Summary from GoodReads:
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:
After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas.
- The Land of Oz:
The second Oz book. A sequel to the Wizard of Oz that follows the further adventures of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and a young boy named Tip who escapes from Mombi the Witch with the magic Powder of Life. Includes 16 color and numerous b&w illustrations
My Review:
As a child, The Wizard of Oz was a constant, a movie that would be watched several times in the course of the year. We’d laugh at the scarecrows antics, sigh at the tin man’s desire for a heart and giggle at the cowardly lion. The wicked witch would scare us and Toto would make us want a dog – so I’m not quite sure how it happened that I never managed to get around to reading the books.
I decided to end 2010 (and start 2011′s reviews) off with reading all fifteen Oz books by L. Frank Baum. I’m glad I made that decision, as after this single book I found myself falling in love in a completely different way with the story.
Simplistic and perfect, Baum’s writing is easily understood by young and old alike. There’s enough of a difference between the book and the movie to keep you interested, even if you’ve seen the movie as many times as I have (or more!). I laughed and enjoyed myself thoroughly … now just to find a pretty set to put on my shelves.
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While I didn’t enjoy The Marvellous Land of Oz as much as The Wizard of Oz, it still had its moments.
In The Marvellous Land of Oz, Dorothy has been returned home and the Scarecrow reigns on the throne of the Emerald City. In a nearby land, a young boy, Tip, serves an old sorceress (not a witch, because those are the most powerful).
Tip and the Scarecrow end up crossing paths and a whole slew of new characters are introduced – Jack Pumpkinhead, The Gump (a flying mismash of things) and others were fun to read about, but a bit.. overly silly. I don’t know if it’s because The Wizard of Oz is just so beloved that I overlook the cheesiness or this book was overly cheesy, but it was just a bit over the top for me.
Still, it was a fun read and I’ll continue to press on through my personal journey through Oz.
