The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (short books for teens .TXT) ๐
Description
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the classic American childrenโs novel about the adventures of Dorothy, a young girl who along with her dog Toto is swept away by a cyclone to the magical Land of Oz. It was written by L. Frank Baum and published in May 1900.
Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and Toto on a farm in the Kansas prairie. One day, Dorothy and Toto are caught up in a cyclone that deposits her farmhouse into Munchkin Country in the magical Land of Oz. The falling house has killed the Wicked Witch of the East, the evil ruler of the Munchkins. The Good Witch of the North arrives with three grateful Munchkins and gives Dorothy the magical Silver Shoes that once belonged to the Wicked Witch. The Good Witch tells Dorothy that the only way she can return home is to go to the Emerald City and ask the great and powerful Wizard of Oz to help her.
The Library of Congress has declared it โAmericaโs greatest and best-loved homegrown fairy-tale.โ Its groundbreaking success and the success of the Broadway musical adaptation led Baum to write thirteen additional Oz books which serve as sequels to the first story. The 1939 film musical adaptation starring Judy Garland is considered by many to be one of the greatest films in cinema history.
Read free book ยซThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (short books for teens .TXT) ๐ยป - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: L. Frank Baum
Read book online ยซThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (short books for teens .TXT) ๐ยป. Author - L. Frank Baum
When these people drew near the house where Dorothy was standing in the doorway, they paused and whispered among themselves, as if afraid to come farther. But the little old woman walked up to Dorothy, made a low bow and said, in a sweet voice:
โYou are welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins. We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage.โ
Dorothy listened to this speech with wonder. What could the little woman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and saying she had killed the Wicked Witch of the East? Dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl, who had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home; and she had never killed anything in all her life.
But the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said, with hesitation, โYou are very kind, but there must be some mistake. I have not killed anything.โ
โYour house did, anyway,โ replied the little old woman, with a laugh, โand that is the same thing. See!โ she continued, pointing to the corner of the house. โThere are her two feet, still sticking out from under a block of wood.โ
Dorothy looked, and gave a little cry of fright. There, indeed, just under the corner of the great beam the house rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver shoes with pointed toes.
โOh, dear! Oh, dear!โ cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay. โThe house must have fallen on her. Whatever shall we do?โ
โThere is nothing to be done,โ said the little woman calmly.
โBut who was she?โ asked Dorothy.
โShe was the Wicked Witch of the East, as I said,โ answered the little woman. โShe has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day. Now they are all set free, and are grateful to you for the favor.โ
โWho are the Munchkins?โ inquired Dorothy.
โThey are the people who live in this land of the East where the Wicked Witch ruled.โ
โAre you a Munchkin?โ asked Dorothy.
โNo, but I am their friend, although I live in the land of the North. When they saw the Witch of the East was dead the Munchkins sent a swift messenger to me, and I came at once. I am the Witch of the North.โ
โOh, gracious!โ cried Dorothy. โAre you a real witch?โ
โYes, indeed,โ answered the little woman. โBut I am a good witch, and the people love me. I am not as powerful as the Wicked Witch was who ruled here, or I should have set the people free myself.โ
โBut I thought all witches were wicked,โ said the girl, who was half frightened at facing a real witch. โOh, no, that is a great mistake. There were only four witches in all the Land of Oz, and two of them, those who live in the North and the South, are good witches. I know this is true, for I am one of them myself, and cannot be mistaken. Those who dwelt in the East and the West were, indeed, wicked witches; but now that you have killed one of them, there is but one Wicked Witch in all the Land of Ozโ โthe one who lives in the West.โ
โBut,โ said Dorothy, after a momentโs thought, โAunt Em has told me that the witches were all deadโ โyears and years ago.โ
โWho is Aunt Em?โ inquired the little old woman.
โShe is my aunt who lives in Kansas, where I came from.โ
The Witch of the North seemed to think for a time, with her head bowed and her eyes upon the ground. Then she looked up and said, โI do not know where Kansas is, for I have never heard that country mentioned before. But tell me, is it a civilized country?โ
โOh, yes,โ replied Dorothy.
โThen that accounts for it. In the civilized countries I believe there are no witches left, nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, you see, the Land of Oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. Therefore we still have witches and wizards amongst us.โ
โWho are the wizards?โ asked Dorothy.
โOz himself is the Great Wizard,โ answered the Witch, sinking her voice to a whisper. โHe is more powerful than all the rest of us together. He lives in the City of Emeralds.โ
Dorothy was going to ask another question, but just then the Munchkins, who had been standing silently by, gave a loud shout and pointed to the corner of the house where the Wicked Witch had been lying.
โWhat is it?โ asked the little old woman, and looked, and began to laugh. The feet of the dead Witch had disappeared entirely, and nothing was left but the silver shoes.
โShe was so old,โ explained the Witch of the North, โthat she dried up quickly in the sun. That is the end of her. But the silver shoes are yours, and you shall have them to wear.โ She reached down and picked up the shoes, and after shaking the dust out of them handed them to Dorothy.
โThe Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes,โ said one of the Munchkins, โand there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we never knew.โ
Dorothy carried the shoes into the house and
Comments (0)