Page, Danielle. Dorothy Must Die. New York: HarperCollins, 2014. 978-0-062-28067-1. 464 p. $17.99. Gr 7-12.
Amy Gumm is a high schooler in rural Kansas, and every day is difficult- she is picked on at school, and her alcoholic mother treats her like she isn’t even there. One day a tornado sweeps through town, and much like the beloved Dorothy and Toto from The Wizard of Oz, Amy and her pet rat Star wake up in the fairytale land of Oz. Only now it’s a much darker place than before, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, with no bright yellow brick road, welcoming munchkins or catchy songs. Amy and Star begin their journey through the new Oz, and discover that Dorothy has gone crazy with power, stealing Oz’s magical powers and recruiting the Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion to hunt down those that oppose her. Amy is eventually recruited by the Order of the Wicked to restore Oz to it’s former glory, with one cryptic instruction: Dorothy must be stopped- so Dorothy must die. Diehard fans of the classic Wizard of Oz series may find it hard to suspend belief for certain plot elements or characters to work together, but Page is a gifted writer who makes Amy a mature and believable heroine. The ending will leave readers ready for the second book in the series, due in 2015.
Fantasy Vicki Schwoebel, Friends’ Central School
Fairytale retellings seem to be very popular in YA, so I always wonder if and when the trend will run out. I am not a dedicated fan of The Wizard of Oz (the book series or the movie, though I have seen it), and I really enjoyed Page’s story. I think this will decide if you like this story or not- it may be hard to see Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman and Lion as villains- if you love the stories or movie.
We will see soon! I read this from my local library, but ordered a copy afterwards since I enjoyed it so much, and it’s currently being processed. My older middle schoolers and 9th graders are already fans of other fairytale retellings- the Cinder series is quite popular, as well as Sweet Venom and Tiger Lily, so I am interested in talking to them about their feelings of a character who is quite beloved in pop culture.