The Wizard Of Oz – Book Review

Title: The Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum

Publisher: Puffin Classics

Format: Hardback Clothbound

Pages: 189

Genres: Classic Literature, Children’s Classics, Middle Grade, Children’s Fiction, Historical, Fantasy

Rating: 4/5

Goodreads

Release Date Original Publishing: 17th May 1900

Release Date this Edition: 5th April 2012

Where to Buy: Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Book Depository, Wordery

Summery from Goodreads: An iconic classic, The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum is a must-read for adults and children alike.

Follow the yellow brick road!

Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. Together with her companions the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion whom she meets on the way, Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure.

Frank L. Baum (1856-1919) was born in New York. He enjoyed making up stories, particularly for his own children. The Wizard of Oz, based on their favourite bedtime story about a land of Oz, was published in 1900 and it immediately became a huge international success. He wrote several sequels and numerous other kinds of books under a pseudonym.

Review: It amazes me that I’ve gone so long in my life having not read this book. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it was still very interesting to read it.

I loved the thread of the book, that each path she took, she took for a reason and that she made friends along the way. I love that her friends little did they know already possessed the one thing they desired and used those skills along the journey they went on with Dorothy.

It’s a great fantasy book that takes you on a very unique adventure to the very curious land. Each one they entered was different and unique and equally as magical. Can you imagine being little Dorothy seeing these places for the first time? It must be so awe inspiring seeing them all, each so different but so wondrous.

I enjoyed reading this book, it fun, magical and entertaining. I loved meeting all the many new characters along the way, I loved that each of her friends got given a higher purpose than what they were expecting and I also loved how innocent Dorothy was, she had all the power in the world at her shoes but had an adventure instead.

It’s certainly a very creative book and I can see why it became a classic book for children and adults alike. I’m so happy to have finally read this book.

About The Author: Lyman Frank Baum was an American author, actor, and independent filmmaker best known as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children’s literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, better known today as simply The Wizard of Oz. He wrote thirteen sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and a plethora of other works (55 novels in total, 82 short stories, over 200 poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings), and made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and screen.

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