The Wizard of Oz

by Charlie Smalls

Since you've enjoyed this retelling, you're ready for Baum's original 1900 text—it's surprisingly different from the famous film, with darker moments and richer details about Oz's geography and politics. The prose moves quickly for a confident young reader, and you'll discover subplots the Usborne version had to condense, like the Scarecrow's genuine anxiety about having no brain.

by Diana Wynne Jones

Jones has that same gift for making magical worlds feel lived-in and slightly chaotic—her wizard Howl is vain and dramatic in ways that feel real, not archetypal. Like Dorothy's journey, Sophie's transformation happens through encountering strange characters and learning the rules of a world that operates on its own logic, but Jones adds sharp humor and genuine emotional stakes that'll surprise you.

by Megan Whalen Turner

This one's a calculated risk: it's a fantasy adventure with a journey and a quest, but Turner plays with your expectations the way a magician misdirects—you'll think you know where the story's going, then realize you've been reading it wrong. The protagonist is clever and resourceful like Dorothy, but the world has political intrigue and moral ambiguity that rewards rereading.

by Robin McKinley

McKinley writes fantasy with the pacing of an adventure novel but the emotional depth of literary fiction—her heroine Harry is displaced and confused in a strange land, much like Dorothy, but she actively chooses to stay and fight rather than simply wish to go home. The worldbuilding feels textured and real, with cultures that have genuine history rather than just being 'the evil kingdom.'

by Kate DiCamillo

DiCamillo writes with a storybook sensibility—there's magic in the language itself, not just in the plot—and she structures her novel like a fairy tale told by someone who genuinely believes in forgiveness and love. Where Oz is about finding your way home, Despereaux is about discovering that home might be somewhere unexpected, and the journey changes what 'home' means. It's more recent (2003) but has that timeless quality you clearly respond to.