Gregory Maguire has found success writing fairy tales for a new audience--adults! His clever and imaginative concepts bring our childhood stories back to life in new ways, from his take on The Wizard of Oz to Cinderella and her ugly stepsisters. He retells these beloved stories each from a new perspective.

For instance, in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, we meet Elphaba, the green girl who later becomes known as The Wicked Witch of the West. We see her friendship with Glinda, the Good Witch, and how the term "wicked" slowly becomes her... or does it? (On a side note, Wicked has become so popular that it was made into a Broadway musical, known simply as Wicked. The musical theatre version is family-oriented and decent for family-viewing, though the novel is definitely geared toward adults.)

Gregory Maguire has been writing children's books since 1994, but began his journey into writing for adults in 1995 (with the exception of a 1986 nonfiction book of essays: Innocence and Experience: Essays and Conversations on Childrens Literature, ed., with Barbara Harrison).

His adult novels include:

Wicked (1995)
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (1999)
Lost (2001)
Mirror Mirror (2003)
Son of a Witch (2005)

Wondering what Nancy Pearl thinks? Wicked is one of the books she recommends in More Book Lust, in the section entitled "Fractured Fairy Tales" (pages 93-94).

• Have you read any of Maguire's books? What are your thoughts? Share them here!

Note from TemlynWriting: I adored Wicked, and am currently reading Son of a Witch. I must admit that this is not the sweet little Oz you knew before, with its quaint Yellow Brick Road. This Oz is raw, progressive, and sometimes downright disturbing, especially considering Maguire's take of the upheaval in Oz upon the disposal of the Wizard. Still, it is a fanastic book--they both are, though I prefer Wicked--and I consider them to be great introductions to fantasy novels, as I have not been much of a fantasy fan until now.