And there are also books that go beyond the traditional canon to present an alternative view of the Land of Oz, like Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.

Today, Baum's original tale continues to inspire new work, including a recent trio of books by Sherwood Smith that ended with the publication of Sky Pyrates Over Oz in 2014. Other publishers and authors continued the tradition after that. The publishers behind 13 of Baum's Oz books published 26 more by other authors between 19. Multiple authors continued to write about Baum's fictional land long after he died in 1919. The book was so popular when it was published back in 1900 that Baum went on to write 13 more Oz titles, and the stories didn't end there. He just wanted to write a story that would make kids feel happy. Baum's goal wasn't to warn children about anything. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he wasn't trying to create a cautionary tale, which is what a lot of the old Brothers Grimm stories were. Turns out the tin man is like a ninja with his axe. It's just that in its original novel format, the story contains a few more gruesome details, a few new characters, some odd tangents, and a lot more chopping. Still, this is the classic story of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the tin man, and the Lion and their quest to meet a wizard, vanquish a witch, and acquire their desired parting gifts: a brain, a heart, some courage, and a way home. But there are a few scenes-such as when the Tin Woodman explains exactly how he became a tin man-that may catch you off guard. That's not to say The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a grisly story. (Apparently the children of long ago liked their bedtime stories with a little more CSI: Miami than Disney princess.)

You know, the kind of story where wicked stepsisters slice off pieces of their feet to cram them into glass slippers? Or where horrible stepmoms convince their husbands to abandon their kids in the woods where they're enslaved and fattened up by a cannibalistic witch? Yeah, that kind of fairy tale. This book has the flavor of a classic fairy tale. And we're not talking about lions and tigers and bears.

You may think you know this one cold, but even if you've seen the movie a thousand times, you're in for a few surprises. You're off to read the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! (Sorry.

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