Marcel the hedgehog lived an ideal life with his owner, Dorothy, until one day he got scared and wandered away.  Now he lives in the Emerald City Movie Theater with two chickens, Hen and Henrietta,  When he caught by animal control, Marcel is whisked away from the theater and dropped in the woods.  All he knows is that he has to find his way back to the theater, and maybe someday back to Dorothy.  Along his journey he means a mouse who acts before she thinks, an old squirrel with a hardened heart, and a scared baby raccoon.  Together, this band of misfits traverses the forest in search of home.  Along the way, they encounter many dangers, but ultimately, can do anything if they stick together. 

This was a very sweet animal retelling of the Wizard of Oz.  I loved the homages but also loved how this was also it's own story and journey.  I was rooting for Marcel the whole time.  Him and the rest of the characters are so fleshed out, fun, and lovable.  I loved the setting, having the story take place in the real world but with animals.  This is going to be great for kids looking for animal adventure stories with heart.

This book is magical!  I love reimagined classics and tales, and this one filled my heart up!  So often, though, children are not familiar enough with the original story to make the connections on their own.  I really loved that Cory Leonardo leads them along the yellow brick road, helping young readers make the connections.  I think it is highly likely that many kids will want to read The Wizard of Oz after reading this, rather than the other way around. Marcel the hedgehog has a seemingly contented life, hiding out with two chickens in an old theater called The Emerald City, watching "The Wizard of Oz" every Saturday afternoon, and scavenging for popcorn and Fruit Gems left behind by moviegoers. When Marcel is caught, removed from the theater, and dumped unceremoniously into the middle of Mousekinland, the journey begins and Marcel himself points out the connections to the Oz story as we begin to unravel his own story before he came to the Emerald City. The premise will draw readers in, but the characters themselves are the heart of this story: Scamp with her big ideas and bold courage; Ingot's gruff kindness and humble leadership; Tuffy's loyalty and affection; and Marcel, who brings out the best in those around him, loves through his own grief, and keeps doing the next right thing. 
I laughed out loud and cried my way through a box of kleenex, and loved these characters so much! 
As much as it is an homage to the Wizard of Oz, readers do not have to read the original first to enjoy this book, though even long-time fans may want to reread it afterward!
Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. Opinions are all my own!

The Hedgehog of Oz was a whimsical, fun and heartwarming story! It's a story of friendship, family and courage.

Marcel is a hedgehog who has been passed around because a kid things they want him but then they don't because he is a little prickly. Then he meets Dorothy his latest owner and thought he had found a real home. She would take him to the theater and they would watch all sorts of movies but their favorite was The Wizard of Oz.

Then one day she meets a boy and Marcel gets it in his head (with the help of a bird) that he is not as wanted and once you leave the nest you can never go back, etc. He leaves her backpack one day and before he knew it he was lost and he felt it really was true that you can never go back. He now lives in the Emerald City Theater where he meets two hens, he calls them Aunt Hen and Uncle Henrietta (for Aunt Em and Uncle Henry from The Wizard of Oz).

Things were going good there for him and the two hens until one day something terrible happens, the theater is closed down and he is rounded up and put in a crate and dumped out in the middle of nowhere. His crate is tossed and it tumbles down a hill right into Mouskinland! :) His crate has done them a big favor as it landed on the nasty milk snake that was stalking the poor little mice.

You can pretty much see where this is going. He wants to go back the the theater to his two hen friends and along the way he meets a few friends to help him. First there is Scamp a feisty young mouse who is always full of ideas but they get her into a lot of trouble. Maybe sometimes she just doesn't use her brain as she should. She think she can get him back home especially if they follow the yellow stinky water (ends up being yellow paint). As they travel they have to keep an eye open for the Wickedwing a very scary Owl everyone calls a witch. When they hid from it they meet Ingot a grump ole squirrel whose heart is a bit rusty because he has had some sad things happen to him. As they travel they again meet someone who growls at them because he is scared and trying to be brave. Tuffy is a baby raccoon who sort of met the same fate as Marcel and was taken from the city and his family in a car and dumped. So he wants to travel with them and find his parents.

It's not an easy journey and along the way they have obstacle that they have to get around, not only just the Wickedwing but some nasty rats, scary trees, etc.

I loved all the characters in this book except of course for the bad Owl and rats! I think out of all of them Tuffy was my favorite as he just sounded so cute!

It was such a fun story that was very similar to Wizard of Oz but also different enough to be its own fun little story about a group who form a friendship and help each other as they journey to the city to find the Emerald Theater. It had a bit sadder ending that I had anticipated but overall I really had a lot of fun with this cute story centered around these adorable animals! My only complaint is I wish there was illustrations. I kind of hope there would be some in the final product as it would have been so cute to see pictures of their adventures.

I think kids and adults alike will enjoy this one!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing & NetGalley for this advance review copy of The Hedgehog of Oz by Cory Leonardo.

As a fan of Wizard of Oz as well as well-done remakes and modernizations of classics, I thoroughly enjoyed my time questing alongside Marcel as he journeyed back to the Emerald City Theater and Dorothy.  What a sweet story of friendship.

I loved this book about Marcel the Hedgehog and his quest to return to the Emerald City theater and his beloved girl, Dorothy. This heartwarming story features fun animal characters on a quest to find home, with resonant themes of friendship and family.