This modernized fairy tale, about an orphan named Dorothy who gets blown away to a magical land during a Kansas cyclone, could’ve lived up to its grandiose title if it were about a quarter shorter. The storyline reaches its thematic peak during the Balloon chapter, XVII of XXIV, which makes for an ending that’s somewhat anticlimactic.

It’s consistently cute though, mostly due to the unlikely friends Dorothy meets along the way. There’s The Scarecrow, who has no brains, The Tin Woodman, who has no heart, and The Cowardly Lion; the three of whom join Dorothy, and her dog Toto, on a quest to Oz’s City Of Emeralds to get their wishes granted by the Godlike Wizard.

my rating : 4 of 5

1900

review : The Marvelous Land Of Oz ( book ) … L Frank Baum