I adored Wicked! (reviewed it on my LJ last year and have been pimping it to whoever would listen ever since)
As a product of a private school and a teacher (now thankfully retired) in the state system, I can say she got it all exactly right and if people /authors use sex to sell serious ideas to the general public, good luck to them! I think the story will tell a lot of people a lot about education without them realising they're being lectured to.

Her research was truly phenomenal and whilst she uses stereotypical characters she does so for a purpose. Actually, from my own teaching experiences I could almost say that the kids from the state school had been through my class... I could even give you their names.

I was perfectly comfortable with the book,and with the sex. Reality, after all.The only under-age sexy bits were between kids within a similar age range; the adult-child sex was terrifying and the perpetrators got their just deserts; the gay teachers were shown not to be paedophiles; the adult het sex was 'normal'.

I'm less comfortable with people who object to sexy pictures of Daniel Radcliffe who is over eighteen and has appeared nude in Equus.