Dorothy Must Die

Compare and contrast Gert, Mombi, and Glamora. What parts of their personalities are good? What parts are wicked? What does each character offer to the discussion of goodness versus wickedness? Do you think each is good, wicked, or somewhere in the middle? Why?

Melindra and Madison only have brief appearances in the story, but each has a great impact on how Amy views herself. Why do you think Paige chose to include these characters? Could she have shown Amy’s feelings to the same extent without them? If so, how might she have done it? If not, why are Melindra and Madison so essential? What do Melindra’s and Madison’s roles in the story say about the importance of minor characters?

The force that brought Amy to Oz is not identified by the end of Dorothy Must Die. Based on details throughout the novel, what do you think brought Amy to Oz? Do you think the tornado was orchestrated to bring her there? Why or why not? Why do you think this force brought Amy to Oz, and what are they hoping to accomplish with Amy’s presence? If you think Amy ended up in Oz by accident, why do you think this? What evidence from the text makes this possible, and how does Amy being there by accident, rather than at someone’s intention, change the way you view the story?

Do you think Nox would have been a completely different person without Dorothy’s influence? Why or why not? What elements of Nox’s personality contributed to your conclusion? What does the debate about Nox’s character suggest about how our environment controls who we become? Do you think ending Dorothy will change Nox? Why or why not?

The upset of magic’s balance in Dorothy Must Die can be likened to the climate crisis facing Earth. Based on tactics proven to combat climate change (such as sustainability initiatives and clean energy), speculate on how balance might be restored to Oz once Dorothy is defeated and her hold on magic is released. How is magic similar to natural resources? What similarities and differences do you see between the dystopian Oz of the book and what Earth could become if more actions are not taken to preserve the planet?

One of the major themes of Dorothy Must Die is the idea that finding who we are gives us power. Do you think the novel’s main characters have discovered their true selves by the end? Why or why not? Do you think it’s possible for a person’s true self to change as they gain more experiences, and what personality traits might be most helpful in adjusting how we view ourselves as we grow and learn? What do you think happens to people when their true selves change, but they refuse to acknowledge those changes?

What roles do you think the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion played in Dorothy’s rise to power? What role do you think their gifts from the Wizard played, and why might each gift have played that role? What do you think Amy must do to break the protections the brain, heart, and courage offer Dorothy, and how might breaking each gift’s influence leave Dorothy vulnerable? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

What do the characters of Dorothy and Amy’s mom suggest about addiction? How does it begin, and what effect does it have on people? Do you think Dorothy and Amy’s mom could have kept themselves from becoming who they are in the book by making different decisions in the past? How much power did magic (for Dorothy) and medication (for Amy’s mom) have over them? What steps do you think Amy’s mom took to get her life on track again, and would those steps impact Dorothy’s magic addiction? Why or why not?