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Catie Moran

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Catie Moran is currently reading

No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die, #0.1)

by Danielle Paige (Goodreads Author)

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Reading for the 3rd time

read in October 2017

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Catie Moran said: " “There’s no place like home.” Dorothy is going back to Oz but it is not the way she remembers it. In this novel, Dorothy realizes her potential and may never be the same again. This continuation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is an en “There’s no place like home.” Dorothy is going back to Oz but it is not the way she remembers it. In this novel, Dorothy realizes her potential and may never be the same again. This continuation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is an engaging novel and I would recommend it to my peers.

The author of this novel, Danielle Paige, is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the author of the Dorothy Must Die series. Not only does she write young adult novels, but she also works in the television industry. She won the Writers Guild of America Award and was nominated for several Daytime Emmys. Paige also has written a new series called Stealing Snow which has received very positive reviews. Paige’s use of vivid descriptions and magical settings bring her characters and her novels to life.

No Place like Oz by Danielle Paige tells the story of a girl named Dorothy who travels back to the land of Oz. Dorothy has been to Oz before and she became a hero. She returned home to Kansas and for the past two years, she has wanted nothing more than to go back. On the night of her sixteenth birthday, she finds a present with a pair of red heels in them. Then, she clicked her heels and she was back in Oz, but it was not quite the same. The Scarecrow is not the king anymore; there is a new princess named Ozma and Dorothy does not trust her. This novel is a story of Dorothy’s new adventure in Oz and how she saves Oz once again. Dorothy is still certain that Oz is her home.

Paige creates characters in her novel that are relatable and real. The main character, Dorothy seems like an ordinary teenage girl but she is the hero of Oz. Dorothy has a deep passion for this magical world and wants to stay there. She is brave and at one point in the novel, she yells, “Stop. I am Dorothy Gale. I am the witchslayer. Allow us to pass, or suffer the fate of all the others that have stood in my way” (Paige 69-70). This is only one of the times that Dorothy sticks up for herself and becomes stronger. Paige creates a real character that goes through relatable experiences. Readers can understand Dorothy’s point of view because of the feelings and emotions Paige gives her. Other characters such as Dorothy’s aunt and uncle, and Ozma are given specific personalities that make them unique from each other.

Paige uses descriptive literary devices like imagery throughout her novel to create a visual scene in the reader’s mind. When Dorothy witnesses magic working to create her outfit, Paige describes it as, “my hair grew even longer, twisting, taking the shape I wanted from it until it fell around my face in two perfect auburn braids with curls that scraped my shoulders. I felt my skin becoming smoother and softer. My eyes brightened; my lips reddened. My cheeks flushed with the perfect rosy glow” (Paige 164-165). I could imagine this in my head as it happened and as I read it. Throughout Dorothy’s journey, Paige is very thorough in describing the scenes, not leaving out a single detail. Once Dorothy gets to Oz, “The grass underneath us was bluish green. The sky above was even bluer. Not gray. Not white. Not whitish gray. But blue. The sun was warm on my face, and a light breeze ruffled the tall grass around me” (Paige 38). When the author uses these descriptive literary devices, I understand the novel as if it is a movie playing in my head.

Paige uses symbolism throughout the novel to create a theme of realizing one’s potential. The shoes that Dorothy got for her birthday gave a magical power. Dorothy could feel the shoes tingling on her feet when something was happening around her. She could feel the energy. Sometimes she felt it as power and sometimes she felt it as a sense of warning. In the novel, when Dorothy is in trouble, “My shoes pulled tight on my feet, like they'd just gotten a size smaller. A shock of energy sizzled up from where my heels dug against the bricks and spread through my body. It felt strange, but I welcomed it” (Paige 69). These shoes gave Dorothy confidence and power to understand herself. Dorothy can understand the situations around her and react. By using symbolism Paige develops the theme and makes the novel more interesting.

I would recommend this book to my peers. It is a great adventure story of Dorothy finding her true power and confidence. I was engaged the whole time I was reading the book. As I mentioned before, I really was able to play a movie in my head while reading this book. The novel comes alive as soon as you open the book and read the first page. No Place like Oz by Danielle Paige is a fun book to read for all ages. ...more "

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— Feb 28, 2020 06:03PM

Nov 01, 2017 06:26PM · see review