THE WIZARD OF OZ.

THE WIZARD OF OZ* by L. FRANK BAUM.

SOURCE: A charity shop buy.

They're off to see the Wizard!

Dorothy and her friends are sure that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz can give each of them the thing they want most in the world.

The Scarecrow is going to him for some brains. The Tin Woodman hopes the Wizard can give him a heart. The Cowardly Lion longs for courage, and Dorothy wants him to send her back to Kansas.

But as they set off down the Yellow Brick Road, they have no idea of the surprise that awaits them in The Emerald City when they first come face to face with the Great Oz himself.
...... Outer back cover

FIRST SENTENCE {Chapter 1: The Cyclone}: Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was a farmer's wife.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 143}: 'You see, here in our country we live contentedly, and can talk and move around as we please. But whenever any of us are taken away our joints at once stiffen, and we can only stand straight and look pretty. Of course that is all that is expected of us when we are on mantleshelves and drawing room tables, but our lives are much pleasenter here in our own country.'

MY THOUGHTS: Given that I was brought up watching the film starring Judy Garland you might have thought I'd have read the book several times but this is the first time in more than thirty years.

Though without all the Hollywood embellishments of the 1939 film (Glinda is way less glittery, the ruby slippers neither ruby nor slippers), perhaps a bit more violent (there is a certain amount of lopping off of heads going on), missing some beloved characters whilst featuring others albeit none of them quite so lovable and with the addition of events not featured until the 2013 film, Oz The Great And Powerful, this is still a wonderfully timeless if simply told classic.

A story of friendship, of good deeds rewarded and full of a tongue in cheek humour that is sure to appeal to both children and those who are young at heart. The Wizard Of Oz (the first in a series of 14 full length books) is a delightful novel all about five individuals in search of their hearts desires that is as magical a read as it was all those years ago.

* Whilst I am able to comment on the storyline and characters I am not able to comment on the illustrations featured within the book linked to as the edition I read differs to this.

Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper. All original content on http://pettywitter.blogspot.co.uk/ is created by the website owner, including but not limited to text, design, code, images, photographs and videos are considered to be the Intellectual Property of the website owner, whether copyrighted or not, and are protected by DMCA Protection Services using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act Title 17 Chapter 512 (c)(3). Reproduction or re-publication of this content is prohibited without permission. In addition I would also urge that if you are reading this on any other page you contact the original blog owner/reviewer.