Parents are warned to not purchase unique Wicked e book for his or her youngsters due to ‘darkish’ purpose
Parents are being warned not to buy the book that inspired Wicked for their children as a gift this Christmas – because it contains disturbing scenes including of rape, bestiality and murder.
BookTokers have slammed publishers for re-releasing Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book using a front cover image of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who star as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, respectively.
They say Maguire’s original book ‘is nothing like’ the musical and could see children exposed to the book’s explicit adult themes – including racism, sexual assault and ritualistic killings – by grown-ups unwittingly.
The re-released book, published by Headline Publishing Group in October ahead of the film’s global release, shows an image of Erivo and Grande’s film characters reaching to touch hands along with the strapline ‘Everyone deserves the chance to fly’.
On TikTok, people have called the front cover misleading, saying that it suggests the book has the same PG themes as the film.
One British content creator, @enchantednanny, told her followers: ‘This is a serious warning for parents of children who’ve loved the movie Wicked. Do not buy them the book.’
She continued: ‘This is not a children’s book, there are explicit scenes that are heavily detailed and very adult themes.’
Another, @carlyaclements, said of the content: ‘In my opinion, it should be for 18+’ before she detailed some of the scenes that feature in Maguire’s novel, including bestiality and ritualistic murders.
The updated book cover for Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, upon which the Broadway musical and now the film is based
BookTokers have warned grown-ups not to buy the book for children, saying it’s ‘nothing like’ the film version, with scenes of rape, bestiality and murder
How Maguire’s book looked when it was first released in 1995; although the plot is similar to that of the film adaptation, there are explicit scenes throughout
Over on X, the same warnings were being offered by those who’ve read the book.
One wrote: ‘It’s a really good read, I’d only recommend to people who can handle sensitive topics though.’
Another added: ‘It’s not just a book, it’s a full-blown attack on the emotions.’
Another penned: ‘They really need to not use the movie art as the cover so people think it’s gonna be the same they really are VERY different.’
MailOnline has contacted Headline Publishing Group for comment.
It’s not the first time Maguire’s work has had a new look; after the success of the 2003 Broadway adaptation of the book, it was re-released with a cover photo from the hugely successful musical.
L. Frank Baum published his original children’s book The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz in 1900, introducing readers to such iconic characters as Glinda, the Wicked Witch Of The West, Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.
Upon publication, the first novel proved such a thunderous success that the author wrote 13 full-length sequels before his death in 1919.
Wicked is adapted from the famous Broadway musical, which was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel that itself was based on L. Frank Baum’s original 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Eighty-five years after her mother portrayed Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, her daughter is praising the movie adaptation Wicked
In 1995, Maguire published his revisionist novel Wicked ‘The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ in which he reimagined the backstory of the Wicked Witch Of The West – a green girl called Elphaba who studies at university with Glinda.
It became a word-of-mouth hit, with New York-born writer Maguire, now 70, telling the BBC this year: ‘Every year it would sell more than the year before. It was the genuine definition of a sleeper hit.’
While the plot of Maguire’s book is roughly the same in director Jon M. Chu’s 2024 film, there’s X-rated scenes aplenty.
For some who weren’t warned in advance about the book’s heavy-going content, it’s already too late.
On X this week, one reader wrote: ‘Just finished reading Wicked…I am traumatized’
Another added: ‘This is definitely not for the faint hearted cuz there’s so many f***ed up scenes, bestiality and sa [sexual assault] was where I drew the line.’
Ahead of the film’s release in the UK, the British Board of Film Classification issued a trigger warning for discrimination against a ‘green-skinned woman’ and persecuted ‘talking animals’.
The warning issued to viewers by the BBFC states: ‘A green-skinned woman is mocked, bullied and humiliated because of her skin colour.’
The film musical version of Maguire’s work is continuing to break box office records with a $114 million opening at the US box office – the most for any musical adaptation ever – part of a global take of $164,180,000.
