The Wizard of Oz, with eBook recap

A cyclone carries Dorothy and Toto from Kansas to the land of Oz, where her falling house kills the Witch of the East. Told that the Wizard in the Emerald City may send her home, Dorothy follows the yellow brick road and befriends a Scarecrow seeking brains, a Tin Woodman seeking a heart, and a Lion seeking courage. The Wizard promises help only if they defeat the Witch of the West. The Witch enslaves Dorothy after using the Winged Monkeys to overpower the group, but Dorothy accidentally destroys her with water. Back in the Emerald City, the travelers discover that Oz is an ordinary man who has maintained his authority through deception. He gives Dorothy's friends symbolic gifts that confirm qualities they already possess, but his attempt to take Dorothy home by balloon fails. After a further journey, Glinda explains that Dorothy's silver shoes can transport her. Dorothy returns to Aunt Em in Kansas, while the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion take up leadership roles in Oz.

Dorothy lives with Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and her dog Toto on a Kansas farm. When a cyclone approaches, Toto hides and Dorothy is unable to reach the storm cellar before the wind lifts the entire house. It travels through the air and lands in a bright, unfamiliar country, killing the Witch of the East beneath it. The grateful Munchkins and the Good Witch of the North welcome Dorothy, but none can tell her how to reach Kansas. The good witch advises her to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and ask the Wizard of Oz for help. Dorothy puts on the dead witch's silver shoes and sets out with Toto. In a cornfield she meets a living Scarecrow who believes he lacks a brain. She frees him from his pole, and he joins her so that he can ask the Wizard for a brain while she asks to be sent home. They continue along the increasingly difficult road and spend a night in a cottage in the forest.

Dorothy and the Scarecrow find a Tin Woodman rusted in place and restore his movement with an oilcan. Convinced that he lacks a heart, he joins their journey. Farther into the forest, a Lion attacks the party, but Dorothy rebukes him for threatening Toto. The Lion admits he is ruled by fear and accompanies them to ask Oz for courage. The growing group crosses dangerous gaps with the Lion's leaps and escapes pursuing Kalidahs after the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman bring down a bridge. They then build a raft to cross a broad river. The current carries the Scarecrow away on his pole and sweeps the others beyond the yellow brick road, but a friendly stork reunites them. Close to the Emerald City, a field of enchanted poppies puts Dorothy, Toto, and eventually the Lion to sleep. The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, who do not breathe, carry Dorothy and Toto out, but the Lion is too heavy for them to move.

After the Tin Woodman saves the Queen of the Field Mice from a wildcat, her subjects help haul the sleeping Lion out of the poppies. Reunited, the travelers reach the green-walled Emerald City, where everyone wears green spectacles and the Guardian of the Gates arranges their audiences with Oz. The Wizard appears differently to each visitor and refuses every request unless they first kill the Wicked Witch of the West. The companions reluctantly travel west. The Witch sees them coming and sends wolves, crows, bees, and armed Winkies to destroy them, but the travelers repel each attack. She finally uses a golden cap to summon the Winged Monkeys. Bound by the cap's magic, they tear apart the Scarecrow, batter and drop the Tin Woodman, and bind the Lion. They cannot harm Dorothy because of the Good Witch's protective mark, so they carry her and Toto to the Witch's castle. The Witch makes Dorothy work for her and tries to force the Lion into service by starving him, while secretly seeking a way to obtain Dorothy's silver shoes.

The Witch of the West tricks Dorothy and takes one silver shoe. Enraged, Dorothy throws a bucket of water over her, not knowing water will destroy her. The Witch melts away, and the freed Winkies help Dorothy rescue the Lion and restore the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman. Dorothy takes the golden cap and uses it to summon the Winged Monkeys, who carry the party back to the Emerald City. Oz delays seeing them until they threaten to call the Winged Monkeys. During the audience, Toto knocks over a screen and exposes the Wizard as an ordinary old man who has used devices and costumes to sustain his reputation. He explains that he came from Omaha in a balloon and is unable to perform real magic. Even so, he gives the Scarecrow a head filled with a symbolic mixture that makes him feel wise, places a token heart inside the Tin Woodman, and gives the Lion a drink presented as courage. Their conduct has already demonstrated these qualities, but the ceremonies satisfy them. Oz then proposes building a balloon to take Dorothy home with him.

Oz completes his balloon and announces that the Scarecrow will govern the Emerald City while he is gone. At the launch, Toto runs into the crowd and Dorothy leaves the basket to catch him. The ropes break before she can return, carrying Oz away alone and ending that route home. A soldier suggests that Dorothy seek Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion set out together. They pass through a forest where hostile trees block the path until the Tin Woodman cuts an opening. Beyond it lies a delicate country whose inhabitants and buildings are made of china. The travelers cross carefully, though their passage causes some damage, and Dorothy declines to take a china princess away after learning that living figures become stiff when removed. On the far side they reach another forest. A giant spider-like creature has terrorized the animals there, and the Lion kills it. The grateful animals ask him to become their king after he has helped Dorothy complete her journey.

A steep hill inhabited by aggressive Hammer-Heads blocks the way south, so Dorothy uses the golden cap for its final permitted summons. The Winged Monkeys carry the group over the obstacle into the Quadlings' country. Glinda welcomes them and reveals that Dorothy's silver shoes have always been able to carry her wherever she wishes. Dorothy could have returned earlier, but her journey has enabled the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion to discover the wisdom, love, and courage they thought they lacked. In exchange for the golden cap, Glinda calls the Winged Monkeys three times: they return the Scarecrow to govern the Emerald City, the Tin Woodman to rule the freed Winkies, and the Lion to the forest whose animals have chosen him as king. Glinda then gives the cap to the monkeys' king so that his people will never again be commanded through it. Dorothy bids farewell to her friends, holds Toto, and uses the shoes to return to Kansas. The shoes are lost during the passage over the desert, but Dorothy arrives safely by the rebuilt farmhouse, where Aunt Em embraces her. Her search is over: she and Toto are home.

Glinda tells Dorothy that the silver shoes have always had the power to carry their wearer anywhere, so Dorothy could have returned home soon after arriving in Oz. Before Dorothy leaves, Glinda uses the golden cap to send the Scarecrow back to govern the Emerald City, the Tin Woodman to rule the Winkies, and the Lion to the forest whose animals chose him as king. She then gives the cap to the Winged Monkeys' king, ending their obligation to answer future owners. Dorothy says goodbye to her friends, takes Toto in her arms, and commands the shoes to carry her to Aunt Em in Kansas. The journey over the desert makes the shoes fall away, and Dorothy arrives barefoot near the newly built farmhouse. Aunt Em embraces her, astonished by her sudden return. Dorothy is home with Toto, while her three companions remain in Oz with the qualities and responsibilities they had sought.