Toto

This book caught my eye when I was in the library to pick up a hold. Toto is probably my favorite character in the Wizard of Oz even though I'm more of a cat person than a dog person. I thought it was cute that he called a cell phone a pocket screen. I was a little caught off guard that the book was made to be contemporary and the author made the dog and others swear. I think the book would be okay for older children and teens otherwise.
I think the story sagged a little in the middle with all of the Oz politics, but overall I'm glad I stuck with it.

In this delightfully irreverent version of the Wizard of Oz, the author gives us a whole new vision of the story. Told from the point of view of Toto the dog, we see all of the familiar characters in a brand new updated light. Who knew that Dorothy's preferred fashion was goth? At times laugh-out-loud funny, I nonetheless wished for the plot to advance a bit more quickly, and I can't say I really cared about how things worked out for Toto for the first half of the book. The action picked up midway through, leading to somewhat unexpected results and a satisfying conclusion. Really like the cover.

[2.75] As I started reading Hackwith’s reimagining of a classic tale, I wondered if I risked subjecting myself to Oz Overdose. In the span of four months, I saw the Broadway touring production of “The Wiz,” watched the film version of “Wicked,” and then saw “Toto” appear on my library holds list. How many Munchkin musings can one absorb in a short period without melting?

Thanks to the author’s creative twists and sense of humor, this concern was unfounded. It wasn’t Oz Overdose that triggered my mediocre rating. It was the storyline that simply didn’t keep my interest and the wise-cracking canine that went from being mildly amusing in the early chapters to downright annoying and repetitive by the end (how many good show more dog/bad dog internal monologues can even a tolerant reader withstand?) By the start of the second half, I realized I just didn’t care what happened to these iconic characters.

To be clear: Hackwith deserves 4 stars for ingenuity as she strived to blend an array of modern twists to Dorothy’s adventures. But the overall execution hovered near 2 stars. Sadly, this was a disappointing journey down the yellow brick road. show less

Toto is a modern and humorous take on the Wizard of Oz, told from Toto's perspective. Hackwith brings her trademark wit from the Hell’s Library series and addresses critical issues like agency over our bodies, moving beyond the gender binary, and the harm of patriarchy. I loved every minute of reading this book and didn’t want it to end. - Indie Next Review

When I saw this book, I thought wow, what a cute idea, to tell The Wizard of Oz tale from the viewpoint of a little terrier who got all swept up in an adventure that took him to a whole new world full of amazing things, like talking animals. Being a snarky and sparky little terrier, he found himself rather liking the new personality he decided to adopt, that of being a "bad dog". This little change took him on may adventures, but he had to decide if he really did want to go back to Kansas with Dorothy or stay in Oz where he was free to do as he pleased. Well, almost, anyway.

First off, this really was a cute story. I love the whole Wizard of Oz vibe, but with a twist, The friends he and Dorothy discovered and made on their trip, show more including Scarecrow, Lion, and the Tin Man, among others, were varied and unique. I was a bit disappointed that the story veered off the adventures of that core group when Toto decided to go off on his own adventures, because I feel like we missed out on a lot of possibilities that would have strengthened the story and made it more interesting, Basically, I wish they had all traveled together more.

I enjoyed the book, but it felt like it was only an outline of what the book could have been with more fleshing out. It was a quick read, so if you're looking for a fun but not very filling story, I can recommend this one. I'm giving it 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4/5 stars for originality.

4/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and A.J. Hackwith for the opportunity to read and review Toto. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Really interesting take on the "Wizard of Oz". The author uses the all the core elements of the plot as a framework and builds a fantastic story on to of that framework.