A review by punziereads3
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This was very interesting to read as a long time lover of the movie and it is crazy how much they stray from the book for the movie. Characters are scrapped and others enlarged and just so many iconic qualities that were never in this original. I loved reading that for that point but it didn’t really read like a super memorable fun childhood book so i am a bit shocked that it was picked to become such an iconic film. I do think a lot of the underlying messaging can be found even if the author didn’t want it to be but it is so prevalent how terrible a person the wizard is and how he has manipulated an entire country. And truly how manipulated the three companions are with how they view themselves. Sorry but it reads as dictatorship and under the rule of a tyrant. 

But overall it is quite a fun ride. I wish the wicked witch was a bigger part of the story originally but she’s only around for one chapter. I also got bored of the amount of times they detail to us that Dorothy went to sleep for the night as did the lion and Toto but the scarecrow and Tin man stood guard. I get it’s a children’s book and i would normally excuse it. But my god they say it sooooo many times.