Sunday, June 02, 2013

Sunday Salon: Reading Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (1908)

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum. 1908. 148 pages.

This is the fourth book in L. Frank Baum's Oz series, and it is the third novel starring Dorothy. In this delightful adventure, readers also get a chance to get reacquainted with the wizard of Oz. Readers even learn his FULL NAME. Dorothy's animal companion in this one is a sassy little kitten named Eureka. The adventure begins with an earthquake in San Francisco sending Dorothy and Zeb (along with Eureka and Jim, a horse) deep underground. The world they fall into is magical of course, and quite strange. And so a new journey begins--an underground journey that takes them to some peculiar and strange places. It's a dangerous journey too; they keep getting into horrible situations. But through magic, all in the company are saved. The book concludes with them spending some relaxing time in Oz.

I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as previous books. But I still want to read on in the series!

Favorite quotes:
"Very clever," said the Wizard, nodding his head as if pleased. "I am delighted to find humbugs inside the earth, just the same as on top of it." 
"Please tell me, Mr. Wizard, whether you called yourself Oz after this great country, or whether you believe my country is called Oz after you. It is a matter that I have long wished to enquire about, because you are of a strange race and my own name is Ozma. No, one, I am sure, is better able to explain this mystery than you."
"That is true," answered the little Wizard; "therefore it will give me pleasure to explain my connection with your country. In the first place, I must tell you that I was born in Omaha, and my father, who was a politician, named me Oscar Zoroaster Phadric Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs, Diggs being the last name because he could think of no more to go before it. Taken altogether, it was a dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of the hardest lessons I ever learned was to remember my own name. When I grew up I just called myself O. Z., because the other initials were P-I-N-H-E-A-D; and that spelled 'pinhead,' which was a reflection of my intelligence."

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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