But I never expected Oz to look like this. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado-taking you with it-you have no choice but to go along, you know And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman's heart. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. My name is Amy Gumm-and I'm the other girl from Kansas. Start at the beginning and discover your new series to binge! With the students’ familiarity with Oz and my own enthusiasm for this book, Dorothy Must Die will be VERY easy to book talk in my library.The New York Times bestselling first book in a dark series that reimagines the Oz saga, from debut author Danielle Paige.

I had heard this wasn’t appropriate for middle school readers, but I think it’s just fine. THE BOTTOM LINE: It’s creative and fun, but readers will have to let go of previous characterizations of Dorothy and her friends in order to fully enjoy the story. It’s not really insta-love, but their relationship came a bit suddenly for my tastes. I would have liked to see the relationship between Amy and Nox better developed–we really know very little about Nox and what makes him tick. And I love that the right thing isn’t always so clear-cut. I love that though she may be afraid, she doesn’t let it stop her from doing what she sees as the right thing. I liked that she questions the motives of all those around her and that she wants things to be just and fair. It makes sense that the ruby slippers (which should have been silver as in the original and on the front cover) would corrupt a simple farm girl with their taste of magic and power.Īs far as character development, I liked Amy’s spunk and toughness. It makes sense to me that an ordinary Kansas girl without magic of her own might crave the magic that Oz offers. Oz is a beautiful but dangerous place full of darkness and power and magic. Though Dorothy and her friends are really and truly horrible in this story, there will be readers who do not want to see the beloved heroes in The Wizard of Oz turn into murderous despots in this story.īut for me, I loved seeing this darker side to Dorothy, et.

As the title suggests, Amy’s assignment from her Wicked Witch mentors is to kill Dorothy, something Amy struggles with throughout the entire story.

Though I loved this book, I can see some readers being turned off by the idea that Dorothy, the Scarecrow, The Tin Woodsman, and The Lion are the antagonists in Dorothy Must Die. REVIEW: I have always loved fairy tale spin-offs, so I was very excited to finally read Dorothy Must Die. SUMMARY: A tornado sweeps 17-year old Amy Gumm from Kansas into Oz, where she is recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicket to kill Dorothy.

Dorothy must die book