tazmeen_kasim's review against another edition
4.0
it was a very good book. the book is from the oz series one of my favorites. i would recomend for 9 year olds. my sister loved the book when i would read to her.
ferrisscottr's review against another edition
3.0
We continue with the adventures of Oz including Dorothy, Ozma, Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, Cowardly Lion and Tik Tok.
Some authors write for kids but the books are just as enjoyable for adults and there are other authors who are amazing to read as a kid but really they are for kids and adults may enjoy them but it does not hold the same magic. L. Frank Baum is in the latter category.
This is a book that I would have LOVED as a kid.
I mildly enjoyed it as an adult. Just not the target audience.
Some authors write for kids but the books are just as enjoyable for adults and there are other authors who are amazing to read as a kid but really they are for kids and adults may enjoy them but it does not hold the same magic. L. Frank Baum is in the latter category.
This is a book that I would have LOVED as a kid.
I mildly enjoyed it as an adult. Just not the target audience.
msjenne's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Delightfully weird.
I recently attended a rummage sale with a section marked “Bric-a-Brac” and it triggered a long-ago memory of this book. Billina is my favorite character by far! I desperately want a dinner-pail tree of my own.
I recently attended a rummage sale with a section marked “Bric-a-Brac” and it triggered a long-ago memory of this book. Billina is my favorite character by far! I desperately want a dinner-pail tree of my own.
karla1717's review against another edition
4.0
"I want to eat a big, fat baby" has now become a favorite saying of my 5yr old, courtesy of the Hungry Tiger. I love the darker humor of this book and the story was captivating. I was irritated by the change in Dorothy's speech between the first and third books. The "slang" was almost unreadable to me, and seemed inconsistent throughout this story alone, let alone the fact she didn't speak like this in the first book. I hope it doesn't continue in the fourth book, or I will be pretty disappointed.
ashleylm's review against another edition
5.0
My favourite of the Oz books. Of course, the first one is a rightful classic ... the second has two many philosophical discussions between characters, boring the bejeezus out of any red-blooded child. But this third book, hoowee! First of all, Dorothy's back, and we'd missed her. Her adventures are also less picaresque than in the prior books ... there's a central plot line established fairly early on, and most incidents contribute to it. The villain is dastardly and fun (and the secondary villain terribly interesting herself), and all our old friends are back, and really, what's not to love?
P.S. Read this so many times it would be impossible to enumerate, so the read date is approximately when I first read it.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
P.S. Read this so many times it would be impossible to enumerate, so the read date is approximately when I first read it.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
chandranolynne's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Through book three and still adoring this adventure! I love how Baum is able to continually create unique and interesting characters. I like that Dorothy doesn't just find herself traveling with Toto all the time; the sassy talking hen was certainly a welcome addition! I also love that we got to visit another land in this one and learn what's on the other side of the uncrossable desert!
jmbz38's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
siobhanward's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
3.5
I went into this book excited because I thought that Ozma might be my favourite character, but then Billina the chicken appeared and blew her out of the water. I hope we get more chicken time, but characters really seem to appear and disappear kind of randomly. There are still 11 books to go though, so I'm sure she'll make another appearance.
This one was definitely a step up from the last one - I think I just enjoyed this plot a bit more. I find that Baum devotes a lot of time in his stories to travelling, which can kind of get tiring. So far I'm definitely seeing a formula for the books (and these are kids books, so that's not necessarily a bad thing), but I'm curious to see if he'll continue the same formula for the rest of the books
This one was definitely a step up from the last one - I think I just enjoyed this plot a bit more. I find that Baum devotes a lot of time in his stories to travelling, which can kind of get tiring. So far I'm definitely seeing a formula for the books (and these are kids books, so that's not necessarily a bad thing), but I'm curious to see if he'll continue the same formula for the rest of the books