Independent Reading Level: Grades 4-5

Un ciclón azota Kansas y arrastra a Dorothy y a su perrito Toto a la mágica Tierra de Oz, donde las bestias salvajes hablan, los zapatos de plata tienen poderes fantásticos y las brujas buenas ofrecen protección con un simple beso. Pero también hay brujas malvadas y Dorothy se ha ganado la enemistad de una de ellas. En su camino conocerá al Espantapájaros, al Leñador de Hojalata y al León Cobarde, juntos afrontarán muchos peligros mientras llegan a la Ciudad Esmeralda, donde habita el Maravilloso Mago, para pedirle que les conceda lo que más desean… solo para descubrir que ya lo poseen.

Publicado en los albores del siglo XX, El Maravilloso Mago de Oz cautivó a los pequeños y grandes lectores. Más de un siglo después de su publicación, renovamos el vigor de este clásico de ayer y hoy con una edición moderna, ilustraciones encantadoras y fieles al espíritu de la obra, y una traducción cuidadosa e íntegra.

Having read every work of fiction in the children's section of the public library by the age of ten or so, there must have been a copy of this even though it was in the UK, but I don't remember reading it. As my favourites included the Narnia series, the Alice books, just about everything written by Edith Nesbit and some more obscure works of fantasy, it should have made some impact. I certainly recall 'The Phantom Tollbooth' , for example, another American fantasy classic for kids, which I sought out to re-read last year.

Maybe it didn't make much impression because Dorothy is a bit of a wet blanket. She doesn't really do anything. Occasionally people comment on how sweet she is, but most of the derring do or even coming up with ideas is left to her travelling companions. She does manage to commit manslaughter a couple of times, but purely by accident.

There is quite a bit of violence in the story, especially when the Tin Woodsman goes to work with his axe, but I think Baum was writing something in the tradition of fairy tales which do involve quite a lot of bloodshed, at least in their original folklore versions. I found it quite ironic that the Tin Woodsman weeps over a beetle he steps on accidentally, but has no compunction whatsoever in cutting the head off another creature shortly afterwards (and not in defence of Dorothy and the others unlike a later scene).

The mass slaughter of wolves and crows didn't appeal - as both creatures are pretty intelligent surely they would either have run away as the witch's slaves did immediately afterwards, or attacked en masse rather than meekly submitted to the axe one by one? As a great fan of 'The Jungle Book' and its sequel around the time when I would have encountered the present book, the cavalier treatment of wolves in particular would probably have made me dislike this story. It's also odd that the title character disappears about two thirds of the way through. (Also odd that the cover of the edition I read shows ruby shoes as per the film, which I saw many years ago and don't remember much about - in the book they are silver.) Its randomness (little china people, creatures with flat catapulting heads?) and episodic nature makes it rather forgettable and I can only rate it as 3 stars. ( )

Better than I expected it to be but it does show its age. Still fun to read. I am a little surprised it took me this long to read it. ( )

Surprisingly bad writing. The movie really did a wonderful job tightening up the story. Definitely a novel written without pretense for kids. And my god, what the hell happened to the ruby slippers?!! ( )