The Emerald Wand of Oz (Hardcover)

Meet Em and Dori, two modern-day descendants of Dorothy Gale (yes, THAT Dorothy), who follow in her famous footsteps to the magical land of Oz -- and adventure.

Dori loves reading all of the wonderful old Oz books, imagining what it would be like to meet the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow. Her younger sister, Em, thinks that believing in Oz is for babies and that the magical snow globe Dori claims was left to them by Dorothy Gale is just an old souvenir. But when a tornado suddenly deposits the sisters in a place where unicorns hold beauty contests, Nome princes walk through solid rock, and magic takes care of daily chores, they realize they're not in Kansas anymore.

However, this is a new Oz, different in many ways from how it was when Dorothy traveled down the yellow brick road. Strange dark clouds hover over the Emerald City, Princess Ozma and her people are under an evil spell cast by Bastinda, the new Wicked Witch of the West, and Dorothy is nowhere to be found! It is up to Em and Dori to reverse the spell and save the people of Oz. But to do that they must get hold of the magic wand used to cast it -- a wand that belongs to the wicked witch!

Whether this is your first trip to Oz or you have visited many times before, prepare to be enchanted by Sherwood Smith's fresh new adventure!

Sherwood Smith began making books out of taped paper towels when she was five years old, and at eight began writing stories about another world full of magic and adventure -- and hasn't stopped yet. She has published more than two dozen books, ranging from space opera to children's fantasy. Her children's fantasies have shown up on many library Best Books lists. One, Wren's War, was a finalist for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and was an Anne Spencer Lindbergh Honor Book. She has run writing workshops for nearly twenty years and has been active in organizing and participating in online workshops for more than ten. Her other young-adult books include Crown Duel, Wren to the Rescue, and Wren's Quest. Married more than twenty years (two kids, two dogs, and a house full of books), Ms. Smith is currently a part-time teacher as well as a writer. She lives in Southern California.