The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum

To be honest, I didn't set out to read The Wizard of Oz, I stumbled across the eBook on my iPhone and decided to give it a go. I really enjoyed reliving my childhood by re-reading the Anne of Green Gables series and although I had never read The Wizard of Oz before (only seen the movie), I knew that reading it would be just as good. I wasn't wrong.

It is definitely a very sweet story and one I will read my children when I have them. We all know the story, Dorothy finds herself in Oz, having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, stranded and searching for a way back to Kansas. She gathers some friends as she makes her way to see the great wizard Oz, Scarecrow, Tinman and the Lion. Oz sends them on a journey to kill the other wicked witch left in the land before he helps them fulfil their wishes.

It's a lovely journey for 4 friends to make. The book was quite different to the movie which I hadn't expected. It was a bit darker than the movie and they had a lot more dangerous adventures together than what were depicted in the movie. There were a lot more strange lands, evil creatures and friendly characters. I especially liked the little porcelain land that they walked through on their way south to find Glinda.

The Wizard of Oz has put Wicked by Gregory Maguire in a lot more context. It was a surprise to see the character Boq in The Wizard of Oz. It is easier to see where the darkness and the political context of the story in Wicked come from, particularly the inspiration for the character Elphaba.

I really liked the way Dorothy's friends Scarecrow, Tinman and the Lion were described in The Wizard of Oz. It was clear that they each had what they were searching for. The Scarecrow solved all their problems, despite his lack of brains. The Tinman wanted to protect and save everything, despite his lack of heart. The Lion protects them at all costs, despite his lack of courage. I think it's a nice way of saying that we shouldn't underestimate ourselves and our abilities.

Even if you're not into reading children or young adult fiction, I still really recommend this book, it just really lovely!

Star Rating

6 / 8

Really enjoyable and well written. I would recommend it.

Originally posted 18 December 2009 Page Turners