One of the true classics of American literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has stirred the imagination of young and old alike for over four generations. Originally published in 1900, it was the first truly American fairy tale, as Baum crafted a wonderful out of such familiar items as a cornfield scarecrow, a mechanical woodman, and a humbug wizard who used old-fashioned hokum to express that universal theme, "There's no place like home."
Follow the adventures of young Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, as their Kansas house is swept away by a cyclone and they find themselves in a strange land called Oz. Here she meets the Munchkins and joins the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion on an unforgettable journey to the Emerald City, home of the all-powerful Wizard of Oz.
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"I've watched the original movie so many times since childhood and I was really excited to finally pick up the book. There were many differences between book vs. movie. One major difference is that the movie made it seem like Oz was just a dream. In the book - Oz is real! Dorothy's house really did land in Oz and all of her adventures really did happen. The characters in Oz did not resemble her family members back home. The story was fantastic! The world building was awesome! I went to see the most recent movie "Oz the Great and Powerful" last week. I loved that they included many aspects of the book in that movie. The Oz that I pictured while reading the book is pretty much the Oz that was depicted in the movie. Right down to the little china town :) I liked this book a whole lot and I will probably read the rest of the series eventually." — Maribel (4 out of 5 stars)
"I've watched the original movie so many times since childhood and I was really excited to finally pick up the book. There were many differences between book vs. movie. One major difference is that the movie made it seem like Oz was just a dream. In the book - Oz is real! Dorothy's house really did land in Oz and all of her adventures really did happen. The characters in Oz did not resemble her family members back home. The story was fantastic! The world building was awesome! I went to see the most recent movie "Oz the Great and Powerful" last week. I loved that they included many aspects of the book in that movie. The Oz that I pictured while reading the book is pretty much the Oz that was depicted in the movie. Right down to the little china town :) I liked this book a whole lot and I will probably read the rest of the series eventually."
" Finally started to read the Oz series. I've watched the movie since I was a little girl, and wanted to see what the books are like. This first one is quite different from the movie in places, but still pretty good. I liked it enough to want to continue on with the series (I'm reading them on my kindle). "
" I've read this before, a long time ago, and I wasn't disappointed by my re-read. This book truly is a classic. It is easy to read (it was written for children after all) and can be finished in almost one sitting. What I REALLY loved was the forward for this particular edition. It has some great insights into the story and was VERY well written. "
" Rather interesting read after having grown up with the movie, which is quite different in many aspects. "
" Everything I read with my kids always gets an extra star. It had been a long, long time since I read this, but it's a must for all Kansans. "
" It was such a good book I love wizard of oz its so created "
" It was unexpectedly good and I'm excited for the movie now "
" This was nithing like the movie, and can you say "Dark".......this is not kids friendly with body dismemberment! LOL "
" My 10 year old LOVED this book also. She even did a big diorama on the story. She was very interested in the differences between the book and story. She really liked the story of the tin woodsman. I think I might pick it up. "
" i read i cuz im dorothy in de musical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
" What an awesome book. The movie and other retellings are very similar. This original is great though and I am excited to read more in the series!!! "
" Very imaginative, inspiring story. Especially bits totally unpredictable, book is full of them , "
" Loved it! It's very sweet and simple. Quick and easy read. Great for all ages. "
" Allegory for the gold standard, and populism in the 1890s! I recommend reading a historical companion alongside this for added entertainment and background. "
" Whenever the Wizard of Oz movie would be on TV my mother would always comment, "You should read the book. It's better than the movie." She was correct in making this statement. I found the story interesting and entertaining. A very nice read for anyone interested in fantasy. "
" I read this one out loud to Scot. We both really liked it! I had no idea how much different the movie is from the original book and that there are sequels to the book. We are going to try to find the second in the series to read. "
" I gave this book 3 stars mostly because of the redundancy of the writing. It reminded me of a simple Dr. Seuess book but with a longer and more twisted plot. It would have been more enjoyable if it were a lot shorter. With that said, I liked the book more than the movie only because it included so much more. I did LOVE the movie however. It was neat reading all the differences from book to movie like the ruby red slippers were originally silver, the Tin Woodman liked to chop the heads off things that got in his way (that definitely should've been included in the movie!) and the tale behind the winged monkies. I should've read this a long time ago. I wasn't even aware that there was a whole series. "
" Simple and brilliant like the Wizard himself. "
" This is always a fun read. Great for a light reading night or for reading to the kids. "
" Beautifully done and very thorough. Hearn is a little biased in his love of all things Oz at some points, but his scholarship still shines through. Fascinating for anyone who likes this book. "
" This book will be a reminder to the things we don't oftenly see and appreciate. And that, there's no such thing as coincidence, everything happens for a reason. 20 years from now I will surely read this book again. "
" What a weird little book. It reads almost as though it were an outline. I'm impressed that someone with such vision came along and made this story into the famous movie that so greatly impacted our popular culture. "
" I have seen the movie so very many times; it ruined the book for me. "
" very different from the movie! "
" I finished this book with Lucy during Hurricane Issac. She loved making comparisons to the movie and to be totally honest I was surprised by home much I enjoyed doing that with her. "
" De -niet zo heel coherente- avonturen van een meisje uit Kansas in een wonderlijk land vol kleine mensen, heksen en een bedriegelijke tovenaar. Met de legendarische bijfiguren the Scarecrow, the Tin woodman en the cowardly lion. Nog steeds ontzettend leesbaar. "
" Hard for me to read since I read it in Spanish, which isn't that good. But I finished it and understood it and enjoyed it! I still haven't read it in English. "
" colorfully, beautifully, and merrily written, though there should have been some more touches on the storytelling. But it is perfect for young readers. finish this book only overnight. Enjoyable. "
" Very familiar (because of the movie), but also different than I imagined. More fantastical and adventuresome than the film. There is even the killing of monsters! "
" As long as it's a very simple story, and beside the fact that I had read and heard some adaptations of it as a child (I even played a videogame about this book!), it was definetely nice to read the original story. "
" Finally! Even as an adult I found it entertaining and delightful. It made wish I were a kid again! "
" Interesting.... Soo different from the theatrical productions. But interesting to see what they did and didn't pull from the book. "
" We are in Kansas...September 2012. "
" The movie was better and I don't really like the movie that much. "
" i love this book but since i seen the movie first i was shocked at every chapter. so many things were different, one of the majors for me was that the shows were silver. i was mind blown. "
" The first 'big kid' book I ever read--I was in first grade when the librarian doubted my ability to read it and almost didn't let me check it out. Good thing I had a great teacher who thought otherwise; this book started my love of reading. "
" Had to read it before the new Oz movie. A simple fairy tale--would have enjoyed reading it to my little one (when she was little). "
" It was a really fun audio to listen to. It helped open my imagination. Interesting to see what pieces they pulled from it to make the movie. "
" Read this so many times in grade school. Loved the story. "
" harper collins edition, international collectors library, Denslow (weekly reader) "
" I wrote a paper on this book in high school. The book is very good, as is the beloved movie. A fave. "
" I first read this as a child and have read it again a couple of times over the years. Baum gave us such a wonderful world of fantasy and some life lessons and has inspired others to continue the tale from their own life perspectives (think Wicked). "
" Still remember this from when I was child and when my kids saw it for the first time. It is still a classic. I also have the book that includes all of the oz books in it. "
" Even if it's not the best book ever written, I will always love this story and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. "
" Some differences from the iconic movie. I haven't decided how I feel about them yet. It was shorter than I expected. It differs from Wicked in that Glinda is witch of the South... which is pretty important to Wicked. "
" Eh, the movie was better. "
" This wasn't too bad of a story, but I think I will continue to point people to C.S. Lewis's Narnia books if they want some classic fantasy from the chapter book section. All the best parts of this book made it into the movie, which was better overall in my opinion. "
" I don't remember reading this as a kid, but it was sufficiently different from the movie that it kept my attention. Glad I finally made time. "
" Utkarsh Anand Dorothy, who lives in Kansas, is carried off into the magical world of Oz. Now she must overcome many hurdles, with the help of her friends, to get back to Kansas. "
" It's different from the movie and the writing is not what I'm used to. But it's a quick, easy, and entertaining read. Great to read to your kids! "
" Brilliant, just as every single other L. Frank Baum masterpiece is. Perfect for any age, it nurtures and encourages the imagination and is not condescending of magic or children, one trait that is vastly important and means that L. Frank Baum's Oz stories still stand through the test of time. "
" Don't skip this because you've seen the movie. Each of the characters is so much more complex and interesting in the book. I read this to my 3 year old and we both enjoyed it immensely. "
" As much as I love the Oz series as a whole, this is not my favorite. I love it, but prefer some of the later books (The Patchwork Girl of OZ or Glenda of Oz). Obviously you should start at the beginning, but please do not stop there. The entire series deserves a read! "
" This is an old favorite. There are many differences between the book and movie. "
" This was the first book that gave me an inclination that the life of grown-ups was sad. Aunt Em would clutch her heart when Dorothy laughed and wondered how the child could find anything to laugh at in that bleak barren place. Why Dorothy ever wanted to go home eludes me. "
" Read this with my daughter. We loved it. "
" L. Frank Baum's preface warns about the absence of a morality tale in the pages of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and certainly those accustomed to the Hollywood version will find this tale darker, deeper, and less predictable. "
" Not like the story I remember. Little more violent than the flying monkeys. Not the best for a 7 year old. "
" I was amazed at how accessible the language was in this book! "
" This is the classic tale of Dorothy and Toto who get blown into the magical land of Oz and all the adventures it entails. This is a story that everybody will love with great characters and a great moral at the end. "
" It was really different from the movie, people. "
" Definitely not as good as the movie (what do you expect?!) still, I'm glad I finally read it. "
" Love the Children's Classics edition with the illustrations by Robert Ingpen. "
" Great to have finally read this original after seeing/reading so many adaptations - loved Anne Hathaway's narration as well. A fun listen! "
" I read this aloud to my 4 year old. We enjoyed it very much, even if it was a little strange. It was quite different from the movie. "
" I've reread it at least three times but I want to read this again. Found out the Land of Oz is expanded in several books. There's a whole series - a whole world. *_* "
" My type off book, children's book! Where are people are magical and good, and the evil is thrown away and dead in a terrible way. Wonderful story, wonderful world, and what a pleasant girl Dorothy is. "
" This classic along with everything Baum wrote, has become a best friend in times of chaos and strife in life. I just need to pick up one of the Oz series and life's problems fade away. "
" Better than the movie! "
" yeah, the movie was infinatley better any of the thousands of movie adaptations. but the musical still rains supreme! "
" I loved it! Different then the movie, which was fun. Quick and easy read. I'm reading another one by this author. "
" Read with Franny in May, 2011. "
" I know I read this when I was a kid, but I don't have any memory of it. Had fun reading it again. This is so different from the 1939 movie version. I actually like this better. Since there are 14 Oz books, I may have to read them all! "
" Read this during an internet outage - was a very quick and easy (but engaging) read. I now feel like I have the story of Oz from all perspectives...haha. "
" a little slow, but otherwise ok "
" I felt I should read this after two books I recently read referenced this story. I think the book moves a lot more quickly through scenes, whereas the movie develops fewer details. Both are great in their own way. "
" A old classic, but a newbie everytime I chose to read over and over again. Fantastic Author! "
" Never before and never since has anyone tried this hard to get to Kansas. "
" Slightly more entertaining that the movie. What made them change the color of the shoes and the witches? "
" Wonderful read. It was different enough from the classic movie that I still didn't know how it would go. It was a lovely, quick read. "
" great book, anybody that loves fantasy will read this book with JOY! "
" I read this as a child. It was one of my very favorite books and it has influenced me in many ways. I can't wait to read it with my daughter! "
Lyman Frank Baum (1856–1919), born in Chittenango, New York, was a journalist, dramatist, and writer best known for his fantasies about the land of Oz, the first being The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The success of this book led to his writing thirteen sequels. He wrote about sixty books in all, mostly for children.
Tara Sands is an American actress, television host, and voice talent who has won numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration. She is former cohost of Fridays on the Cartoon Network. In addition to performing in plays and musicals, her voice can be heard on numerous commercials, audiobooks, cartoons, and video games.
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