Publication order
The publication order[1-26] is the preferred reading order. Its main advantage is that it establishes Dorothy’s return before Amy’s arrival, introduces Amy’s mission before expanding the histories behind it, and reveals the wider context of Oz in stages as the series progresses. The trade-off is that the prequels and character-focused stories repeatedly return to earlier events, interrupting Amy’s ongoing campaign for readers who prefer an uninterrupted central storyline.[27-39]
The Dorothy Must Die books are best read in publication order,[1-26] because Amy’s central storyline carries unresolved events from one novel into the next, by following this sequence:[27-39]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Continuity note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | No Place Like Oz | 2013[1-2] | Dorothy’s return establishes the conflict before Amy arrives. |
| 2 |  | Dorothy Must Die | 2014[3-4] | Amy enters Oz and begins the central mission. |
| 3 |  | The Witch Must Burn | 2014[5-6] | Jellia’s earlier story explains her connection to the resistance. |
| 4 |  | The Wizard Returns | 2015[7-8] | The Wizard’s earlier journey explains his reappearance in Oz. |
| 5 |  | The Wicked Will Rise | 2015[9-10] | Amy continues her mission after escaping the Emerald City. |
| 6 |  | Heart of Tin | 2015[11-12] | The Tin Woodman’s history explains Dorothy’s growing military power. |
| 7 |  | The Straw King | 2015[13-14] | The Scarecrow’s earlier reign leads into Ozma’s succession. |
| 8 |  | Ruler of Beasts | 2016[15-16] | The Lion’s loyalties are tested during Ozma’s rule. |
| 9 |  | Yellow Brick War | 2016[17-18] | Amy’s campaign continues through a return to Kansas. |
| 10 |  | Order of the Wicked | 2016[19-20] | The Order trains recruits before Amy joins its resistance. |
| 11 |  | Dark Side of the Rainbow | 2017[21-22] | Polychrome’s earlier story expands the history of Rainbow Falls. |
| 12 |  | The Queen of Oz | 2017[23-24] | Mombi’s past reveals her involvement in Oz’s royal succession. |
| 13 |  | The End of Oz | 2017[25-26] | Amy’s campaign reaches its concluding stage in the Nome King’s territory. |
Chronological order
All thirteen stories belong to the same broad history, but several overlap or span separated periods. Reading chronologically has the advantage of presenting Oz’s political and magical history in a more continuous progression: readers see the events surrounding Ozma’s succession, the changing loyalties of Dorothy’s former companions, Dorothy’s return and rise to power, and the formation of the resistance before Amy enters the conflict. This makes many later relationships, alliances, and conditions in Amy’s storyline easier to place in context.[27-39]
The trade-off is that chronology changes how the series reveals that history. Readers spend several books in earlier periods before reaching Amy in Dorothy Must Die, and information about Dorothy’s rule, the resistance, and recurring characters is established beforehand rather than being uncovered alongside Amy.[27-39]
For readers who value cause-and-effect history and want to see how Oz develops into the world Amy encounters, chronological order provides the clearest progression. For readers who prefer Amy’s discoveries to unfold in the sequence in which the series presents them, publication order remains the better choice.[27-39]
Alternatively, the Dorothy Must Die books may be read in chronological order by following this sequence:[27-39]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Chronology note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | The Queen of Oz | 2017[23-24] | Mombi’s early story predates Dorothy’s first visit and continues toward Ozma’s restoration. |
| 2 | | The Straw King | 2015[13-14] | The Scarecrow’s reign overlaps the later events of The Queen of Oz before Ozma’s coronation. |
| 3 | | Ruler of Beasts | 2016[15-16] | The Lion’s assignment occurs a year into Ozma’s reign, before Dorothy returns. |
| 4 | | No Place Like Oz | 2013[1-2] | Dorothy’s return overlaps parts of Heart of Tin and Dark Side of the Rainbow. |
| 5 | | Heart of Tin | 2015[11-12] | The story overlaps Dorothy’s return celebration and then follows the creation of her soldiers. |
| 6 | | The Wizard Returns | 2015[7-8] | The main quest occurs under Dorothy’s rule, although its opening belongs much earlier. |
| 7 | | The Witch Must Burn | 2014[5-6] | Jellia’s recruitment precedes her resistance role in Dark Side of the Rainbow. |
| 8 | | Dark Side of the Rainbow | 2017[21-22] | The story begins during Dorothy’s return; its later scenes follow Jellia’s recruitment. |
| 9 | | Order of the Wicked | 2016[19-20] | Lanadel’s training precedes Amy’s arrival, without a fixed position among the other resistance-era stories. |
| 10 | | Dorothy Must Die | 2014[3-4] | Amy arrives after Dorothy’s rule has been established and the resistance has formed. |
| 11 | | The Wicked Will Rise | 2015[9-10] | Amy’s mission resumes during the escape that concludes Dorothy Must Die. |
| 12 | | Yellow Brick War | 2016[17-18] | Amy’s story continues from the unresolved action of The Wicked Will Rise. |
| 13 | | The End of Oz | 2017[25-26] | The journey continues from the closing events of Yellow Brick War. |
Works in sequence
The four books required to follow Amy Gumm’s central storyline are Dorothy Must Die, The Wicked Will Rise, Yellow Brick War, and The End of Oz. These carry unresolved events and consequences from one installment into the next.[28][31][35][39]
Readers interested only in that principal narrative can safely skip the remaining books, although doing so means losing background on Dorothy’s rise, Ozma’s history, the resistance, and several characters and conflicts that later appear in Amy’s story.[27][29-30][32-34][36-38]
1. No Place Like Oz
No Place Like Oz (2013)[1-2] follows Dorothy Gale as she leaves an unsatisfying life in Kansas and returns to Oz with her family. Her reunion with old friends brings her into Princess Ozma’s court and exposes her to the power of new magical shoes.
Her return establishes the change in Oz’s government that underlies Amy’s later mission.[27]
2. Dorothy Must Die
Dorothy Must Die (2014)[3-4] follows Amy Gumm, a Kansas teenager whose trailer is carried to Oz by a tornado. She encounters Dorothy’s oppressive rule and is recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
Amy’s arrival introduces the central mission, her resistance allies, and the dangers that carry into the succeeding books.[28]
3. The Witch Must Burn
The Witch Must Burn (2014)[5-6] follows palace maid Jellia Jamb as Glinda takes her into service at a summer palace. Jellia’s concealed magical abilities attract dangerous attention while her concern for Ozma draws her toward resistance.
This earlier story expands on the palace’s opposition to Dorothy and gives context to Jellia’s role in Amy’s mission.[29]
4. The Wizard Returns
The Wizard Returns (2015)[7-8] follows the former ruler of Oz after a long sleep leaves him without his memories. Guided by Pete, he faces tests of wisdom, courage, and love while trying to recover his identity.
His journey explains his reappearance in Dorothy’s Oz and develops the magical interests behind his involvement in Amy’s campaign.[30]
5. The Wicked Will Rise
The Wicked Will Rise (2015)[9-10] follows Amy as she escapes the Emerald City and continues her mission against Dorothy. Her search for allies takes her through the Wingless Ones’ territory and toward the Rainbow Citadel.
The story carries forward the first Amy book’s unfinished objectives while making her growing reliance on magic part of the conflict.[31]
6. Heart of Tin
Heart of Tin (2015)[11-12] follows the Tin Woodman as Dorothy’s return revives his hope of winning her love. His efforts to protect her draw him into military preparations and the Scarecrow’s experiments.
By revisiting Dorothy’s rise from one follower’s perspective, Heart of Tin explains the origins of the armed force Amy later encounters.[32]
7. The Straw King
The Straw King (2015)[13-14] follows the Scarecrow when General Jinjur’s army drives him from the throne of Oz. His attempt to regain power brings him into Glinda’s political schemes and the question of Ozma’s succession.
This earlier struggle establishes the leadership changes and alliances that precede Dorothy’s return.[33]
8. Ruler of Beasts
Ruler of Beasts (2016)[15-16] follows the Lion as Glinda sends him to Ozma’s palace on a secret errand. A threat from the Nome King complicates his task and tests his loyalties.
This adventure connects Ozma’s reign to the tensions surrounding Dorothy’s return while introducing a threat that matters beyond Amy’s initial mission.[34]
9. Yellow Brick War
Yellow Brick War (2016)[17-18] brings Amy back to Kansas while her struggle to protect Oz remains unresolved. Recovering a magical object requires her to revisit school and the relationships she left behind.
This installment reconnects her two homes, develops the consequences of her expanding power, and carries the conflict toward its concluding stage.[35]
10. Order of the Wicked
Order of the Wicked (2016)[19-20] follows Lanadel, a recruit training under Nox in the resistance’s underground refuge. Her experiences with other recruits expose the personal costs of the Order’s preparations against Dorothy.
It supplies earlier context for Nox’s leadership and the Order’s use of young recruits in dangerous assignments.[36]
11. Dark Side of the Rainbow
Dark Side of the Rainbow (2017)[21-22] follows Polychrome, ruler of Rainbow Falls, as Dorothy’s arrival unsettles her resort kingdom. Her relationship with the traveler Bright develops alongside growing concern about conditions elsewhere in Oz.
This account expands on the Rainbow Citadel’s history and the relationships Amy encounters in The Wicked Will Rise.[37]
12. The Queen of Oz
The Queen of Oz (2017)[23-24] follows Mombi’s efforts to learn Old Magic and protect an endangered child. Her dealings with Glinda and the Wizard become part of a struggle over Oz’s royal succession.
This story supplies the earliest background to Ozma’s reign and develops the magical history explored in Amy’s adventures.[38]
13. The End of Oz
The End of Oz (2017)[25-26] follows Amy, Nox, and Madison beyond Oz into the Nome King’s territory. The group must navigate unfamiliar alliances while the struggle over Dorothy’s power takes a new form.
As the concluding book, it resolves Amy’s campaign and the question of how her life connects Kansas with Oz.[39]
References
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- No Place Like Oz. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- Dorothy Must Die. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Dorothy Must Die. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- The Witch Must Burn. HarperCollins Publishers.
- The Witch Must Burn. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- The Wizard Returns. HarperCollins Publishers.
- The Wizard Returns. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- The Wicked Will Rise. HarperCollins Publishers.
- The Wicked Will Rise. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- Heart of Tin. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Heart of Tin. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- The Straw King. HarperCollins Publishers.
- The Straw King. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- Ruler of Beasts. HarperCollins Publishers.
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- Yellow Brick War. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Yellow Brick War. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- Order of the Wicked. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Order of the Wicked. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- Dark Side of the Rainbow. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Dark Side of the Rainbow. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- The Queen of Oz. HarperCollins Publishers.
- The Queen of Oz. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- The End of Oz. HarperCollins Publishers.
- The End of Oz. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.
- No Place Like Oz. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062280763.
- Dorothy Must Die. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062280695.
- The Witch Must Burn. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062280770.
- The Wizard Returns. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062280787.
- The Wicked Will Rise. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062280725.
- Heart of Tin. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062403940.
- The Straw King. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062403957.
- Ruler of Beasts. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062403964.
- Yellow Brick War. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062280756.
- Order of the Wicked. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062423801.
- Dark Side of the Rainbow. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062423818.
- The Queen of Oz. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062423825.
- The End of Oz. HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062423795.