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Oz has no intention of closing its gates any time soon. With Wicked: For Good raking in more than $390 million at the box office, author Gregory Maguire returns to the Emerald City with a new prequel novel, Galinda: A Charmed Childhood, diving into the early days of the future Good Witch.
Galinda: A Charming Childhood, published by HarperCollins and scheduled for release on September 29, 2026, is being touted as a companion volume to Maguire’s recent prequel, Elfie: A Wicked Childhood. While that book explored the formative years of the Wicked Witch, this book focuses on the other half of Oz’s most famous duo, long before the Bubble, when the wand and the title of “Good” were born.
The important thing is that we have not yet dealt with Glinda the Good Witch. We meet her earlier self, Galinda, with an extra letter “ga”.
From spoiled child to girl on the other side of the bubble
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In the words of HarperCollins, Galinda is “a sister story to Elfie and a #1 New York Times bestseller.” Wicked author Gregory Maguire tells the much-anticipated origin story of Galinda, the popular pink-clad, feisty character.”The focus is on a young girl in a wealthy family who has fallen on hard times, a girl who is “coddled and neglected” while trying to figure out who she is and who she will become.
“The youngest of four children from a wealthy family, Galinda is down on her luck and is spoiled and ignored. Her natural dignity promises to earn her promotion in the district dance competitions, but she finds herself distracted as these efforts draw the ire of local merchants who oppose her family’s business strategy. Longing for the complacency and indescribable timidity of her childhood, Galinda discovers that she is neither.”However, as she deftly avoids the traps and nets laid by her father’s rivals, Galinda begins to dance toward a life that will allow her to overcome her proud, if difficult, childhood.
Collectors should also keep an eye out for special editions. “The deluxe limited edition hardcover with stenciled edges, designed endpapers and more is available for a limited time while supplies last.”
Maguire’s ever-expanding Oz timeline
“Galinda: An Enchanted Childhood” is the latest step in Oz’s journey Maguire began with 1995’s “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” This is the novel that inspired both the Broadway musical and the current two-part film adaptation. Since then, he has expanded his universe with sequels such as The Witch’s Son, The Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz, the short story collection The Tales of Oz, and the Another Day trilogy, The Bride of Malacourt, The Oracle of Malacourt, and The Witch of Malacourt.
Earlier this year, Maguire went back to her roots with Elfie: Wicked Childhood, drawing back the curtain on a young girl’s rise to become a wicked witch. Galinda appears as its official “sister volume” and provides the other side of its origin story. Fans who enjoyed catching glimpses of a young Galinda in Wicked: For Good, desperate to prove her magical abilities and relying on charm when her spells didn’t arrive, now have the entire novel promising to sit in that space.
The evil person on the screen and what will happen next
The timing of the announcement is no coincidence. Wicked: For Good, which is an adaptation of the second half of the Broadway musical and brings (for now) a conclusion to Elphaba and Glinda’s story, has grossed more than $390 million worldwide. Naturally, there’s already talk about where this franchise will go next.
In an interview with Vulture, Universal’s chief marketing officer Michael Moses said, “Because of the success of ‘Wicked,’ but also because of the fans, we’re almost responsible for figuring out how to continue this world. Have we figured it out yet? No. But it’s something that’s ongoing.”
Composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz has similarly said he’s open to more stories, but not necessarily direct sequels. Schwartz said in an interview with the Unclarified newsletter that he and Tony Award-winning author Winnie Holzman are “currently working on an idea that is not a sequel to ‘Wicked.’ “I feel like the story of Glinda and Elphaba is complete, but there are other aspects that can be explored. For example, Wicked’s original novelist Gregory Maguire has several books out. But there’s another idea that Winnie and I are discussing. It’s not a sequel, it’s an ancillary. Let me put it that way.”
Where the film will land next remains to be determined, but on paper it’s clear that Maguire isn’t done with Oz. In Galinda: An Enchanted Childhood, he promises to show us the girl behind Good Witch, long before she descends in a bubble to greet a very confused visitor from Kansas.
