The Wizard of Oz

By L. Frank Baum and William Wallace Denslow

“There is no place like home.”

We all know the movie and storyline well. But have you ever read the original novel? Influenced by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, L. Frank Baum created this classic story and fantasy using the dream of young Dorothy on her journey home to demonstrate the theme of good vs. evil. Throughout her adventure, she encounters several newfound friends: a scarecrow, a tin woodman, and a cowardly lion. They traverse the land of Oz together by following the famous yellow brick road to the stunning Emerald City. Though they encounter surprises along the way, what they find in the Emerald City shocks them. 

 

The Wizard of Oz is one of the best-known and most widely translated stories in popular culture, and the immediate success of The Wizard of Oz inspired L. Frank Baum to write thirteen more Oz books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Canterbury Classics
• Release date: Oct 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781607109549

L. Frank Baum

Lyman Frank Baum was born in 1856 in Chittenango in the state of New York. Educated mostly at home due to ill health, he was encouraged by his wealthy father to pursue his early interests in journalism and playwriting. He started his first magazine aged fifteen, had his own theatre at twenty-four and worked for many newspapers and periodicals before turning to children's fiction with stories he had made up for his own four sons. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, was his third bestselling book in as many years, and launched the series of Oz titles. Baum had moved with his family to Hollywood following the huge success of the books and stage adaptations. His own Oz Film Manufacturing Company failed to capitalize on the stories, and the hugely popular movie The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland, was not made until twenty years after Baum's death in 1939.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.

Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as historical in the children’s library; for the time has come for a series of newer wonder tales in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incidents.

Having this thought in mind, the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.

L. Frank Baum

Chicago, April, 1900.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

CHAPTER I

THE CYCLONE

Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer’s wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty-looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. There was no garret at all, and no cellar—except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trapdoor in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.

When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions. The sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it. Even the grass was not green, for the sun had burned the tops of the long blades until they were the same gray color to be seen everywhere. Once the house had been painted, but the sun blistered the paint and the rains washed it away, and now the house was as dull and gray as everything else.

When Aunt Em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife. The sun and wind had changed her, too. They had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray; they had taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and they were gray also. She was thin and gaunt, and never smiled now. When Dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, Aunt Em had been so startled by the child’s laughter that she would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever Dorothy’s merry voice reached her ears; and she still looked at the little girl with wonder that she could find anything to laugh at.

Uncle Henry never laughed. He worked hard from morning till night and did not know what joy was. He was gray also, from his long beard to his rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn, and rarely spoke.

It was Toto that made Dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings. Toto was not gray; he was a little black dog, with long silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of his funny, wee nose. Toto played all day long, and Dorothy played with him, and loved him dearly.

Today, however, they were not playing. Uncle Henry sat upon the doorstep and looked anxiously at the sky, which was even grayer than usual. Dorothy stood in the door with Toto in her arms, and looked at the sky too. Aunt Em was washing the dishes.

From the far north they heard a low wail of the wind, and Uncle Henry and Dorothy could see where the long grass bowed in waves before the coming storm. There now came a sharp whistling in the air from the south, and as they turned their eyes that way they saw ripples in the grass coming from that direction also.

Suddenly Uncle Henry stood up.

There’s a cyclone coming, Em, he called to his wife. I’ll go look after the stock. Then he ran toward the sheds where the cows and horses were kept.

Aunt Em dropped her work and came to the door. One glance told her of the danger close at hand.

Quick, Dorothy! she screamed. Run for the cellar!

Toto jumped out of Dorothy’s arms and hid under the bed, and the girl started to get him. Aunt Em, badly frightened, threw open the trapdoor in the floor and climbed down the ladder into the small, dark hole. Dorothy caught Toto at last and started to follow her aunt. When she was halfway across the room there came a great shriek from the wind, and the house shook so hard that she lost her footing and sat down suddenly upon the floor.

Then a strange thing happened.

The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon.

The north and south winds met where the house stood, and made it the exact center of the cyclone. In the middle of a cyclone the air is generally still, but the great pressure of the wind on every side of the house raised it up higher and higher, until it was at the very top of the cyclone; and there it remained and was carried miles and miles away as easily as you could carry a feather.

It was very dark, and the wind howled horribly around her, but Dorothy found she was riding quite easily. After the first few whirls around, and one other time when the house tipped badly, she felt as if she were being rocked gently, like a baby in a cradle.

Toto did not like it. He ran about the room, now here, now there, barking loudly; but Dorothy sat quite still on the floor and waited to see what would happen.

Once Toto got too near the open trapdoor, and fell in; and at first the little girl thought she had lost him. But soon she saw one of his ears sticking up through the hole, for the strong pressure of the air was keeping him up so that he could not fall. She crept to the hole, caught Toto by the ear, and dragged him into the room again, afterward closing the trapdoor so that no more accidents could happen.

Hour after hour passed away, and slowly Dorothy got over her fright; but she felt quite lonely, and the wind shrieked so loudly all about her that she nearly became deaf. At first she had wondered if she would be dashed to pieces when the house fell again; but as the hours passed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly and see what the future would bring. At last she crawled over the swaying floor to her bed, and lay down upon it; and Toto followed and lay down beside her.

In spite of the swaying of the house and the wailing of the wind, Dorothy soon closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.

She caught Toto by the ear.

She caught Toto by the ear.

CHAPTER II

THE COUNCIL WITH THE MUNCHKINS

She was awakened by a shock, so sudden and severe that if Dorothy had not been lying on the soft bed she might have been hurt. As it was, the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened; and Toto put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally. Dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room. She sprang from her bed and with Toto at her heels ran and opened the door.

The little girl gave a cry of amazement and looked about her, her eyes growing bigger and bigger at the wonderful sights she saw.

The cyclone had set the house down very gently—for a cyclone—in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty. There were lovely patches of greensward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits. Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes. A little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between green banks, and murmuring in a voice very grateful to a little girl who had lived so long on the dry, gray prairies.

While she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older.

Three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed. They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. The hats of the men were blue; the little woman’s hat was white, and she wore a white gown that hung in pleats from her shoulders. Over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like diamonds. The men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore well-polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops. The men, Dorothy thought, were about as old as Uncle Henry, for two of them had beards. But the little woman was doubtless much older. Her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she walked rather stiffly.

When these people drew near the house where Dorothy was standing in the doorway, they paused and whispered among themselves, as if afraid to come farther. But the little old woman walked up to Dorothy, made a low bow and said, in a sweet voice:

You are welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins. We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage.

Dorothy listened to this speech with wonder. What could the little woman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and saying she had killed the Wicked Witch of the East? Dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl, who had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home; and she had never killed anything in all her life.

But the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said, with hesitation, You are very kind, but there must be some mistake. I have not killed anything.

Your house did, anyway, replied the little old woman, with a laugh, and that is the same thing. See! she continued, pointing to the corner of the house. There are her two feet, still sticking out from under a block of wood.

Dorothy looked, and gave a little cry of fright. There, indeed, just under the corner of the great beam the house rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in Silver Shoes with pointed toes.

Oh, dear! Oh, dear! cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay. The house must have fallen on her. Whatever shall we do?

There is nothing to be done, said the little woman calmly.

But who was she? asked Dorothy.

She was the Wicked Witch of the East, as I said, answered the little woman. She has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day. Now they are all set free, and are grateful to you for the favor.

Who are the Munchkins? inquired Dorothy.

They are the people who live in this land of the East where the Wicked Witch ruled.

Are you a Munchkin? asked Dorothy.

No, but I am their friend, although I live in the land of the North. When they saw the Witch of the East was dead the Munchkins sent a swift messenger to me, and I came at once. I am the Witch of the North.

Oh, gracious! cried Dorothy. Are you a real witch?

Yes, indeed, answered the little woman. But I am a good witch, and the people love me. I am not as powerful as the Wicked Witch was who ruled here, or I should have set the people free myself.

But I thought all witches were wicked, said the girl, who was half frightened at facing a real witch.

Oh, no, that is a great mistake. There were only four witches in all the Land of Oz, and two of them, those who live in the North and the South, are good witches. I know this is true, for I am one of them myself, and cannot be mistaken. Those who dwelt in the East and the West were, indeed, wicked witches; but now that you have killed one of them, there is but one Wicked Witch in all the Land of Oz—the one who lives in the West.

“I am the Witch of the North.”

I am the Witch of the North.

But, said Dorothy, after a moment’s thought, Aunt Em has told me that the witches were all dead—years and years ago.

Who is Aunt Em? inquired the little old woman.

She is my aunt who lives in Kansas, where I came from.

The Witch of the North seemed to think for a time, with her head bowed and her eyes upon the ground. Then she looked up and said, I do not know where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country mentioned before. But tell me, is it a civilized country?

Oh, yes, replied Dorothy.

Then that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have witches and wizards amongst us.

Who are the wizards? asked Dorothy.

Oz himself is the Great Wizard, answered the Witch, sinking her voice to a whisper. He is more powerful than all the rest of us together. He lives in the City of Emeralds.

Dorothy was going to ask

Reviews for The Wizard of Oz

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I never read this in childhood, but I loved the Judy Garland film as a child. The book is a charmer, worth reading even if you've seen the film countless times. There are quite a few differences. For one the illustrations suggest a very young Dorothy--about six or so--not sixteen like Judy Garland in the film. The Dorothy of the book wears silver shoes, not ruby slippers. There are lots of other small details that are different, as well as whole chapters that never made it into the film--such as "The Queen of the Field Mice" and "The Dainty China Country." One thing was really striking given the film adaptation. Everything in Kansas is described as gray, the "sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass" and even Uncle Henry's and Aunt Em's faces are gray--then when she gets to Oz it's filled with vibrant color. It seemed so right then that the part of the movie set in Kansas is black and white, while Oz is filmed in color. I don't know that as an adult, this quite appeals to me as much as Lewis Carroll's Alice books, and I don't think I'll be seeking out the rest of the series (Baum wrote 14 in all) but I can certainly see why this is seen as the classic American children's book, the way Carroll's is for Britain or Grimm's Fairy Tales for Germany.By the way, I've read the books were continually challenged from the time the first was published (1900) to as recently as 1987 because they presented some witches as good--and because it featured strong female characters. Heavens. And I thought the uproar over Harry Potter among some was screwy....

[msbridgetreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Rating: 5/5

Read from July 22 to August 03, 2013 — I own a copy
This Review has light spoilers.
This book is one of those cases that the movie is good, but so does not do justice for the book.

The movie left out so much that I would have loved to have seen in the movie. Naturally, some things that are in the book, I’m glad they left out because it is not meant to be seen by younger audiences; unless you make an Adult/Young Adult version like they do with the fairy tales these days. But I did enjoy the book. It took me so long to read it because I just wasn’t in the mood to read but it is good.
One of my favorite parts of the book were when they went to kill the Wicked Witch of the West and ran into the Winkies. And another part was the China People. Both of them I enjoyed.

This book is one of my favorites this year. There are some parts in this book that I wouldn’t suggest for younger children (Under 10 y/o, and even that’s kind of pushing it, depending on your child).

There was a part where the Tinman chopped off a few heads, and for me, younger children, if they’re a little more sensitive to that type of violence, I wouldn't suggest you let them read it until you know they can handle it. It didn't get detailed beyond saying he chopped off the heads but still, that much could upset some kids if they are sensitive. And there is also a part with a large spider as well.

I generally try to keep spoilers out of my reviews, but in this case, for those who haven’t read the book yet, I wanted to give some idea what was in it. Now, I don’t know if all editions are the same, but the one I read had those things mentioned in the spoilers. If you like classics, I would suggest this book to anyone.

[lyssacle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although I've seen the 1939 film and more recent films, I had no idea what to expect. I remember looking at all of the L. Frank Baum books at the library, but never picked one up.

I shouldn't be surprised by the darkness in the books, but coming from contemporary children's stories, I seem to have coddled my own understanding of the frankness and abrupt nature that "evil" is dealt with at the turn of the century.

I enjoyed the book, probably more so because I have so many other versions to compare it to. I have yet to read Wicked, but I prefer this story to the other adaptations.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This Kindle edition of the classic children's book where Dorothy is carried by a tornado to the land of Oz is a pleasant read, very reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's Alice books. It is lavishly illustrated throughout, though the name of the illustrator on the cover differs from that on the title page (this may explain why Dorothy looks a bit different in some pictures - never like Judy Garland, though!). A nice, lighter read. 4/5

[crunchymunchkin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In most cases, I prefer the original books over their movie adaptions.The Wizard of Oz, however, took the best from the source material and embellished what was missing, adding what they needed to in order to create a truly magical experience that has endured to this day. Whereas the movie is tightly scripted, the book meanders and includes somewhat unnecessary (and violent) encounters with killer bees, evil crows and bloodthirsty wolves. Surprising really, considering Baum did not intend for it to be as violent as fairytales of the past.

[saretta7l · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

La storia del Mago di Oz la conoscono tutti tra film e citazioni in altre serie (e.g. Futurama).A rileggerlo però è proprio un bel romanzo per bambini con il tema del viaggio e delle prove da superare per i quattro protagonisti.Oz insegna che forse è inutile cercare di avere quello che si ottiene con l'esperienza e che forse si aveva già, mentre Dorothy ci ricorda quanto sia bello tornare a casa.---The story of the magician of Oz is well known thanks also to books and quotes in series (e.g. Futurama).I re-read it and I found this book a very interesting children novel that contains the theme of the travel and obstacles that the four protagonists have to overcome.Oz tells us that maybe what we already have what we are searching for and that experience helps in becoming better people, Dorothy instead remembers us how wonderful is coming back home.

[audacity88_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a travesty that this book has been eclipsed by the 1939 movie made of it. Whereas the movie is a simple morality tale, the book is full of delicious ironies; two in particular that stand out are1) the Emerald City's not actually being emerald, and2) the fact that Dorothy's three companions clearly possess in spades the qualities which they believe themselves to lack.How could a man wearing a silly looking lion costume ever properly represent the fearsome Lion from this book?

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favourites! I just recently finished reading this (again), but this time to my 6yob. If you've only seen the movie, be warned, the book is very different. The whole wicked witch story comprises only one chapter of this book.

[ajaygx · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Classic children fiction...

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This lavishly illustrated picture book is an abridged version of the original book, Wizard of Oz, first in the OZ series. The story bears similarities to the popular movie of the same name, but is quite drastically different. Dorothy hitches a ride on a tornado, and flattens a witch beneath her house, but the magic shoes are silver. She lands in the land of the Munchkins and meets a good witch; not Glinda, this one is kindly and elderly and short. The Good Witch of the North kisses Dorothy on the forehead, giving her a charm that protects her against evil, although Dorothy is unaware of the kiss's power. She and Toto set off on the yellow brick road, in search of the and the powerful Wizard of Oz. En route, they meet the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion. These three new companions learn about the wizard from Dorothy, and decide they can use a little help, too. The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Woodsman wants a heart, and the Lion wants courage. Their journey has many obstacles, however, like the deep abyss in the road or the field of poppies that causes all people and animals to fall asleep. Once they finally reach the Emerald City, they are greeted with the city guard, who locks a pair of green spectacles on everyone's head, even Toto. They are allowed into the wizard's presence, but the vast floating head

[laf_78 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is a an outstanding book where a girl, named Dorothy, gets whisked away by a tornado to the Wonderful World of Oz.In this story, Dorothy has to talk to a talking Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and a Tin Woodman. She must find the Wizard of Oz to send her back home, but when she gets to Oz, she finds that he is an imposter. After that, Dorothy goes to Glinda, the good witch, who gives her a pair of flying shoes which Dorothy uses to fly home.If you think about it, isn't Dorothy like the Greek God, Hermes, the messenger of the gods? They both have flying shoes. Hermes took people to the land of the dead, and Dorothy leads the tin woodman, lion, and the scarecrow to the City of Emeralds to find Oz. Could the Tin Woodman be one of Hephaestus' automatons? Could the Cowardly Lion be like the Nemean Lion, a vicious monster? Ha, Ha. Was this book inspired by Greek Mythology? (Answer the poll on the right sidebar, or post a comment to give me your opinion.)The moral of the story seems to be that there is no place like home. I think that because even when Dorothy had a whole kingdom at her fingertips, she still missed home.This book also has flabbergasting ***chuckles*** illustrations. They are inked drawings, with amazing effects. For example, in the illustration at the beginning of Chapter 4 - The Road through the Forest, you can almost see into the forest with the 3D effect.ozI recommend this book to anybody who wants a fantasy adventure story. It's a thrill ride all the way through.

[sandsing7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So, so, so very different from the movie! And so much better! I feel an affection for the story now that I never had before, and I feel much better now about my dislike of the movie considering how much the original story was butchered!

[wildeaboutoscar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a quaint tale about the wonders of the placebo effect.

[stieglitzcnewaccount · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This classic novel, as most people know, is about Dorothy from Kansas, who rides in a tornado to OZ and tries to find her way home. This is the first time i ever read this book, and i thought it was very enjoyable.I found this book to be quite imaginative and fun to read as dorothy encounters many strange situations as she is trying to find the way to go back home.

[lamotamant · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I watched The Wizard of Oz plenty of times as a kid. And by this I mean that I typically lasted until the end of the Lollipop Guild number and then I was out like Glinda the Good passed me the poppy dust to end all poppy dust. So it wasn't until I was older that I actually succeeded in watching the whole yellow brick road unfold, still, I liked it. What's more, I really fell in love with red shoes. And skipping.

All that being said, the book was okay. I kept hearing "weeee'reee OFF to see The Wizard..." running around in my head the whole way through and I felt some poppy dust creeping along at moments. But it was cute enough and potentially more interesting as the rest of the books come into play. We'll see.

[shannaredwind_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just finished reading this to the kids and they loved it. They can't wait to start on the next book in the series.

[coralsiren · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorite movies as a child, so I was curious to see what the original story was like. I was a little bit disappointed and I definitely like the movie version was better, but it was very interesting to see all the differences between the movie and the book.

[bribre01 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz movie, I can't believe it's taken me this long to read the book. It's a cute, entertaining story with much more detail about the land of Oz. I'm also a fan of Gregory Mcquire's Wicked series, and I was interested to find some of the characters from his books in the original book (Boq). The entire time I was reading I kept thinking that I can't wait to share the book with my kids someday. I now want to read the entire series.

[kaionvin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don't think many more than a few fans of L. Frank Baum's 14-book Oz series claim The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a favorite. Speaking as a childhood Oz fan myself, I always considered this as not much more than a forgettable set-up for the much more interesting excursions that occur later in the series (with Ozma, and Glinda, and Captain Bill, and *insert your favorite combination of characters here*).Rereading this now, as an adult, it's easy to see why: Baum's prose here is rather stilted and almost dour at times. It's not helped along by W. W. Denslow's illustrations, which, while rather intelligently using the limited color-printing to great effect, interpret Oz almost as a toy land. His Dorothy and crew in action seem almost dumpy and static, posed doll-like even, in comparison to the more sprightly drawings of John R. Neill (illustrator of the remaining 13 books by Baum, and the next 24 canon Oz books, including three he penned himself).Yet in one way, Baum was entirely successful: he created a new American fairy tale. His talent for creating memorable characters created from both pillaged archetypes (echoes of parables and folktales abound) and strange invention is in full force here. And they tap into symbolic universal struggles. The iconic Dorothy, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, the humbug Wizard- they’ve become intrinsic within pop culture. In that way, I’m really glad I reread it, not taking my own memories, “the populist interpretation”, Wicked, etc- as “good-enough” readings of the text.This Oz isn’t the Technicolor dreamland of the 1939 MGM musical; this isn’t the joyful utopian adventure-land I remember. The land of Oz surprised me in both its simplicity and dangerous charm. The characters astounded me over and over again: Dorothy’s blessed frank and common-sense nature, the Scarecrow philosophical argument about the benefits of mind over heart, the Wizard’s people-pleasing nature, the Tin Man’s combination of compassionate heart and brutal ax hand. Please don’t take my word for it- it’s something new and something old… and unforgettable.

[puffybear_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a really, really enjoyable book and is one of those must read books. I really, really liked it.In this story a cyclone hits Dorothy's house in Kansas and, the cyclone caries Dorothy and her little dog Toto to a faraway land called "The land of Oz".There, she meets four new friends...The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion.So Dorothy and her friends decide to go to a famous wizard called Oz. They all want to go there for a reason...Dorothy -To get back to Kansas, The Scarecrow -To get new brains, The Tin Woodman -To get a heart and The Cowardly Lion Wants to get.Will Dorothy and her friends make it to the Great Oz?

[systersara · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Easily read nice book. Even if you've seen the movie there are still surprises, which is nice./SysterSara

[angiesangels · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh my gosh! I loved this movie as a kid and I loved the book as a child too, both for different reasons. Reading this book again as an adult, it brought back wonderful memories of my Grandma and I reading this together when I was a child. How could any reader, young or old, not like this book?! This wonderful classic takes the reader on a wonderful journey to far away lands full of magic and wonder. With a wonderful plot and such classically wonderful characters this is an instant love for any reader. The wonder of the plot of being swept away to a far away land and trying to find a way home is great for the imagination. The characters only add to that love and wonder. With characters like Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy, Toto, the witches (good and bad), and the wizard there is a character for each and every reader to love and to dislike. The pictures are perfect in this book as is the writing. It's a book so fantastic and magical any reader gets lost in the pages and before they know it, the end of the book is upon them. A great book to create great memories with!!5/5 Stars!!

[she_climber · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! I've seen the movie several times but I can't believe how much I enjoyed the story. The little things that were different, the big things that are different. No wonder this is such a timeless classic.

[mirrani_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The charming writing style of Baum reminds me of listening to stories made up at bedtime or around the camp fire. The descriptions of places and the actions of the characters are just enough to keep the plot flowing, but are not so heavy that they drag down the motion either. Baum has a way of describing something so that your mind knows exactly what the thing looks like without having to give a lot of time that would take away from the action.Each character shares the same adventure, but along the way has smaller personal adventures that prove that what they seek is really what they have all along. The reader knows this, but the characters never really do, which is also an interesting idea. This classic stays in the hearts and minds of young children all the way through their adulthood and is always worth reading over and over as we grow up, just to prove that in our hearts we can still be young again.

[lizzybeans11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought I should get around to actually reading the original stories as I have been a life-long fan of the 1939 movie and quite enjoy the book and subsequent musical Wicked. L. Frank Baum's inaugural story was fantastic. It is a classic fairy-tale but instead of being set in a nondescript European atmosphere, it derives it's wonder from a middle-American setting. There are instances of the juvenile in his writing, but then again, Baum did have a very young audience in mind. It's so easy to forget that our beloved films and spin-offs come from a beautiful and solid base, such as Baum's original series. Highly recommended.

[chris177 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The true American fairy tale! We all loved the movie but now is the time for all of us to curl up on the sofa and read L. Frank Baum’s original version of the wonderful land of OZ. This is the first book in the set of 14 books and I must say it was a pleasure to read the real story behind Dorothy and her band of friends as they follow that famous yellow brick road. Some things are familiar in the story; creatures and settings and people that we have seen in the movie. But many, many things are very different. I do not want to mention any of the differences because that is where the fun lays in reading the original version. To find out for yourself what hardships our band of four adventurous souls discover on their journey to the Emerald City. You may find, as I did, that as soon as you finish the first book, you want to read the next book, and then the next book… The great OZ adventure awaits!

[zip_000_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was actually pretty disappointed with the book. My wife suggests that I was disappointed primarily because I already knew the story, but I'm not convinced that's it.I know that it is a children's book, but I guess I was expecting something a little more mature - if I had to say what age range it would appeal to, I'd say about 4 or 5. I guess I was expecting something in the 9-12 age range.The one thing that I did think was done quite well was the way that the author made it obvious to even very young readers that each of the characters - with the exception of Dorothy probably - already had what they were looking for, and making it clear without actually explaining it to them or harping on the fact. The way it was done, the reader "figures it out" on their own, which I would guess would be fun for a kid.

[librisalexandria · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The most beautiful of this novel so far. Illustrations to die for.

[ladycato · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book—a novella by modern standards—remains a pleasant read over a hundred years after Baum first published it in 1900. The basic characters are the same, and some of the same events take place, but I think the movie is a more solid story over all. That said, I still liked it. There is a deep sense of magic to Dorothy’s adventure (with Toto, too) in Oz.

[klefort_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by Baum was reinterpreted through film by MGM studios, as many of you know. The film and the book contrast on certain aspects, such as Dorthy's silver shoes. In the film the shoes are ruby (MGM's colorful alteration). Nevertheless, the idea, the characters, and the adventures are basically the same in both text and movie. Dorthy gets dropped in the Land of Oz after a cyclone picks up her house in Kansas. Throughout the story, she meets the Tin Woodman, The Scarecrow, and the Lion who all accompany her on her adventure to get back to Kansas. Dorthy (unknowingly) posses the power to take her home in her silver shoes the entire time. Unlike Carroll's Wonderland, where we find out that Alice had been dreaming the entire time, in the Wizard of Oz, Baum insists that The Land of Oz is in fact a real place. At the end of the story, Dorthy returns to Kansas by clicking her heels and she sees the new shed that Uncle Henry has built while she was away (the cyclone had destroyed the old shed). Things of this nature happened in real time with Dorthy's disappearance, suggesting that Oz was in fact a real place and Dorthy was not dreaming. However, in the famous MGM film, Dorthy was dreaming after she fainted.