The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1) in http://www.meetup.com/A-Carefree-Eclectic-Bookclub-in-Wilmington/

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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)

L. Frank Baum

Why we're reading this: It's always fun to take a look at a classic and see how it compares to similar books in todays culture.…more
[close] It's always fun to take a look at a classic and see how it compares to similar books in todays culture.

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Oct 27, 2015 Stacey rated it it was ok

I can see why this book was such a hit when it came out. At the time stories for children were mostly gruesome tales with serious morals. I completely appreciate Baum having the guts to step up and write something different, a "wondertale" as he called it. After some of those fairytales from coming from Europe the Wizard of Oz is the best book a kid could ever read. The problem is, The Wizard of Oz is now one of a million different "wondertales" for children. But in these other books you can fin I can see why this book was such a hit when it came out. At the time stories for children were mostly gruesome tales with serious morals. I completely appreciate Baum having the guts to step up and write something different, a "wondertale" as he called it. After some of those fairytales from coming from Europe the Wizard of Oz is the best book a kid could ever read. The problem is, The Wizard of Oz is now one of a million different "wondertales" for children. But in these other books you can find deeper characters, more creative adventure, more suspense, a moral without the gruesomness, a hero/heroine that has personality, and books that push a child's imagination to the limits (thank you Dr. Seuss.) The truth is, The Wizard of Oz is lame in the 21st century. Dorothy, who is of an indeterminable age, is boring and doesn't do a thing for herself in the book. Well once or twice she knocks on a villagers door and she does call the Wizard a humbug. But that is just not enough for a child today. It won't be enough to keep them turning pages as they are practicing their reading skills. Now I have to concede there is an exception to my blanket statement that old stories for children are not as interesting to children today. Alice in Wonderland was written almost 100 years before The Wizard of Oz and may in fact be one of the best "wondertales" even today. It is whimsical, filled with adventure, crazy characters, mind boggling riddles and Alice unlike Dorothy is full of personality and she is confident enough to do things on her own. She doesn't care about getting home, she cares about the experience she is having in the moment. A very important concept for children to learn.

What is fun about The Wizard of Oz is playing the "what's it really about game?" I assigned this book to my bookclub that consists of adults. I knew when the read it they were going to be disappointed at having read a boring child's story so I went online and printed out the many theories of what Baum "really meant" when writing the book. Then as a group the bookclub discussed the different theories and their plausability. It was a blast. There is a theory that it is about the fall of the Populist movement, that it is a religious tale, that it is an atheistic tale, that it is about feminism, a theory by Salmund Rushdie that it is about the incompetence of adults, and the internet theory that has gathered quite a lot of theories "the Glinda theory." When reading and discussing this book looking at it through different lenses, the book becomes far more entertaining for adults. So if you have the time and you want to have some fun, look up the theories then read the book and see if you can tell if Baum had any motivation behind writing it other than telling children a fun story. ...more

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Aug 22, 2015 Robert rated it really liked it

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