Four stars: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum and John R. Neill (1908) is Dorothy's third trip to Oz and marks the Wizard's return to Oz. Although I love the series as a whole I find myself liking this one less and less each time I read it.
Five stars (and my third time writing about it on my blog):
The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum and John R. Neill (1904) is the second book in the Oz series. It was the start of a new long term relationship with a new publisher and a new illustrator, an illustrator who went on to illustrate and even write some Oz books after Baum's death. With so much at stake, it was also an opportunity to fine tune the Land of Oz, so it strikes me as no surprise that Baum chose to focus his second book entirely within the fantasy realm, leaving Dorothy at home in Kansas.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and W. W. Denton (1900) is one of maybe a dozen books I've re-read so many times over the course of my life that I've forgotten just how many times. It for all its flaws is a quintessentially American fantasy novel, especially when taken in context with the later Oz books.
I am as close to flapping as I ever get. I just heard about the #ozathon24 read along for next year. I am super excited. But this also means I will be doing lots of Oz inspired chicken art next year. And not just Bill fan art (Bill is best chicken) but the regular cast as chickens. Will I chickenify the Gump too? @bookstodon