The Mystery of the Ruby Shoes
A TOTALLY OZSOME ADVENTURE IN THE WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ
"Their magic must be very powerful, if everone wants them so badly".
The Mystery of the Ruby Shoes
Who?
When Angelica Rose and her family moved from Plymouth to Salem that summer, she was not thrilled. Just the thought of starting middle school where she would be the "new girl" made her anxious and worried. It's not like 5th grade was so great, what with being targeted and bullied by a group of mean girls along with all the drama that followed.
Her mom suggested that she might want to think of the move as an adventure and a chance for a fresh start. Mom reminded her that Salem and had a colorful past. Salem is where the historic witch trials took place, and it should be a pretty interesting place to live. After all, Angelica loved to read about wizards and witches, and Salem is a place she might actually get a chance to meet one.
Maybe mom is right, she thought. It would be exciting to get to know a real witch. She started to smile as her head filled with questions, ideas and possibilities. Little did she know...
It is estimated that Baum's best-loved tale of a girl named Dorothy who travels by tornado to the world of Oz has entertained audiences totaling more than one billion people worldwide.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L Frank Baum is the only american fairytale. The story of Dororthy's adventure in OZ has been translated into over 50 languages.
What?
The Ruby Shoes in our story, represent a modern pair of the Ruby Slippers worn by Dorothy Gale, the character played by Judy Garland (1922–1969) in the MGM film, "Wizard of Oz," 1939. This whimsial tale about a journey to a magical land was based on the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum (1856–1919); it had previously been a book, a cartoon, several silent movies, before MGM created it's hit film. In addition to its many other merits, the MGM movie ranks as a milestone in the history of Technicolor because of its extensive color sequences set in the Land of Oz.
In the book the iconic shoes started out as silver slippers. However, they were changed to an iridescent red hue, in order to stand out better in technicolor. As you may remember the movie changes from black and white to color when Dorothy discovers she has been transported to OZ. She is given the shoes by Glinda, the Good Witch, in order to keep them from the Wicked Witch of the West, making them a focal point of the story.
The Ruby Slipper became one of the most pervasive and influential form of popular art in the 20th century. The movie reach millions of people around the world providing and passing images that help shape perceptions of and about American. Unlike most films, "The Wizard of Oz" has endured and continues to attain more popularity as it is introduced to a new generation of audiences each year on TV. One explanation for the movie's lasting appeal to audiances is its central message: When you go looking for your hearts desire, you may find that you already have it—an affirmation of the virtues of self-sufficiency and personal enpowerment.
Baum had a granddaughter named "Ozma," and his 11th Oz book, The Lost Princess of Oz (published 1917), was dedicated to her shortly after her birth. The story begins with the disappearance of Princess Ozma, the girl ruler of Oz.
Where
The Mystery Of the Ruby Shoe begins in Salem Massachusetts, more than a century later than the story that inspired it. Unlike the hard life on the rural plains of Kansas, Angelica lives in a busy east coast port city in a modern world where technology has impacted everyday life in more ways than Dorothy could have ever imagined.
With computers, smartphones, social media, virtual reality and artificial intelligence today's world has forever changed how we communicate and interact with one another. Traversing the ever expanding Information Highway and all the amazing technology advances that exploit and enhance it is an amazing and evolving adventure in and of itself.
Did You Know:
A majority of the heroes in Baum's Oz books were girls.
L. Frank Baum had three sons, he often said, Dorothy was the daughter he never had.
Why
Baum looked around his study and his eyes rested on a file cabinet with two labels: A-N and O-Z; thus he created the land of OZ.
In the movie the Wizard of Oz makes Dorothy into an innocent damsel in distress, who gets in over her head in Oz in order to learn a lesson about family, one that convinces her to go back home. However, the books paint Oz as a credible refuge for Dorothy and make Dorothy into a much stronger character. Instead of constantly being saved by those around her, Dorothy does the rescuing. A feminist himself, Baum wanted Dorothy to come across as a strong heroine for his young female audience.
Angelica experience is very different from Dorothy's. When Angelica disovers that the Ruby Shoes have been sent to her a shift occurs. She chooses to travel to OZ, unlike Dorothy who was brought there by happentance when she is swept away by a tornado.
Angelica has been sent for and she has a choice. Angelica's backstory tells how she has recently been a victim of bulling. Try as she might the bulling was beyond her power to stop. Her feelings of rejection impact her self esteem and leave her feeling powerless. The reality of the bulling events create a deep current of discorde that shakes her confidence to its core.
When?
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900 at Christmas time. After many rounds of rejections this beloved American fairy tale finally found a publisher when Baum and his illustrator Denslow agreed to pay the publishing costs.
As the first trade book for children it was followed by a 14 additional OZ titles written by Baum. The book became a staple at Christmas time, as American children looked forward finding the latest OZ book under their Christmas tree.
The OZ books were so well loved that Baum's publishers continued the series with other authors extending the Oz canon to forty books. Not to mention the many ways the magic of OZ has continued to inspire, evoke and evolve many new ideas, novels, movies, plays, TV series, prequels and more...
Although the story seems quintessentially American, the Oz books have become popular worldwide, and the Wizard has been translated into more than 50 languages.
How?
"Spin to Begin!" are the directions written on the note with the Ruby Shoes that Angelica discovers them. It makes perfect sense to Angelica, as she thinks back to the original story and remembered that it is a spinning cyclone that carries Dorothy to the Magical Lands of OZ. The bigger mystery is who sent the shoes and why they send for her.
Chapter Previews Coming Soon
Chapter 1
The Mysterious Box
The morning the box appeared was only the beginning. How it got there was anybody’s guess. How long it had been sitting on that shelf was a mystery. Because it was on the top shelf, she never paid much attention to what was up there. But that morning, the sunlight filtered through the window at just the right angle that her eye caught its reflection in the mirror. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Angelica stood up on the bed to get a better look. What a strangely, beautiful box it was, as it glistened in the sunlight. But where did it come from?
If The Shoes Fit...
Chapter 2
Oh, how the shoes sparkled with jeweled trimmed bow and glistening ruby heels. Angelica couldn't wait to try them on. Carefully she put her foot into the right shoe. It fit! Then she tried the left shoe! They both fit! She had never worn such magnificent shoes before, and the whole experience made her feel quite regal and a little lightheaded. She practiced walking around her room in them. They were very comfortable and made her toes tingle. She stopped in front of her mirror to see how she looked in them.
The Celestial Bedroom
Chapter 3
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