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 its 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.
Excerpt from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14148291/parents-warned-original-wicked-book-gregory-maguire-novel.html
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