The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

WHY DIDN"T ANYONE WARN ME?????

So after reading the classic work The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, I realized that it won't be a book that I'll read to my daughters anytime soon.  Granted it was amazingly written, in short prose and amazingly crafted short chapters I was pretty dark at times.  The Tin Man chops off wolves heads (40 of them to be exact), the Scarecrow gets his brains (made of bran and needles) and the Lion gets his courage by destroying an overlarge spider by knocking it's head off.

I was anticipating the nicely done 1939 movie where Dorothy visits the Munchkins, gains some friends and gets home.  I actually got something much, MUCH better.  I loved it.  The characters were intricately woven into each other.  The other 13 stories in the series will be just an enjoyable I have a feeling.  I liked how Baum described Kansas as a place full of gray, and Oz as a place beaming with color.  The characters in each place displayed those characteristics as well.

Rating: 5/5

I can't wait to read more about the land of Oz, but Call of the Herald is next.  It is supposed to be a cross between Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Eragon ... sounds like fun!  Plus it is a trilogy ... I love books in a series.