NovelTea will meet at 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 8, in the Friends Meeting Room on the Plaza to discuss Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire. Refreshments will be served!
 
 
 Did you know Gregory Maguire wrote Elphie to explore what shaped the Wicked Witch long before Oz knew her?
 
In this interview, Maguire explains that some of Elphaba’s childhood story was originally written for Wicked but didn’t make it into the final book — until now.
 
He describes Elphie as a complex child growing up in a complicated world, asking the same question readers often ask:

What turns someone into a villain… or a hero?
 
Read the interview here:
 
https://people.com/wicked-author-gregory-maguire-explores-elphaba-s-childhood-in-new-novel-elphie-she-is-a-part-of-me-exclusive-11703277
 
2026 Reading List
 
Author Information - Gregory Maguire
 
Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954) is an American novelist. He is the author of Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many of Maguire's adult novels are inspired by classic children's stories.
 
Gregory Maguire was born and raised in Albany, New York, the youngest of four children born to Helen and John Maguire. His mother died from complications suffered giving birth to him, which prompted his father to send him to live with an aunt. His aunt relinquished him to a local orphanage when he was six months old. He was reclaimed from the orphanage at age two, after his father's remarriage. Maguire has three half-siblings from his father's second marriage.
 
Schooled in Catholic institutions through high school, he received a BA degree in English from the State University of New York at Albany in 1976, an MA degree in children's literature from Simmons College in 1978, and a PhD in English and American literature from Tufts University in 1990, with his dissertation titled "Themes in English Language Fantastic Literature for Children, 1938-1988".
 
Maguire published his first novel, The Lightning Time, in 1978. Wicked, published in 1995, was his first novel for adults. It was adapted into a popular Broadway musical in 2003, which was later adapted into a two-part musical film series with the first film released in 2024 and the second film released in 2025.
 
 
Information from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Maguire
Discussion Questions a preview
1. What was your overall reaction to the book?
 
2. How aware is Elphie of being “different” during her childhood?  At what points in the book does she begin to recognize how others see her?
 
3. How does Elphie’s physical difference (her green skin) shape her early experiences with people? Do you think her identity is something she claims for herself, or something imposed on her by others?
 
4. Where do you see moments where Elphie feels she belongs and moments where she clearly does not?
 
5. What was your impression of Elphie’s mother, Melena?  Was she a good mother?
 
6. What was your impression of Elphie’s father, Frex? Was he a good father?
 
7. What role do Elphie’s siblings play in her development? Do they reinforce her sense of difference, or do they humanize her experience?
 
8. What is Nanny’s role in Elphie’s life? How does she shape Elphie’s worldview?
 
9. Which family relationship in the book feels the most meaningful or influential for Elphie?
 
10. How do adults in Elphie’s life interpret or respond to her unusual nature? Are they protective, fearful, dismissive, or something else?
 
11. What impact does Unger Bi’ix, the clothing merchant, have on Elphie?
 
12. Do you see moments where Elphie shows compassion or empathy despite being treated differently?
 
13. Do you think Elphie’s childhood was more shaped by love, fear, or loneliness?
 
14. What surprised you most about Elphie?  Did your perception of her change over the course of the story?
 
15. How does the society around Ephie respond to someone who doesn’t fit expectations? Do you see parallels with real-world experiences of childhood exclusion?
 
16. Was there a secondary character that you wanted more of?
 
17. What moment or scene has stayed with you the most?
 
18. If you are familiar with Wicked, how does Elphie add to or change your understanding of the Wicked Witch?
 
Discussion Questions from: Christy Hogan
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