Hopeless: Dorothy in Oz, #1

By Robin Endicott

Hopeless – the book that starts Dorothy's adventure in Oz

Dorothy is a middle-schooler who doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere.

Her life feels like she's caught in a tornado, pulled in different directions without any control. When feelings become reality, Dorothy discovers she needs to take action.

If following a yellow brick road gets her started, that is what she will do.

Author note

Growing up, I enjoyed two movie versions of this book, Judy Garland in Wizard of Oz and Diana Ross in The Wiz. When the authors in the PPR Collective talked about updating public domain books, I jumped at the chance to work on Baum's story.

Upon reading the book published in the 1920s, I found that the movies had strayed significantly and I wanted to also.

Oz opens the imagination. As I read the book, I wondered "What if…"

My mind reeled with many exciting ideas. So, taking inspiration from The Wiz and Amazon's Lost in Oz, I reimagined Dorothy and her friends on their journey through the Land of Oz.

Read carefully and you will find nods to the two movie versions I love. If you discover them, let me know either on my blog or my Facebook page.

Enjoy! This isn't your grandmother's Wizard of Oz.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spanielhill Publishing
• Release date: Nov 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393200413

Book preview

Chapter 1

An Impossible Twister

The old yellow school bus slowly rumbled down the pothole-filled road making an already boring and painful ride take so much longer than it should. If Dorothy had her driver’s license, she would race down this road swerving in and out of the lane to avoid the car-eating pits the road crew had not yet fixed from winter.

But at fourteen, she was not old enough to legally drive even though her Auntie Em had let Dorothy drive her shiny, apple-red Corvette up and down the long farm driveway.

Dorothy let out a sigh of frustration as she slunk deeper into the hard bench seat in the middle of the bus that had been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth. She tried to ignore the laughter coming from the group in the back of the bus.

They were probably making fun of her again. In the two years since her parents had made her move to the middle of nowhere Kansas from the city, those girls had made Dorothy’s life miserable. If it weren’t for her aunt and her dog, Toto, Dorothy would not have any friends at all in this horrible place.

Auntie Em was Dorothy’s mother’s sister and only seven years older than Dorothy. Auntie Em had come to live with them after college because Momma said, Em has large debt from a useless degree. At least that was what Dorothy once heard when her mother didn’t think Dorothy could hear.

To Dorothy, Auntie Em made this place bearable. Dorothy lived on a farm in the middle of Kansas with her parents and Auntie Em. But her parents were usually too busy babying all the new grape vines they planted last year. Some of the kids at school laughed at Dorothy for having a farm that grew wine instead of wheat.

Dorothy tried to ignore those kids, they were mean to everyone. They thought they were special because their families lived here since forever, while Dorothy’s family had only moved to the township two years ago.

The rows of posts and wire with spindly little plants along them came into view. Dorothy gathered her book bag and made her way to the front of the bus. The annoying giggling behind her grew louder, but she refused to look back. Instead, Dorothy straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. Auntie Em always said not to let them see they got to her.

Dorothy brushed her electric-blue hair out of her eyes. She had dyed her dark hair that color last week and was proud of how it made her stand out. So much better than standing out because she wasn’t pale-skinned with blond hair like so many of the other kids at school.

When the bus swayed to a stop and the doors creaked open, Dorothy jumped down onto the pavement and smiled happily. Twenty feet away at the last fencepost, a little tan and black mutt of a dog stood waiting. His whole body wiggled in delight as he turned circles and barked excitedly.

Toto was the world’s best-trained dog. He knew not to go any closer to the road. Once, when he was a puppy, he had run into the street and almost been hit by a car. Dorothy had been so scared when she picked up the terrified puppy. She had sat down at that last fencepost and had a long talk with