This small collection of three stories, "No Place Like Oz", "The Witch Must Burn", and The Wizard Returns", give some much needed backstory to the first two novels in this series:  "Dorothy Must Die" and "The Wicked Will Rise".  As standalone novellas, they are moderately interesting.  But, as backstory after you've already read the novels, I think they are much more fun. 

For example, "No Place Like Oz" recounts the story of Dorothy after she returned to Kansas.  We see why and how she returned to Oz, and became evil.  This was so much more fun to learn after reading the novels; if I'd read it before the novels I wouldn't have enjoyed the mystery as much.  Ditto for "The Witch Must Burn" which gives us backstory on Jellia and the formation of The Order of the Wicked.  And, for "The Wizard Returns", also ditto.  In the novels, the Wizard's motivations and backstory made for great mystery.  This story reveals all.

If you hold Oz near and dear to your heart but enjoy an edgier take, these books are definitely worth reading.  As they are Young Adult, they read pretty fast.  There is lots of awfulness, wickedness and evil; but no sex.  I'm not sure Ozians know what sex is… I would not recommend them to middle schoolers due to the amount of gratuitous awfulness. ~~  Catherine Book

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