Think of the children!
Baum, Frank L. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago : Reilly & Lee, 1956.
Plot: The classic story describing the journey of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion to the mythical city of Oz. Dorothy desperately wishes to return to Kansas, while her friends want to support her through any way possible. All of their hopes depend on the elusive and temperamental wizard of Oz, who has wishes and needs of his own.
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Grades 4-12
Similar Titles: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Ozma of Oz
Personal Thoughts: After reading another one of Baum's titles, I expected the book to offer another timeless story.
I was wrong.
To be fair, the titles still utilizes sympathetic, comprehensible characters combined with classic fairy tale elements, which was fairly revolutionary at its time. Unfortunately, some of those elements do not age well. Such situations include the enslavement of Dorothy, the kiss of the Witch of the North, and the liquid courage given to the lion. Additionally, the Scarecrow and Tin Man kill forty crows, a wildcat, and forty wolves via beheading. Such events do not settle well with modern sensibilities. Also, the book contains several elements that are simply weird without actually adding to the story, such as the land of china figures and the mountain head-shots. While the story is certainly not among the worst, it is not really child-friendly anymore.
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