Elphie: A Wicked Childhood

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire is out now (published March 25, 2025).
Elphie: A Wicked Childhood
Published

Published: March 25, 2025

Readers also liked these books:

A Dark And Wild Wood
Scorched Earth (Dark Shores #4)
The Hanging Bones
Saltswept
Elphie: A Wicked Childhood Release Date: March 25, 2025
Check availability on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

What happened to young Elphaba before her witchy powers took hold in Wicked? Almost 30 years after the publication of the original novel, for the first time Gregory Maguire reveals the story of prickly young Elphie, the future Wicked Witch of the West—setting the stage for the blockbuster international phenomenon that is The Musical.

Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy; Elphie is the riveting coming-of-age story of a very peculiar and relatable young girl.

Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears.

She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be—until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.

Elphie is destined to be a witch; she bears the markings from childhood—most evidently in her green skin but more obscurely and profoundly in her cunning and perhaps amoral behaviors, as she seeks to make do, to slip by, to sneak out, to endure, and to aspire.

Excitement Rating
[Average Rating: 0]

Genre: Fantasy

Gregory Maguire

More books from Gregory Maguire

For book clubs & dedicated readers


Book club reading journal for tracking discussions and releases

Track your reading and discussions

If you’re following upcoming releases or reading along with a book club, this Book Club Journal helps you keep notes, track discussions, and plan what to read next.

View the Book Club Journal on Amazon

Recommended Book Release Guides
Excitement Rating
[Average Rating: 0]

Similar Books Liked By Our Readers

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *