The Wizard of Oz (Tor Classics) by L. Frank Baum Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $0.87 You Save: $4.12 (83%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Wizard of Oz (Tor Classics)
Book Review: Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz keeps you reading
Summary: 5 Stars
The Wizard of Oz is a wonderful book for people who like a story with adventure. I think this would be a great book for young readers because young readers tend to have more imagination then older readers, and also might be able to picture the story more vividly. I also thought this story was a good page turner. In this book Dorothy is swept with her home in a cyclone. When Dorothy lands she finds herself in a strange land.
There is filled with munchkins, flying monkeys, hammer heads, witches, a wizard, a talking lion, a tin man, and much more. In the story there are several conflicts that Dorothy and her comrades face. One of the conflicts that they face is when Dorothy and her comrades must travel to the beautiful Emerald City to find Oz the great and the terrible.
When she and her comrades get there, their plan is to ask the great Oz to fulfill the greatest wishes. In the story one conflict happens after another conflict is resolved. I thought this book was so good that I think they should make a sequel.
Book Review: a sweet childrens' book
Summary: 4 Stars
I know there are many people who are in love with the movie and don't get me wrong, it's an amazing script. I have personal attatchments with it because I played the wicked witch of the west in a school production of the musical and I am very partial to the her character. The witch in the book is no where near as interesting as the movie. However, I love some of the extra twists in the book that the movie doesn't include. Such as: the green tinted specticals that Dorothy and her friends have to put on in entering Oz, the queen of the mice, the winged monkeys' story, and Dorothy's experiances in the witch's castle. I also think that this book has its limitations. The charqacters are mostly rather shallow and the writing is simple, in the way that most books for young children are. Instead the authers spends his time writing histories for most of the characters, even the winged monkeys, and adding creative twists. Did you know that the ruby slippers were really silver?
I would say that this is definately a children's book but that if you're a big fan of the movie, it's worth reading. If you were ever in the musical, it's a lot of fun to look up the background of even small parts like aunt Em and discover things about her that you didn't know before.
Book Review: Wonderfully imaginative, but for children only
Summary: 4 Stars
The movie based on this book has so eclipsed the novel in the mind of the general public that it's difficult to review the book on its own.
The book isn't a musical, obviously, and it has spectacles and scenes which could never have been brought to the screen at the time it was published. Also, the land of Oz has more of a culture and political atmosphere than the film makes note of.
That being said, this book is a wild ride through the imagination of Frank L. Baum, with elements from our world transformed in bizarre ways that could never have been anticipated. The entire idea of a talking scarecrow is brilliantly imaginative, if you think about it, as is the cowardly talking lion, the winged monkeys, and the magical field of flowers which puts the adventurers to sleep.
Oz is a wonderland unlike any other, and children will delight in the magical surprises that lurk around every bend in the yellow brick road. The special magic of this extensive series is that despite the magic suffusing every nook and cranny of Oz, there are familiar objects and creature from our world that keep us grounded.
However, the older you are, the less you will enjoy this book, because it has some pretty serious flaws by modern standards.
The language has become quite dated, and the goody-goody dialogue can be jarring to someone who has grown used to a more modern approach. If this book were released today, I don't believe it would ever enjoy the type of success that it did then.
Luckily, this book is written for the children, who can generally forgive the fact that characters talk a little strangely (as long as it's consistent, which it is), and the sometimes clunky plot turns.
For a child, the focus will be on the King of Mice, or the terrible Kalidah, just two of the magical creatures that escaped the screenplay for the movie. Baum's flights of fancy are so eccentric that children will be fascinated by the wonders they encounter.
Book Review: First step on a yellow brick road
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm sure we all know the story of Dorothy and her journey to Oz. This is similar to the movie, but there is much more. Expect new exciting adventures and characters. And the best part is this series is just beginning! Read the entire series of Oz books by L. Frank Baum, and you won't be disappointed. Book Review: The Wizard of Oz Review
Summary: 5 Stars
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum. I thought the plot was magical. I enjoyed that the book was a fantasy, and the it brings you to a completely different world. The theme of the book was interesting because it has never been done before. In class, we identified with the theme of following your own path to enlightenment. The characters in the book were very unique. Dorothy, Toto, the Lion, the Tin woodsman, and the Scarecrow have all different personalities. I loved that the characters persevered in their journey to get what they wanted from the Wizard.