Book Review of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Children’s Book Review
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Written by L. Frank Baum
Ages 8+ | 389 Pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics | 9780141180854
What to Expect: Good Vs. Bad, A Magical World, and Witches
The captivating world of Oz has enchanted so many people across generations. It’s a magical place where anything and everything is possible. It’s a world with so much wonder and spectacle that it has been stealing readers’ hearts and sparking their imaginations since 1900. Translated into more than fifty languages, the Library of Congress declared The Wonderful Wizard of Oz “America’s greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale”—L. Frank Baum wrote thirteen additional Oz books, too.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has become a timeless classic brought to life in countless ways, from Broadway performances to a Hollywood blockbuster. L Frank Baum created a mesmerizing kingdom filled with surreal creatures and fantastic beings: witches (good and bad), a powerful wizard, wolves, winged monkeys, and a pair of magic shoes.
Dorothy lives on a farm in Kansas with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. During a terrible storm, Dorothy and her little dog Toto are whisked away by a cyclone while still inside their farmhouse. When the house comes down in a magical land, Dorothy and Toto discover they are not in Kansas anymore and that the farmhouse has landed on top of a terrible witch, the Wicked Witch of the East, and killed her. Oh, my!
The Good Witch of the North arrives and tells Dorothy that she must take the yellow brick road to the Emerald City of Oz and seek a wizard to help her return home. On her way, Dorothy befriends a scarecrow, a tin woodman, and a cowardly lion, who help her navigate the yellow brick road to Oz; all the while, the Wicked Witch of the West will stop at nothing to make sure Dorothy and her new companions do not make it to the Emerald City.
Including some illustrations, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a book that has everything a young avid reader could want. It’s an action-packed, whimsical adventure that transports the mind to another world full of excitement and wonderment. The unforgettable tale of Dorothy’s quest to save her friends reminds us there’s no place like home!
Buy the Book
About the Author
Lyman Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, New York, on May 15, 1856. Over the course of his life, Baum raised fancy poultry, sold fireworks, managed an opera house, opened a department store, and an edited a newspaper before finally turning to writing. In 1900, he published his best known book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Eventually he wrote fifty-five novels, including thirteen Oz books, plus four “lost” novels, eighty-three short stories, more than two hundred poems, an unknown number of scripts, and many miscellaneous writings. Baum died on May 6, 1919. He is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California.
What to Read Next if You Love The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
- Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
- The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
Bianca Schulze reviewed The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Discover more books like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by reading our reviews and articles tagged with Good Vs. Evil and Magic.
