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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
it was a wonderful book. I can't wait to continue on Dorothy's journey.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Libro che generalmente viene consigliato a lettori molto giovani, ma che io ho avuto il piacere di leggere solo di recente. Una storia di viaggio in cui ti appassioni facilmente ai personaggi principali. Mondo vasto e incantato di cui, per esigenze di trama, non vediamo abbastanza, purtroppo. Critiche sociali sottili e sempre attuali. Forse uno dei suoi difetti più grandi non sta tanto nel libro in sè, ma nella quantità esagerata di versioni e traduzioni che rende difficile dare un nome ad alcuni personaggi (primi tra tutti i munchkins, che a seconda della versione hanno nomi diversi). In alcuni passaggi l'ho trovato un po' frettoloso ma, visto il target di riferimento, credo non sia chissà che grande tragedia.
Peccato non averlo potuto leggere a tempo debito
Peccato non averlo potuto leggere a tempo debito
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think this is one of those rare cases where I like the movie better than the original book. There are a lot of plot points that actually make more sense in the movie and it has a lot more depth than the book. The book is more of a fairy tale told to children than a deep book with multiple interpretations of lessons to be learned.
Story
The story starts off kind of abruptly with Dorothy pretty much immediately getting swept up in the tornado and falling into Oz. She kills the Wicked Witch of the East on accident and dons the SILVER shoes and with the help of a good witch heads towards the Emerald City on the yellow brick road.
On the way she meets 3 companions who all decide to join her and ask the wizard of Oz for something themselves. The scarecrow wants a brain, the tinman wants a heart, and the lion wants courage. Throughout the journey these companions all showcase the very qualities that they claim they don't have and are going to Oz for.
Eventually the reach the Emerald City where eventually they meet with the wizard. He simply tells them they have to kill the Wicked Witch of the West for him to grant their wishes. On the way there the Witch calls the flying monkeys to take care of them all. Dorothy ends up as a slave for awhile. Eventually, in a fit of rage Dorothy throws a bucket of water at the Witch, not knowing what it would do, and melts her.
She soon frees and revives all of her friends that had been destroyed or captured by the flying monkeys. They get back to the Emerald City and soon discover that the wizard is a fraud. He is eventually able to offer them placebos of what they are requesting so all of the companions get what they asked for. He decides to fulfill Dorothy's wish he has to fly her back himself in a balloon, but in an unfortunate event ends up leaving without her.
Dorothy is left having to go meet the Good Witch of the South to try to get back to Kansas. After a short trip they meet the Witch who helps her out and she uses the silver shoes to get back to Kansas easily.
My Opinion
I never realized how much the beginning sequence of the Wizard of Oz movie does for the plot where Dorothy runs away. It really sets the scene where she is always regretful on her journey through Oz that she treated her friends and family so poorly the last she saw them. The fact that it isn't present in the book is really jarring and leaves a lot of emotional depth out of the book.
The meeting of the companions is pretty similar to the movie and that's good. I really like the gradual progression of her slowly making friends. One thing I think the book did better is how off the companions more. You really get to see that they already have the qualities that they are seeking. I love that we get to make this conclusion a little better throughout the story.
Another thing I don't like is the Wizard giving the companions the Placebo items to make them feel better. I really wish they would have just came to the conclusion that the qualities were inside them the whole time, they just needed the help of their friends to fully realize it. This would've had a better impact to me.
The end journey at the end of the book seems kind of unnecessary. It adds a little to the world building, letting us further experience the world of Oz, and kind of gives the companions a little closure, although they kind of already had that. I think the movie again does this better where Glenda appears to Dorothy in the Emerald City instead.
Overall, I think this is a fun, lighthearted story book that would be great to read to a child. However, the book really added to the depth of this story in my opinion and is actually the better way to experience it. Definitely worth reading once to understand where the movie was coming from but doesn't have enough deepness to be worth revisiting often.
Story
The story starts off kind of abruptly with Dorothy pretty much immediately getting swept up in the tornado and falling into Oz. She kills the Wicked Witch of the East on accident and dons the SILVER shoes and with the help of a good witch heads towards the Emerald City on the yellow brick road.
On the way she meets 3 companions who all decide to join her and ask the wizard of Oz for something themselves. The scarecrow wants a brain, the tinman wants a heart, and the lion wants courage. Throughout the journey these companions all showcase the very qualities that they claim they don't have and are going to Oz for.
Eventually the reach the Emerald City where eventually they meet with the wizard. He simply tells them they have to kill the Wicked Witch of the West for him to grant their wishes. On the way there the Witch calls the flying monkeys to take care of them all. Dorothy ends up as a slave for awhile. Eventually, in a fit of rage Dorothy throws a bucket of water at the Witch, not knowing what it would do, and melts her.
She soon frees and revives all of her friends that had been destroyed or captured by the flying monkeys. They get back to the Emerald City and soon discover that the wizard is a fraud. He is eventually able to offer them placebos of what they are requesting so all of the companions get what they asked for. He decides to fulfill Dorothy's wish he has to fly her back himself in a balloon, but in an unfortunate event ends up leaving without her.
Dorothy is left having to go meet the Good Witch of the South to try to get back to Kansas. After a short trip they meet the Witch who helps her out and she uses the silver shoes to get back to Kansas easily.
My Opinion
I never realized how much the beginning sequence of the Wizard of Oz movie does for the plot where Dorothy runs away. It really sets the scene where she is always regretful on her journey through Oz that she treated her friends and family so poorly the last she saw them. The fact that it isn't present in the book is really jarring and leaves a lot of emotional depth out of the book.
The meeting of the companions is pretty similar to the movie and that's good. I really like the gradual progression of her slowly making friends. One thing I think the book did better is how off the companions more. You really get to see that they already have the qualities that they are seeking. I love that we get to make this conclusion a little better throughout the story.
Another thing I don't like is the Wizard giving the companions the Placebo items to make them feel better. I really wish they would have just came to the conclusion that the qualities were inside them the whole time, they just needed the help of their friends to fully realize it. This would've had a better impact to me.
The end journey at the end of the book seems kind of unnecessary. It adds a little to the world building, letting us further experience the world of Oz, and kind of gives the companions a little closure, although they kind of already had that. I think the movie again does this better where Glenda appears to Dorothy in the Emerald City instead.
Overall, I think this is a fun, lighthearted story book that would be great to read to a child. However, the book really added to the depth of this story in my opinion and is actually the better way to experience it. Definitely worth reading once to understand where the movie was coming from but doesn't have enough deepness to be worth revisiting often.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
With the movie being the staple for the classic Hollywood era and being such a fan of the technicolor dream that it is. I was interesting to discover that the 'Oz' story was more than just one book, but a whole collection. After reading this first entry I must say I was very disappointed. On the positive side the movie is almost word for word, chapter to scene faithful to the book. Leaving out a few things here and there, I'd say one of the best movies to do so. My problem with this story is the way it is written. For such a fantastica and inspired premise, the storytelling is very much lacking the magic. There are lots of instances where Baum is quite literally using "and this happened and that and this and that" I counted 26 uses of the word "and" on a single page. I understand the writer may of been using the speech patterns of a child to seem appealing to this demographic, but after 100 pages of "and and and and" it becomes very tiresome and noticeable. I am weary to continue on with the 'Oz' series if this is going to be the case for all the books. Overall fairly disappointed with it. One of the few instances where the movie is far far better than the book.
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
the book was good but it was super slow and not as action packed or interesting compared to the movie. the scenes felt bland to me instead of being alive and sucking me into the book
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I mean... I wanted a quick pallet cleanser and I got it.
I tried to go read up on the symbolism, but that wasn't nearly as clean cut as I thought. The book is short, and the writing style certainly reflects the times.
I think I'd say that the best part of this book is what it allowed to be created. It's impossible to say how I would have felt about this book if I'd had been around when it came out, but we wouldn't have some truly remarkable art without the inspiration this novel gives. But you don't need to read this to get there. And that's okay.
I tried to go read up on the symbolism, but that wasn't nearly as clean cut as I thought. The book is short, and the writing style certainly reflects the times.
I think I'd say that the best part of this book is what it allowed to be created. It's impossible to say how I would have felt about this book if I'd had been around when it came out, but we wouldn't have some truly remarkable art without the inspiration this novel gives. But you don't need to read this to get there. And that's okay.
March 2020 update: I just read this aloud for work on YouTube and it was such a fun read aloud! Such a great series.
Originally reviewed on Books Take You Places
I am sure that many of you are at least slightly familiar with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. However, many of you probably don’t know that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is only book one in the original series of 14! Those of you who follow my blog know that I am a collector of Oz books, specifically of any editions from the original series, though I have read a few from the continuations.
The Wizard of Oz series was created by L. Frank Baum in 1900, the last book by Baum, Glinda of Oz was published posthumously in 1920. The series titles are as follows:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
The Road to Oz
The Emerald City of Oz
The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Tik-Tok of Oz
The Scarecrow of Oz
Rinkitink In Oz
The Lost Princess of Oz
The Tin-Woodman of Oz
The Magic of Oz
Glinda of Oz
Those of you who are only familiar with the film version of The Wizard of Oz are missing out on some things from the book so in lieu of a traditional and in depth review I am going to provide you with a longer summary than I usually do and then give you some insight to my feelings.
As many of you know Dorothy is a young girl who lives in Kansas on a farm with her little dog Toto, her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Life on the farm is not too thrilling for Dorothy until the day the cyclone appears and whisks both Dorothy and Toto away to the Land of Oz. They are planted right in the middle of the Munchkin Country and soon find that their house has landed on (and vanquished) The Wicked Witch of the West. The Good Witch of the North (Not Glinda) comes to Dorothy and provides her with the silver shoes (not red) from the now dead Wicked Witch. She then tells Dorothy that if she wishes to return home to Kansas she must follow The Yellow Brick Road to The Emerald City and ask The Wizard of Oz to help her.
The journey that follows enables her to cross paths and assist The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion. These three decide to accompany Dorothy on her journey to see The Wizard, The Scarecrow is in search of a brain, The Tin Woodman desires a heart, and The Cowardly Lion would like some courage. Over their journey they overcome many obstacles, such as one of my favorite Ozian predators: kalidahs, creatures that have bodies like bears, heads like tigers, and claws long and sharp enough to tear a lion in two. The gang survives their meeting with these characters and their trip through a field of poppies and finally arrive at The Emerald City.
At The Emerald City the group finally obtains a meeting with The Wizard, but each meets him alone, and each sees him as something completely different and unique to their wants or fears. For example, Dorothy sees The Wizard as a giant head, The Scarecrow sees a giant ball of fire, The Tin Woodman sees a beautiful woman and The Cowardly Lion observes a beast. After their meeting, The Wizard says that he will help them obtain what they wish if one of them kills The Wicked Witch of the West. The travelers set off to The Winkie Country in search of The Wicked Witch of the West.
The Wicked Witch of the West is very cunning and evil, and she tries her best to kill the group traveling toward her. First, The Wicked Witch sends her wolves to try and kill Dorothy and her friends, the Tin Woodman uses his ax and kills them all. After this fails, The Wicked Witch sends her crows to try and peck the travelers eyes out but The Scarecrow saves them by grabbing them and breaking their necks. The Wicked Witch then sends a swarm of bees after them to sting them to death, the travelers use The Scarecrow’s straw to hide under and the bees die attempting to attack the Tin Woodman. The Winkie soldiers then attempt to attack the crew and The Cowardly Lion succeeds in scaring them off and finally, The Wicked Witch uses the Golden Cap to summon the Winged Monkeys to capture Dorothy.
After The Wicked Witch of the West has Dorothy in her clutches she is able to trick Dorothy into handing over one of her silver shoes. This angers Dorothy and she promptly picks up the closest thing to her, a bucket of water, and throws it over The Witch, which to her surprise, melts and vanquishes her. Dorothy then uses The Golden Cap to summon the Winged Monkeys and carry her and her companions back to the Emerald City.
At the Emerald City Toto reveals The Wizard to be a regular man who has traveled to Oz in his hot air balloon. He provides The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion with focuses for their heart’s desires. He decides that he will return Dorothy to Kansas by using his hot air balloon and places The Scarecrow in charge of Oz. Unfortunately the hot air balloon leaves without Dorothy and they are forced on another journey, this time to Glinda’s Palace in the Quadling Country. They must again journey through treacherous lands past Hammer-Heads and Fighting Trees.
Once they finally get to Glinda’s Palace, she tells Dorothy that The Silver Shoes have the ability to bring her wherever she wishes to go. Through their travels, The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion fought their own battles and won their own rights to rule different kingdoms once Dorothy leaves. She says her farewells, clicks her heels together three times and is returned home to Kansas. The end!
“Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.”
So, there’s no place like home, right? As a kid, that was not the case for me. Before Harry Potter made its way into my life, these books were my escape and obsession. I used to sit in my tiny bedroom and wish as hard as I could that I would be taken away via silver shoes or magic belt. I own every book in the original series and to be honest this book is actually my least favorite. The series continues in a beautiful way and the lands become broader and the characters deeper and significantly more fun and unique. If you have some time and are looking for some quick reads to remind you why you fell in love with reading in the first place, I suggest picking up some books in this series. Later on in the week I will be reviewing the movie for you (another obsession of mine) and we can talk about the significant differences between print and film then. For now, tell me, have you read any of the Oz books? Do you have a favorite memory or character?
Originally reviewed on Books Take You Places
I am sure that many of you are at least slightly familiar with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. However, many of you probably don’t know that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is only book one in the original series of 14! Those of you who follow my blog know that I am a collector of Oz books, specifically of any editions from the original series, though I have read a few from the continuations.
The Wizard of Oz series was created by L. Frank Baum in 1900, the last book by Baum, Glinda of Oz was published posthumously in 1920. The series titles are as follows:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
The Road to Oz
The Emerald City of Oz
The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Tik-Tok of Oz
The Scarecrow of Oz
Rinkitink In Oz
The Lost Princess of Oz
The Tin-Woodman of Oz
The Magic of Oz
Glinda of Oz
Those of you who are only familiar with the film version of The Wizard of Oz are missing out on some things from the book so in lieu of a traditional and in depth review I am going to provide you with a longer summary than I usually do and then give you some insight to my feelings.
As many of you know Dorothy is a young girl who lives in Kansas on a farm with her little dog Toto, her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Life on the farm is not too thrilling for Dorothy until the day the cyclone appears and whisks both Dorothy and Toto away to the Land of Oz. They are planted right in the middle of the Munchkin Country and soon find that their house has landed on (and vanquished) The Wicked Witch of the West. The Good Witch of the North (Not Glinda) comes to Dorothy and provides her with the silver shoes (not red) from the now dead Wicked Witch. She then tells Dorothy that if she wishes to return home to Kansas she must follow The Yellow Brick Road to The Emerald City and ask The Wizard of Oz to help her.
The journey that follows enables her to cross paths and assist The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion. These three decide to accompany Dorothy on her journey to see The Wizard, The Scarecrow is in search of a brain, The Tin Woodman desires a heart, and The Cowardly Lion would like some courage. Over their journey they overcome many obstacles, such as one of my favorite Ozian predators: kalidahs, creatures that have bodies like bears, heads like tigers, and claws long and sharp enough to tear a lion in two. The gang survives their meeting with these characters and their trip through a field of poppies and finally arrive at The Emerald City.
At The Emerald City the group finally obtains a meeting with The Wizard, but each meets him alone, and each sees him as something completely different and unique to their wants or fears. For example, Dorothy sees The Wizard as a giant head, The Scarecrow sees a giant ball of fire, The Tin Woodman sees a beautiful woman and The Cowardly Lion observes a beast. After their meeting, The Wizard says that he will help them obtain what they wish if one of them kills The Wicked Witch of the West. The travelers set off to The Winkie Country in search of The Wicked Witch of the West.
The Wicked Witch of the West is very cunning and evil, and she tries her best to kill the group traveling toward her. First, The Wicked Witch sends her wolves to try and kill Dorothy and her friends, the Tin Woodman uses his ax and kills them all. After this fails, The Wicked Witch sends her crows to try and peck the travelers eyes out but The Scarecrow saves them by grabbing them and breaking their necks. The Wicked Witch then sends a swarm of bees after them to sting them to death, the travelers use The Scarecrow’s straw to hide under and the bees die attempting to attack the Tin Woodman. The Winkie soldiers then attempt to attack the crew and The Cowardly Lion succeeds in scaring them off and finally, The Wicked Witch uses the Golden Cap to summon the Winged Monkeys to capture Dorothy.
After The Wicked Witch of the West has Dorothy in her clutches she is able to trick Dorothy into handing over one of her silver shoes. This angers Dorothy and she promptly picks up the closest thing to her, a bucket of water, and throws it over The Witch, which to her surprise, melts and vanquishes her. Dorothy then uses The Golden Cap to summon the Winged Monkeys and carry her and her companions back to the Emerald City.
At the Emerald City Toto reveals The Wizard to be a regular man who has traveled to Oz in his hot air balloon. He provides The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion with focuses for their heart’s desires. He decides that he will return Dorothy to Kansas by using his hot air balloon and places The Scarecrow in charge of Oz. Unfortunately the hot air balloon leaves without Dorothy and they are forced on another journey, this time to Glinda’s Palace in the Quadling Country. They must again journey through treacherous lands past Hammer-Heads and Fighting Trees.
Once they finally get to Glinda’s Palace, she tells Dorothy that The Silver Shoes have the ability to bring her wherever she wishes to go. Through their travels, The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion fought their own battles and won their own rights to rule different kingdoms once Dorothy leaves. She says her farewells, clicks her heels together three times and is returned home to Kansas. The end!
“Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.”
So, there’s no place like home, right? As a kid, that was not the case for me. Before Harry Potter made its way into my life, these books were my escape and obsession. I used to sit in my tiny bedroom and wish as hard as I could that I would be taken away via silver shoes or magic belt. I own every book in the original series and to be honest this book is actually my least favorite. The series continues in a beautiful way and the lands become broader and the characters deeper and significantly more fun and unique. If you have some time and are looking for some quick reads to remind you why you fell in love with reading in the first place, I suggest picking up some books in this series. Later on in the week I will be reviewing the movie for you (another obsession of mine) and we can talk about the significant differences between print and film then. For now, tell me, have you read any of the Oz books? Do you have a favorite memory or character?
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(B+) 86% | AGES 13+ | I mean. It was good. There wasn’t anything fascinating. This will never be as fascinating as seeing the movie itself, but it was good. It’s the same thing. I only read this because it was a quick read and I was pretty curious. This reminded me of when I watched the live action The Lion King. It was the same thing, just in “live action.” It’s the same thing in this case. It’s the Wizard of Oz, just in book form, and also a bit different.