The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Review

About the book:

Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum

Genre & Age Group: Fantasy, classics, middle grade/young adult

Goodreads Synopsis:

Follow the yellow brick road!

Dorothy thinks she’s lost forever when a tornado whirls her and her dog, Toto, into a magical world. To get home, she must find the wonderful wizard in the Emerald City of Oz. On the way she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion. But the Wicked Witch of the West has her own plans for the new arrival – will Dorothy ever see Kansas again?

Source: Freebie from iBooks

How I Found Out About It: Common knowledge😉

Review:

To some degree, I think we all know the story of The Wizard of Oz. We’ve either seen the movie, read the book, or heard the story from others. Before reading this book, I’d only seen the movie, which I really loved. So when I was bored and scrolling through the young adult freebies on iBooks, this book came up, and I figured that then would be the best time to snatch it and be able to say that I’ve both seen the movie and read the book!

Anyone reading this probably already knows the story, but in case you don’t, I’ll briefly summarize it anyway. So, when a tornado transports Dorothy far from home into a special world, she doesn’t know what to do and how to get back home to Kansas. So, after talking to some Munchkins and witches, she decides to go down the yellow brick road to meet the Wizard of Oz, who will hopefully be able to get her back home. Along the way, she meets three friends who also advocate for different things, so working together, the four of them make their way to Oz.

I honestly can’t really tell you if the book was better than the movie or not. In some ways, yes it was, but in some ways, the movie ruled. I think I liked them both the same, but that may just be because I haven’t seen the movie recently. I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder, right?😊

The characters. Oh, the characters. As well as we all know the story, we also know the characters so well that we can consider them friends. There’s Dorothy, of course, who just wants a way back home to Kansas, the Tin Man who wants a heart, the Scarecrow who wants a brain, and lastly, the Lion who wants courage. There are obviously WAY more supporting characters such as the witches, Munchkins, and of course the Wizard himself, but those were just the four main ones. Oh, and Toto! How could I forget him, the most adorable, scruffy little dog? Anyway, I think my favourite character in the story was probably Dorothy, as I loved how she displayed all the brains, hearts, and courage her friends strived to get. She is just one of many pieces of proof that we must persevere to get what we want, as our wishes don’t always come true in the snap of a finger. Things take time, and we must wait in order to be completely satisfied. 

All in all, I’m very glad I picked up The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, despite me already knowing the story because of the movie. There is honestly something in this story for everyone, no matter who you are, so I’m going to proudly leave my recommendation open to anyone who hasn’t already read this story- this is a classic for a reason!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

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