Review - Booksurfers 2: The Wonderful Wizard of OZ

The Eulogy (From the Publishers):
The Booksurfers have barely dusted the sand off their clothes from Treasure Island before they are flung into another mission for the evil Dr Crookshanks. They land in the strange, magical and altogether pretty freaky Land of Oz, and if they don’t get Dorothy’s ruby slippers back to Crookshanks, they will never see their parents again! This time the Booksurfers aren’t just watching the action – they’ve become the main characters. Jake’s got no brains, Becca’s being ever so nice (for once), Ryan’s crying because he stood on a beetle and Harriet’s attacking strangers!

Ever wondered what it would be like to not just read a book, but actually experience it? Throughout these books you'll find something rather ingenious: hyperlinks. They're pretty easy to spot; look out for an underlined word or phrase or sentence. And whenever you see one, you can just click on it, and - KA-POW! - you'll be zipped into the actual book the Booksurfers are exploring at the exact point they are discovering it! Have fun tagging along; you never know what story you'll end up in next...

The Epitaph (In a Nutshell): A fun, original idea that is even better than the first in the Booksurfers series.

Dearly Departed,
We are gathered here today to discuss Booksurfers: The Wonderful Wizard of OZ by David Gatward. Check out my review of Booksurfers: Treasure Island to see my original thoughts about this series and its excellent overall concept. 

 I think I enjoyed Wonderful Wizard of OZ even more than Treasure Island. While I haven't read either original texts, I've at least seen the film version of this, which I was pleasantly surprised to find differs quite a bit from the book - I had no idea that Dorothy's slippers were originally silver, but that they were changed to red for technicolour.

At the start I was a little disappointed that Harriet, who is quickly becoming my favourite character, didn't step into the role of Dorothy since this was one of her favourite books. But as it went on, I could see why Becca made the perfect Dorothy, and the result is hilarious.

I love the major point of difference in this from the first in the series: whereas in Treasure Island the four of them had to follow around various characters, in this they actually step into the role of Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion, and it's a lot more fun.

Another great book in this exciting new series, and I can't wait until the four Booksurfers use the Nautilus to embark on their next adventure into Sherwood Forest!