Shane Hegarty, born and raised in Skerries, Ireland, is a children's book author. His books include the Darkmouth series.
In 2016, at the Guardian, he tagged ten of the greatest fictional towns and cities in children’s and YA writing. One setting on the list:
Emerald City from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank BaumRead about the other entries on the list.
We’re so familiar with the film version, but L Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz gave readers a greater tour of Emerald City, where Dorothy andher needful companions spend a night before meeting with the truculent Oz. It’s not just the city that is emerald. So are the people, their beards, the food, the currency. The shelves hold green books filled with green pictures. And it all shines so brightly Dorothy must wear spectacles (green, of course) at all times. She visits twice, the first time being sent to confront the Wicked Witch of the West. This ensures that “the Great and Terrible Oz” joins the likes of Willy Wonka in having questionable – maybe even borderline psychopathic - personality quirks.
--Marshal Zeringue
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