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Tuesday, 3 December 2013

THE WONDERDUL WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It wasn't until this year that I realised there are many classic books I haven't read yet. So, I've decided to do something about it.

A few weeks ago I watched an awesome episode of Supernatural that dealt with the characters from the Land of Oz. Then, while watching Once Upon A Time In Wonderland I got to thinking how cool it would be if they did an Oz version of it... Until I remembered that all my The Wizard of Oz knowledge comes from the old MGM movie.

So, I thought it was time to change that. And I'm glad that I did, because as soon as I started this book I was captivated by Dorothy and Toto.

Dorothy lives in the grey prairies of Kansas with her aunt and uncle, but when a cyclone (not tornado) sweeps the house off the ground and sends it flying, she and her tiny dog end up landing in a colourful faraway country. Not only that, but the house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, and Dorothy is therefore seen as a noble Sorceress. But all she wants to do is get home to Kansas, and when the Good Witch of the North tells her the Wizard Oz will be able to help, she heads off on an adventure to the Emerald City by following the yellow brick road.

And she takes the dead witch's silver (not red) shoes with her, simply because her leather ones are too tattered to walk miles in.

On her journey she meets many weird and wonderful people and creatures. She even helps some of them, like the Scarecrow who wants to have brains. And the Tin Woodman (not Tin Man) who wants to have a heart. Then there's also the Cowardly Lion who wants to find his courage.

Together, the four friends and Toto head out on an adventure that helps each one realise their personal strengths, realise how strong their friendship is, and free the enslaved.

And when they finally reach Oz, things don't turn out as they expected because their adventure isn't over until they kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Then find out that Oz is actually a fraud. :( But when they meet the Good Witch of the South--Glinda--their adventure ends well.

OMG. I absolutely loved this story because it's wondrous! It's written in a very simplistic yet captivating way. I didn't want to put my Kindle down because I wanted to see where it would all end up (even if I sorta already knew) and found 'our friends' to be very likeable. I was cheering for them every step of the way. :)

I think this is a timeless, imaginative classic. No matter how old you are, no matter what century you read it in, I think this fairy tale has what it takes to stand the test of time. It's so charming!

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