For my book talk, I read Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, which falls under juvenile fantasy.
The story begins in Mission, Kansas, and is later moved to the world of Oz by a tornado. This transportation is much like the one that Dorothy goes through in the famous movie, The Wizard of Oz. Oz, however, is not as it used to be. The author wrote, “My head was swimming. If this was a fantasy, it was a strange one: this wasn’t the Oz that I had read about or seen in the movie. It was as if someone had drained out some of the Technicolor and introduced some serious darkness” (Paige 19). Instead of the joyful, colorful world of Oz the most people are used to, this Oz has had all of the fun sucked out of it. Also, this Oz barely had any signs of life. Paige stated, “I was hoping that the place would cheer up as I got farther away from the pit. I was still hoping for a tree that grew lollipops or a welcome committee of cheerful Munchkins—or anything cheerful, really. But as I walked down the road, the countryside remained as grim and desolate as before, everything cast in the eerie blue light that reminded me of the glow of a television from underneath the crack of a closed door ” (21). Not all of Oz, however, was gloomy and lifeless. This was clear when the author wrote, “The world had been changing color while we’d talked. The closer we got to the Emerald City and away from Glinda and her machine, the more the chilly blue glow of the sky melted into something sunnier and pleasant. The grass grew greener and thicker on the ground, too, and every now and then I noticed a few crocuses poking their heads out of the earth” (Paige 32). In Oz, magic meant color, and the Emerald possessed the most magic in Oz. Overall, Dorothy Must Die is set in Kansas then moves to Oz, but not the Oz the many people know and love. The main character of the story is Amy Gumm, a thirteen year old girl from Kansas who is sarcastic, stubborn, and emotionally strong. Paige described Amy’s level of sarcasm by saying, “...but sometimes my sarcasm took on a life of its own. The words just came out” (4), One may say that sarcasm comes as easily as breathing to Amy. Also, Amy’s stubbornness was evident when Paige wrote, “stubbornness that had always served me so well” (55). Stubbornness has evidently played a key role in Amy’s life and is used by her in order to acquire what she needs. Finally, Paige showed that Amy would not let anyone’s actions hurt her when she wrote, “I didn’t bother trying to make Madison like me anymore, and I wasn’t going to cry over cake” (3). Amy has faced a great deal of disappointment in her life, yet she is strong enough to not let them bother her. Amy Gumm is the outcast of her town. Left by her father, bullied by her school mates, and neglected by her drug-addicted mother: Amy longs for an escape from her miserable world. Just when Amy’s situation seems as though it could not worsen, a tornado sweeps through Amy’s trailer park. When Amy awakens, she discovers that …show more content…
An example of this is them is, “...just because someone has pretty hair and good skin tone and a crown instead of a pointy hat doesn’t mean she’s not the baddest b**** this side of the Emerald City” (30). Just because Dorothy, the antagonist of the novel, was portrayed as a sweet girl who couldn’t hurt a fly on the big screen didn’t mean that she wasn’t capable of being evil. Also, this theme was evident when Paige wrote, “No matter how tough you think you are, there are certain things that just get to you, and they’re usually the little things. The ones you don’t expect” (234). Her whole life, Amy had tried to bury her sensitive self underneath layers of toughness and strength, refusing to show that side of herself to others. Deep down, however, she was sensitive, despite how others saw her. Overall, Dorothy Must Die exemplifies that “people can be more than the appear to
The story begins in Mission, Kansas, and is later moved to the world of Oz by a tornado. This transportation is much like the one that Dorothy goes through in the famous movie, The Wizard of Oz. Oz, however, is not as it used to be. The author wrote, “My head was swimming. If this was a fantasy, it was a strange one: this wasn’t the Oz that I had read about or seen in the movie. It was as if someone had drained out some of the Technicolor and introduced some serious darkness” (Paige 19). Instead of the joyful, colorful world of Oz the most people are used to, this Oz has had all of the fun sucked out of it. Also, this Oz barely had any signs of life. Paige stated, “I was hoping that the place would cheer up as I got farther away from the pit. I was still hoping for a tree that grew lollipops or a welcome committee of cheerful Munchkins—or anything cheerful, really. But as I walked down the road, the countryside remained as grim and desolate as before, everything cast in the eerie blue light that reminded me of the glow of a television from underneath the crack of a closed door ” (21). Not all of Oz, however, was gloomy and lifeless. This was clear when the author wrote, “The world had been changing color while we’d talked. The closer we got to the Emerald City and away from Glinda and her machine, the more the chilly blue glow of the sky melted into something sunnier and pleasant. The grass grew greener and thicker on the ground, too, and every now and then I noticed a few crocuses poking their heads out of the earth” (Paige 32). In Oz, magic meant color, and the Emerald possessed the most magic in Oz. Overall, Dorothy Must Die is set in Kansas then moves to Oz, but not the Oz the many people know and love. The main character of the story is Amy Gumm, a thirteen year old girl from Kansas who is sarcastic, stubborn, and emotionally strong. Paige described Amy’s level of sarcasm by saying, “...but sometimes my sarcasm took on a life of its own. The words just came out” (4), One may say that sarcasm comes as easily as breathing to Amy. Also, Amy’s stubbornness was evident when Paige wrote, “stubbornness that had always served me so well” (55). Stubbornness has evidently played a key role in Amy’s life and is used by her in order to acquire what she needs. Finally, Paige showed that Amy would not let anyone’s actions hurt her when she wrote, “I didn’t bother trying to make Madison like me anymore, and I wasn’t going to cry over cake” (3). Amy has faced a great deal of disappointment in her life, yet she is strong enough to not let them bother her. Amy Gumm is the outcast of her town. Left by her father, bullied by her school mates, and neglected by her drug-addicted mother: Amy longs for an escape from her miserable world. Just when Amy’s situation seems as though it could not worsen, a tornado sweeps through Amy’s trailer park. When Amy awakens, she discovers that …show more content…
An example of this is them is, “...just because someone has pretty hair and good skin tone and a crown instead of a pointy hat doesn’t mean she’s not the baddest b**** this side of the Emerald City” (30). Just because Dorothy, the antagonist of the novel, was portrayed as a sweet girl who couldn’t hurt a fly on the big screen didn’t mean that she wasn’t capable of being evil. Also, this theme was evident when Paige wrote, “No matter how tough you think you are, there are certain things that just get to you, and they’re usually the little things. The ones you don’t expect” (234). Her whole life, Amy had tried to bury her sensitive self underneath layers of toughness and strength, refusing to show that side of herself to others. Deep down, however, she was sensitive, despite how others saw her. Overall, Dorothy Must Die exemplifies that “people can be more than the appear to