Title: The Emerald Wand of Oz
Author: Sherwood Smith
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 266
Rating: 4/5
To understand this book, you need to understand the context in which it was published. Basically, it’s a modern-ish addition to the Oz canon that was authorised by the L. Frank Baum estate and which follows Dorothy’s descendants as they, too, discover Oz.
I’ve been trying to read through the Oz books in publication order, but while I managed that for forty books or so, we eventually ran into problems because of books going out of print without being in the public domain.
This book was easy to track down because it was published recently (and I think it’s still in print). It’s also a lot of fun and actually one of the better Oz books that I’ve come across.
There’s a lot to like, from the fact that the two girls have an electric guitar in their bedroom to the fact that one of them is an Oz sceptic who refuses to believe in magic until it’s literally staring them in the face.
It’s also the first book in a trilogy, with a little bit of a backstory going on which includes an absent parent thanks to conflicts between the mother and father. All of this combines to make it a truly 21st century take on the Oz series which somehow brings something new to it that was previously missing.
And so if you’re a fan of the Oz books, you should check this one out. Lots to like!