A Kansas girl is swept to a magical land and journeys to find her way home.
Why this book matters
More than a children's fairy tale — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the book that invented American fantasy and never stopped reshaping the culture.
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Free Audiobook · Chapter I: The Cyclone
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Chapter I The Cyclone Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer’s wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four…
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More than a children's fairy tale — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the book that invented American fantasy and never stopped reshaping the culture.
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- Dorothy
- A young girl swept from Kansas to the Land of Oz by a cyclone, along with her small dog Toto; she seeks a way back home to her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.
- Toto
- Dorothy's small dog who accompanies her throughout her journey and adventures.
- The Scarecrow
- A living man of straw whom Dorothy finds stuck on a pole in a cornfield; he wishes for brains, believing himself foolish.
- The Tin Woodman
- A man made entirely of tin, found rusted in the forest; he longs for a heart so that he may love again.
- The Cowardly Lion (King of Beasts (self-styled))
- A large lion who joins the group, ashamed that despite his fearsome size he is frightened of everything, and seeks courage.
- The Wizard of Oz (Oz, the Great and Terrible)
- The mysterious ruler of the Emerald City who appears to each visitor in a different awe-inspiring form and promises to grant their wishes if they kill the Wicked Witch of the West.
- The Witch of the North
- A good witch who greets Dorothy in Munchkin Country, explains the land's magic, and sends her toward the Emerald City with a protective kiss.
- Glinda (Witch of the South)
- A beautiful and powerful good witch ruling the Quadlings, said to know a way across the desert and rumored to be kind to all.
- Aunt Em
- Dorothy's aunt back in Kansas, whose gray, careworn life on the prairie frames the story's beginning and end.
- The Wicked Witch of the West
- The remaining wicked witch in Oz, whom Oz demands Dorothy and her friends destroy before he will grant their wishes.
Glossary
- Munchkins
- The small, blue-clad people who inhabit the Eastern quadrant of the Land of Oz.
- Quadlings
- The people who live in the Southern country of Oz, ruled by the good witch Glinda.
- Winkies
- The yellow-clad people of the Western country of Oz, formerly enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the West.
- Hammer-Heads
- A strange, armless race with flat heads who guard a hill and butt intruders away by shooting their heads forward on long necks.
- Golden Cap
- A magical enchanted cap that grants its wearer the power to command the Winged Monkeys three times.
- Winged Monkeys
- A tribe of flying monkeys bound to obey whoever holds the Golden Cap, due to an old enchantment.
- silver shoes
- Magical footwear taken from the Wicked Witch of the East after her death, later revealed to hold the power to transport the wearer anywhere.
- humbug
- An old term for a fraud or impostor; used to describe the Wizard once his true, non-magical nature is discovered.
- cyclone
- The period term for what is now usually called a tornado; the storm that carries Dorothy's house to Oz.
- Dainty China Country
- A fragile land populated by living people and animals made entirely of china that the travelers pass through.
Table of contents
- Chapter I: The CycloneFree
- Chapter II: The Council with the MunchkinsFree
- Chapter III: How Dorothy Saved the ScarecrowFree
- Chapter IV: The Road Through the ForestFree
- Chapter V: The Rescue of the Tin WoodmanFree
- Chapter VI: The Cowardly LionFree
- Chapter VII: The Journey to the Great OzFree
- Chapter VIII: The Deadly Poppy FieldFree
- Chapter IX: The Queen of the Field MiceFree
- Chapter X: The Guardian of the GateFree
- Chapter XI: The Wonderful City of OzFree
- Chapter XII: The Search for the Wicked WitchFree
- Chapter XIII: The RescueFree
- Chapter XIV: The Winged MonkeysFree
- Chapter XV: The Discovery of Oz, the TerribleFree
- Chapter XVI: The Magic Art of the Great HumbugFree
- Chapter XVII: How the Balloon Was LaunchedFree
- Chapter XVIII: Away to the SouthFree
- Chapter XIX: Attacked by the Fighting TreesFree
- Chapter XX: The Dainty China CountryFree
- Chapter XXI: The Lion Becomes the King of BeastsFree
- Chapter XXII: The Country of the QuadlingsFree
- Chapter XXIII: Glinda The Good Witch Grants Dorothy’s WishFree
- Chapter XXIV: Home AgainFree
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