wisconsin. He teaches in the Theatre Department at Columbia College Chicago. Tom Mula is a lucky, lucky man. He may be reached at tommula.com.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2012
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 15, 2014
This is from the review I did for "Hackers of Oz" a while back in the Gainesville Times...I'm so sorry I didn't think to share it here until now. I'll include a snippet of it but the full article can be found here: http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/archi...
"I have always enjoyed Mula’s wry sense of wit in his stories, and “Hackers of Oz” finds a good balance between its twisted humor and genuine tenderheartedness.
While arguably not a novel for younger readers (there are a handful of adult jokes), Elizabeth is a compelling young protagonist...It is fun to read how her initial view of perfection — orderliness, predictability and conformity — changes once she understands how much better the world is with surprises, impulse and a little eccentricity.
If you are a fan of the original Baum stories and are looking for something more light-hearted than Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked” series, “Hackers of Oz” is a delightful tribute to the Oz universe, both the books and film."
"I have always enjoyed Mula’s wry sense of wit in his stories, and “Hackers of Oz” finds a good balance between its twisted humor and genuine tenderheartedness.
While arguably not a novel for younger readers (there are a handful of adult jokes), Elizabeth is a compelling young protagonist...It is fun to read how her initial view of perfection — orderliness, predictability and conformity — changes once she understands how much better the world is with surprises, impulse and a little eccentricity.
If you are a fan of the original Baum stories and are looking for something more light-hearted than Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked” series, “Hackers of Oz” is a delightful tribute to the Oz universe, both the books and film."
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July 9, 2014 If you've ever enjoyed the Oz books,the movie [The Wizard of Oz],fashion,scarecrows,real crows,Judy Garland, computer technology, no technology, the landscape of Chicago (day or night) and you enjoy a good laugh. You will enjoy this book immensely. What to expect:smart little girls, evil fashionistas future movie roles for Glenn Close,Meryl Streep, and perhaps David Hyde Pierce and one hell of a broomstick, maybe even a voiceover part for Morgan Freeman.
July 21, 2014
Touching, inventive, and funny as hell. Mr. Mula is able to be completely irreverent and unabashedly sincere at the same time, not an easy feat. Throughout, his love of literary and cinematic figures is palpable. His book feels simultaneously contemporary and timeless. Enjoyable for all ages.
July 21, 2025
Such a fun read. Contemporary setting yet refers back to the L.Frank Baum series of Oz books.
August 28, 2014
This book was recently entered and was a SILVER MEDALIST in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our young readers thought:
FEEDBACK
Title
The Hackers of Oz
Author
Tom Mula
COVER 10/10
Our young readers loved the cover of this book. They thought it was fun and very enticing, making them want to read the story. They loved the lettering and they liked the way the author’s name is on the computer screen and how the scarecrow is holding the ‘O’.
EDITING 9/10
The readers thought this book was well edited and discovered no problems with punctuation, grammar or spelling. They also felt it was generally well-paced although a few of the readers felt it slowed up a bit in the middle.
THEME 10/10
The readers very much enjoyed this story. They liked the central character, Elizabeth, and her odd ways, and they enjoyed watching her develop through the story.
Many of our young readers (and teachers) felt it was a very charming story and packed full of humour. One young reader put in her feedback, ‘This book is very funny. I laughed a lot. I particularly liked it because I like the old film.’
Many of the readers commented on the central premise and how original it was. They also thought you created an interesting plot full of fun characters, twists, turns and a ‘fantastic’ ending.
STYLE 10/10
The readers thought this story was well written and easy to follow. They loved the author’s humorous style and how he made them laugh. They also though he worked well with speech and character description. One teacher put in her feedback, ‘This book is written so tenderly but with an abundance of good old, laugh-out-loud humour. Well done!’
STATS 39/40
Of the 26 readers,
26 thought the cover was excellent.
26 would read another book by this author.
12 thought the best part of the book was the plot.
6 felt the best part of the book was the style is was written in.
2 felt Elizabeth, the central character, was the best part of the book. They liked the way she changed during the story.
‘A fantastically fun, page turner. Highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Awards
FEEDBACK
Title
The Hackers of Oz
Author
Tom Mula
COVER 10/10
Our young readers loved the cover of this book. They thought it was fun and very enticing, making them want to read the story. They loved the lettering and they liked the way the author’s name is on the computer screen and how the scarecrow is holding the ‘O’.
EDITING 9/10
The readers thought this book was well edited and discovered no problems with punctuation, grammar or spelling. They also felt it was generally well-paced although a few of the readers felt it slowed up a bit in the middle.
THEME 10/10
The readers very much enjoyed this story. They liked the central character, Elizabeth, and her odd ways, and they enjoyed watching her develop through the story.
Many of our young readers (and teachers) felt it was a very charming story and packed full of humour. One young reader put in her feedback, ‘This book is very funny. I laughed a lot. I particularly liked it because I like the old film.’
Many of the readers commented on the central premise and how original it was. They also thought you created an interesting plot full of fun characters, twists, turns and a ‘fantastic’ ending.
STYLE 10/10
The readers thought this story was well written and easy to follow. They loved the author’s humorous style and how he made them laugh. They also though he worked well with speech and character description. One teacher put in her feedback, ‘This book is written so tenderly but with an abundance of good old, laugh-out-loud humour. Well done!’
STATS 39/40
Of the 26 readers,
26 thought the cover was excellent.
26 would read another book by this author.
12 thought the best part of the book was the plot.
6 felt the best part of the book was the style is was written in.
2 felt Elizabeth, the central character, was the best part of the book. They liked the way she changed during the story.
‘A fantastically fun, page turner. Highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Awards
January 23, 2013
I have actually bought copies of this book and given the copies to my friends - that’s how much I loved this book. It’s not just the delightfully snarky tone; it’s not just the respectful nods to the whole L. Frank Baum series; it’s not just the wonderfully geeky protagonist, Elizabeth. It’s that the novel rings with an emotional truth - a truth that acknowledges human flaws, accepts them, and redeems them. This book is what I wish Wicked had been. Where Wicked is cynical, this book is radiantly hopeful. Where Wicked is depressing, Hackers of Oz is hilarious. The plot is compelling, the characters are fascinating, the references to the world of Oz are brilliant. I love a book that is irreverent, hilarious, and yet has a heart of gold. I love a book that makes me laugh out loud and also makes me weep. This book is all these things. Read it.
January 3, 2016
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The end-copy notes that it was written for an MFA, and it kinda shows--it feels as though the author reached a point where he needed to finish it, and so he did.
I read the L. Frank Baum Oz books as a kid, and I adore Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol by Tom Mula, but this story kind of lurched along for me.
I read the L. Frank Baum Oz books as a kid, and I adore Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol by Tom Mula, but this story kind of lurched along for me.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews