Glinda Spinoff Takes Flight as Wicked: For Good Rules the Box Office

If you walked out of Wicked: For Good wanting even more of Glinda’s pink-frosted backstory, you’re in luck: Gregory Maguire is giving her a whole book.

So, what’s the book?

Maguire’s next Oz entry is titled Galinda: A Charmed Childhood, and it drops September 29, 2026. As the title hints, this one rewinds to Glinda’s pre-Shiz days — back when she still went by Galinda (with a "ga") — and tracks who she was before the fateful roommate match with Elphaba flipped her world.

It’s designed as a companion to Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, Maguire’s recent bestseller that charted Elphaba’s youth. Think of this as the other half of that origin coin, filling in the glossy, complicated life of the girl behind the bubbly stereotype.

"In this brand-new sister volume to Elphie, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Gregory Maguire shares the eagerly awaited origin story of Galinda, the pink-clad, effervescent, and popular favorite character."

That tease comes straight from HarperCollins, which announced the book on Instagram. If you like your shelves a little extra, there’s also a deluxe limited edition hardcover on the way — stenciled edges, designed endpapers, the works — and it’s already up for pre-order.

Why now?

The timing is very neat: Wicked: For Good is in theaters right now, with Ariana Grande-Butera playing Glinda across both films to plenty of applause. Between the movies and Elphie’s book, interest in Oz’s early years is high, and Maguire clearly isn’t done poking around that timeline.

• Title: Galinda: A Charmed Childhood
• Author: Gregory Maguire
• Release date: September 29, 2026
• Premise: Galinda’s life before Shiz University and before she met Elphaba
• Companion to: Elphie: A Wicked Childhood
• Edition note: Deluxe limited hardcover with stenciled edges and designed endpapers available for pre-order
• Context: Maguire wrote 1995’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which inspired the blockbuster musical
• On the screen side: There’s chatter about another movie set in the Wicked universe, but nothing official yet

A quick refresher on Maguire and this universe

Maguire kicked this whole modern Oz thing off in 1995 with Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which Broadway turned into a phenomenon. He’s revisited Oz multiple times since, and these childhood-focused novels feel like him zeroing in on the character work that fans love — now, from Glinda’s point of view.

Wicked: For Good is playing now. If those new movie rumors turn into something real, I’ll shout. Until then, mark your calendar for Galinda and, yes, get used to saying it with a "ga."