I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Toto by A. J. Hackwith Narrator: André Santana
Published by Ace, Penguin Random House Audio on November 12, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure
Length: 10 hours 45 minutes
Pages: 368
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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The true hero of The Wizard of Oz takes center stage in this brilliant, delightfully snarky reimagining from the author of The Library of the Unwritten.
I was mostly a Good Dog until they sold me out to animal control, okay?
But if it’s a choice between Oz, with its creepy little singing dudes, and being behind bars in gray old Kansas, I’ll choose the place where animals talk and run the show for now, thanks.
It’s not my fault that the kid is stuck here too, or that she stumbled into a tug-of-war over a pair of slippers that don’t even taste good. Now one witch in good eyeliner calls her pretty and we’re off on a quest? Teenagers.
I try to tell her she’s falling in with the wrong crowd when she befriends a freaking hedge wizard made of straw, that blue jay with revolutionary aspirations, and the walking tin can. Still, I’m not one to judge when there’s the small matter of a coup in the Forest Kingdom....
Look, something really stinks in Oz, and this Wizard guy and the witches positively reek of it. As usual, it’s going to be up to a sensible little dog to do a big dog’s job and get to the bottom of it.
And trust me: Little dogs can get away with anything.
This was fun! When she was little, my oldest daughter was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this movie. I have a huge soft spot for dogs, so the idea of a retelling of The Wizard of Oz from Toto’s point of view felt like something that I just had to experience. It was so entertaining to see this story with a few updates from such an original point of view.
It turns out that Toto is a snarky little guy. It was great to see so many familiar characters in this more modern look at Oz. We also get to meet a few more key characters which adds a new layer to the original story. Toto has a lot to say and the residents in Oz can understand him, everyone except Dorothy unfortunately. The group runs into plenty of trouble during their quest to have the wizard grant their requests.
André Santana does a fantastic job with the narration of this book. He handled the voices of the varied cast of characters very well which helped to bring the story to life. He added just the right amount of emotion to the reading to take the book to the next level and I thought he handled the more comical moments of the story very well. I am certain that his performance added to my enjoyment of this story.
I would recommend this book to others. I thought that it was a very imaginative and entertaining retelling. The story did drag just a bit for me at times but it was a very enjoyable read overall. I do hope to read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.
This does sound like a fun one. I was obsessed with the Oz books when I was little. We owned some and the library had the rest; I read all 14 of them over and over. Baum certainly knew how to spark a child’s imagination. 😀
I felt much the same about this story. It’s an appealing concept. I wasn’t sure if I liked the new characters, but I did like the more interesting view of the “witches”
A Toto book? Well that is a new one
Since Toto is a terrier it makes perfect sense he’s snarky! I’ve seen the movie probably a dozen times and this looks really fun. I’ll have to pick this one up!
I’ve loved TWOO since I was a little girl too. I watch it every year, sometimes multiple times a year. my daughter and daughter in law even went to the museum a few months ago. I have the series and now I’m going to get Toto. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I meant my daughter, daughter in law, and I
This sounds like a fun spin on a classic. Glad you enjoyed it!