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The Wizard Returns

Danielle Paige

Ages 12–16

Readers rate it 3.2 (15 on Hardcover)

75 pages · Released Mar 3, 2015

Content report card

The Wizard Returns parent’s guide: what’s inside

Medium confidence

Sexual content

LGBTQ+ themes

Substance use

What it offers

A note for parents

This is a dark reimagining of the Wizard of Oz story aimed at older middle-grade and young teen readers. The book features morally complex characters and a grim version of Oz, with Dorothy depicted as power-hungry and vicious rather than heroic. While violence and language are relatively mild, the mature themes and dystopian tone make it better suited for ages 12+. It's a short novella (75 pages) that serves as a prequel to a more intense YA series.

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From the publisher

The Wizard left Oz in a hot air balloon—or did he? This digital original novella is the third installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and exciting New York Times bestseller Dorothy Must Die. Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she's not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She's power-hungry and vicious, and she leave... The Wizard left Oz in a hot air balloon—or did he? This digital original novella is the third installment in the prequel arc to the edgy and exciting New York Times bestseller Dorothy Must Die. Dorothy Gale is back . . . and she's not the sweet little heroine of Oz anymore. She's power-hungry and vicious, and she leaves a trail of destruction beneath her spike-heeled, magical shoes. But she wasn't always in charge. There used to be a different ruler of Oz. Someone who also came from the Other Place, and who stole power for himself. They called him the Wizard. The story goes that when a young Dorothy revealed the Wizard as a fraud, the man behind the curtain fled Oz in his hot air balloon. But in The Wizard Returns, he wakes in a field of poppies to find out that not only had he never left, but that he has no memory of who—or where—he is. As he undergoes a series of tests to uncover his memories, he finds that the very girl who threw him from the Emerald Palace is in control. And that Oz may be his destiny after all. The Wizard Returns by Danielle Paige is a dark and compelling reimagining of a beloved classic and is perfect for fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Beastly by Alex Flinn, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire.

Shelved under

  • Young Adult Fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Young Adult
  • Adventure
  • Dystopian
  • Children's fiction
  • Oz (imaginary place), fiction
  • Fantasy fiction
  • Witches, fiction
  • Wizards, fiction

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ISBN 9780062280787 · HarperCollins

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