Synopsis
Dorothy Gale is an orphaned 12-year-old girl who lives in a
farmhouse in Kansas with her Uncle Henry, Aunt Em and little dog Toto.
One day her world is turned upside down when she emerges from her home
after a fierce tornado. Nothing is as it seemed only minutes ago—Dorothy
is far from home, transported to a land ‘beyond the rainbow’, a magical
and strange place she has never seen before, known as Oz.
A kindly witch appears, sending Dorothy on a quest to the
Emerald City, to find the only person who can help her return home—the
Wizard of Oz himself. On her way down the yellow brick road Dorothy
frees the Scarecrow from the pole he is hanging on, restores the
movements of the rusted Tin Woodman with an oil can and they convince
the Cowardly Lion to join them on their trip to Emerald City. The
Scarecrow wants to get a brain, the Tin Woodman a heart, and the
Cowardly Lion, courage. All are convinced by Dorothy that the Wizard can
help them too.
Overcoming the Wicked witch, they continue on their path to
the Emerald City. In order to help Dorothy and Toto get home, the Wizard
realises that he will have to take them home with him in a new balloon.
Revealing himself to the people of the Emerald City, the
Wizard appoints the Scarecrow, by virtue of his brains, to rule in his
stead. Dorothy chases Toto after he runs after a kitten in the crowd,
and before she can make it back to the balloon, the ropes break, leaving
the Wizard to rise and float away alone.
When they finally reach the Good Witch of the South, she
reveals that Dorothy had the power to go home all along. The silver
shoes she wears can take her anywhere she wishes to go. She tearfully
embraces her friends, and then Dorothy and Toto return to Kansas for a
joyful family reunion.
Book in Detail
Dorothy
Dorothy is the story's heroine. She lives with her aunt and
uncle on a small farm in Kansas. Her best friend is her small dog,
Toto. When a cyclone whips across Kansas, Dorothy and Toto are carried
away in the small farmhouse and eventually are set down in the land of
Oz. Dorothy is told by the Witch of the North that she must see the
Wizard of Oz to get back home. Dorothy is a determined child who is
single-minded in her goal to get back home. She is brave, smart,
compassionate, selfless, and encouraging to the other members of the
traveling party. She is the heroine of the novel and she appears
throughout.
NB. Dorothy will be replaced with the name of the person you
choose to star as Dorothy throughout the novel, including the cover and
novel header as well.
Toto
Toto is Dorothy's faithful canine companion. He is her best
friend in Kansas and accompanies her on her adventures in Oz. He is
playful, wary of strangers, and brave in certain situations. He appears
regularly throughout the story and Dorothy would not be without him.
NB. Toto will be replaced with the name of the person or animal you choose to star as Toto throughout the novel.
The Scarecrow
The Scarecrow is the first companion who joins Dorothy on
her way to see the Wizard of Oz. He is mounted on a pole in the middle
of a field where crows are not at all afraid of him. The Scarecrow is
humble in appearance, and his single desire is to have a brain. He joins
Dorothy in the hope that the Wizard will give him a brain, but he fails
to realise that he doesn’t need a brain because he is already quite
intelligent.
NB. We’ve enabled the Scarecrow to be played by a female or male
character. It will appear in the text as [name] the Scarecrow. If you
choose not to personalise the character it will not appear as Scarecrow
the Scarecrow as our software will correct this.
The Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman joins Dorothy, Toto and the Scarecrow in
the hope that the Wizard will give him a heart. His body was replaced
with tin after the Wicked Witch of the East cast a spell on him. The Tin
Woodman is like the Scarecrow in that he already possesses the quality
he hopes to be given by the Wizard. He believes that he has no heart,
yet he is the most compassionate and emotional member of the group.
NB. The Tin Woodman is a male character. Your personalised name
will appear in the text as [name] the Tin Woodman. If you choose not to
personalise this character it will not appear as Tin Woodman the Tin
Woodman as our software will correct this.
The Cowardly Lion
The Cowardly Lion is the third and final creature who joins
the Oz-bound group. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman meet
him when he jumps out at them as they make their way through a forest.
He believes that his
fear makes him an inadequate lion, so Dorothy agrees to allow him to
accompany them to the Emerald City reasoning that he needs courage and
that he could be helpful in frightening away other creatures. Despite
his belief that he lacks courage, the Lion often demonstrates bravery.
NB. The Cowardly Lion is a male character. Your personalised
name will appear in the text as [name] the Lion. If you choose not to
personalise this character it will not appear as Lion the Lion as our
software will correct this.
The Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is the greatest threat to
Dorothy and is the villain of the book. When Toto bites her, she does
not bleed because she is so evil that her blood has dried up in her
veins. When she is unable to kill the group on their way to see the
Wizard of Oz, she has the Scarecrow dismantled and the Tin Woodman
seriously dented. The witch wants the magical silver shoes that Dorothy
wears. She trips Dorothy and is able to get one shoe, but Dorothy
becomes so angry that she throws a bucket of water on the witch. To
Dorothy's surprise, the witch melts before her eyes.
NB. The Wicked Witch of the West is a female character. Your
personalised name will appear in the text as [name] the Wicked Witch.
If you choose not to personalise this character it will not appear as
Wicked Witch the Wicked Witch as our software will correct this.