Galinda: A Charmed Childhood

The Wicked Years #0.25

by Gregory Maguire, TBD (Narrator)

#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 in this sister volume to Elphie.

Who was Glinda the Good Witch before she floated down in her bubble to greet Dorothy? Who was Glinda before she became Elphaba Thropp’s magnetic and popular roommate at Shiz University?

Well, before then, she was Galinda. With a “ga.”

The youngest of four children in a high-born family down on their luck, Galinda is both pampered and ignored. Her natural grace promises to elevate her in the district dance competitions—but these efforts distract her from seeing the growing resentments of local merchants who disapprove of her family’s business strategies. Enmired in the self-satisfactions and unnamed timidities of childhood, Galinda finds in herself neither canniness nor the need to cultivate it. However, as her father deftly pivots around the snares and nets laid for him by his competitors, Galinda begins to dance toward a life that might lift her above her proud, if hardscrabble, childhood.

Galinda reveals the girl behind the bubbly, shallow cliché—offering fans of Wicked their first richer glimpse into the life of a beloved and iconic character.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Retellings, Adult, Audiobook, Mythology, Witches

Audible Audio

First published September 29, 2026

About the author

Gregory Maguire is an American author, whose novels are revisionist retellings of children's stories (such as L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz into Wicked). He received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979-1985. In 1987 he co-founded Children's Literature New England (a non-profit educational charity).

Maguire has served as artist-in-residence at the Blue Mountain Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Hambidge Center. He lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

Thank you to NetGalley & Gregory Maguire for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.



dearest darlingest g(a)linda,

im superbly sorry that i did not finish your childhood biography. while i love and adore all your pink- and pretti-ness, your biography did not reflect your pink and pretty spirit. unfortunatishisly, it read more like an attempt to copycat peaky blinders (which you must watch, my friend), and while i understand your popsicle was a tommy shelby type character (whom i love with all my heart), i was craving more pink- and pretti-ness. i am sorry i did not attend the rest of your pageant auditions, but im sure that you won and became very very 💗popular💗 like meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ✨✨✨




✨𝓪𝓻𝓬 𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽✨
ARC APPROVED BECAUSE IM 💗POPULAR💗

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm)]

Marked as to-read so I'll be ✨popular✨.

[Jenny K (on partial break)]

This is an outlier review, and that's because this is not my typical genre. I was excited to read Galinda's backstory, but I quickly realized this is a very specific type of fantasy that's not my standard read.

Plot summary: The plot is minimal, and it follows Galinda as she grows up and wants to become educated. There are some plot points, like how Galinda's wealthy father interacts with the community and some shady business, her relationship with her mother and grandmother, and her time in dance school.

Most of the book, though, is creating the background and world-building that sets the scene for Wicked. Galinda is just as you expect her, trying to rise above her nature and surroundings, but impeded by both. She is sweet, charming, and motivated, and she is determined to get to a better place.

The story underneath is heartfelt and emotional, but I had to peek underneath to find it because the outer trappings weren't my thing.

If you have enjoyed the other books in this series, there's no question you'll enjoy this, too.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Gregory Maguire for the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle]

I don't know who needs to hear this, but being the pretty, pampered daughter in a once-important family apparently does not guarantee a peaceful childhood. Galinda is over here perfecting dance routines and dreaming about being noticed while her father is involved in business schemes that made me keep looking over my shoulder like somehow I was going to get implicated too. Meanwhile her mother has mastered the art of being physically absent and emotionally on vacation.

The funniest part is that Galinda isn't the sparkling pink bubble icon everyone pictures. She's awkward in that painfully believable kid way where every interaction feels like she's trying to guess which version of herself people will like best. She has the exact personality type that mistakes being admired for being loved, and honestly...that explains so much about literally everything that comes later.

Her family is exhausting. Her brothers are all tangled up in the family's constant chaos, her grandmother is doing the emotional heavy lifting for an entire zip code, and Highmuster...sir. Every time that man walked into a scene I immediately assumed whatever peace existed was about to file for bankruptcy. He treats problems like they can all be solved if he just makes one more questionable decision, which somehow creates seventeen brand-new problems instead.

I also kept laughing because Galinda spends so much time preparing for these dance competitions that I started treating them like the Olympics. Then they would be over before I'd even finished emotionally investing in them. Meanwhile I had somehow become deeply involved in merchant rivalries, family drama, and enough complicated business dealings that I briefly forgot I had picked up a book about Glinda the Good Witch's childhood.

What really surprised me, though, was how lonely Galinda felt. Not alone exactly. Just...unseen. Everyone notices her because she's beautiful, graceful, or useful to someone's plans, but very few people actually stop and see the little girl underneath all of that. That's a quiet kind of sadness that sneaks up on you. It explains why she learns so early that performing the version of yourself people applaud is sometimes easier than asking them to know the real you.

If you're coming in expecting bubbles, sparkle, and someone skipping through Oz in pink heels, this book is going to gently hand you family dysfunction, social politics, complicated adults making baffling choices, and a child trying to figure out where she belongs inside all of it. It felt less like watching Glinda become Glinda and more like discovering all the tiny cracks underneath the polished finish.

By the end I wasn't necessarily thinking, "Oh, that's exactly the Galinda I already knew." I was thinking, "Well...now I understand why she spent so much energy becoming the person everyone expected." It made me softer toward her, even when she was frustrating, because kids have an incredible talent for building armor that eventually starts looking like their personality.

This landed at 3.5 stars for me. I enjoyed finally spending time with Galinda instead of just hearing about her, even if I occasionally wanted to hand half this family a therapist, the other half an accountant, and Galinda herself a really good hug before sending her off to Shiz.

And thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC. I came here expecting pink dresses and magical childhood whimsy. Instead you handed me emotionally unavailable parents, suspicious business deals, and enough family dysfunction to keep the Wizard employed for years. Honestly...respect.

[Holden Wunders]

Oh darlingest Galinda. Gregory Maguire loves his Wicked characters as much as we love him and it always begged the question… should there be a backstory for Galinda? After reading, I’m not quite sure I can answer that question still. But it’s here and I’m surely not complaining.

This book delves into her childhood and youth right up to the point that Galinda is heading off with Shiz. We get her brothers, her lonely farm life, her dance classes and beefing with other girls, her lack of education, and a little bit of introduction magic. With a huge plot point being in her absolutely shady father and their relationship, or lack thereof, and how that will come to shape her choices going forward.

I love Galinda and always have but I also still grapple with the necessity of this book. It reads very much like a modern day family drama, which is not to say that’s bad in the slightest, but did we need it? I’m not sure. But we have her. We have more of her and I would be surprised if Galinda ride or dies would be mad about it.

[J.]

Special thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC! Let’s just say this was a “thrillifying” book to be able to read before it hits the shelves. If you’re a fan of Wicked and have ever wanted more insight into Galinda’s backstory, this is definitely worth picking up. I may be a little biased, but there was no scenario where you could put a book about Glinda in front of me and expect me not to enjoy it. While her privileged upbringing is a major part of her story, the book digs far deeper than wealth, popularity, and social status. Beneath the glitter and pink is a family tangled in dysfunction, hidden truths, and complicated relationships. As the only daughter, Galinda is treated like a jewel, yet she’s often overlooked in the ways that matter most. The novel does a great job showing how she develops the poise and confidence that we recognize later on. This story not only added depth to a beloved character, but also explores the ways power, privilege, and expectations shape who we become.

[Michelle R]

Well, here comes another installment in the canon of the Wicked universe. To a large degree, this book was a lot like Elphie, which is not surprising because it seems that was rather the heavy-handed point: no matter how different Elphie and Galinda seem, they — and perhaps all of us — are essentially cut from the same cloth. One could argue that this was the actual point of the original story of Wicked. But this story also tells us that no amount of wealth or material success can substitute for parents who are devoted to their child’s personal growth and development and who provide adequate love and attention. In the end, for both sets of parents, the pursuit of status turns out to be an empty endeavor that neither benefits nor enriches the lives of their children.

That said, this was not a very enjoyable read for me. Much like Elphie, this story sacrificed overall plot for individual character development. Unlike Elphie, however, the character development in this novel was rather thin, and I found much of the book scattered and disjointed. In addition to continuing the author’s trend of describing landscapes that were not easy to visualize, the book also included a great deal of detail about Highmuster’s dealings in the aggregate business, which was neither interesting nor easy to keep track of. The spent a lot of time building anticipation around important emotional moments only to resolve it all in a short sentence. The dance-training sequences are the best example of this. The author devotes extensive attention to the preparation, hope, and expectation surrounding these competitions, only for the actual outcomes to occur almost as an afterthought. At one point, I had to reread a passage because I genuinely thought I had skipped over the competition itself, only to realize that it had already come and gone in a single line. I don't know if the intent was to gloss past the failures in the same way that Galinda would push through the unpleasantness of not being the best, but for us folks with a normal emotional IQ, the tonal whiplash and lack of payoff just felt empty.

And, with few exceptions, the characters were all either unlikeable, unscrupulous, or untrustworthy. There also appears to be a thick vein of delusion running through these characters’ lives. Ironically, the most compelling emotional arcs in the novel don't belong to Galinda, but to the side characters in her life. Ham, despite being relegated to the background, undergoes a genuinely tragic transformation from an intelligent and hopeful boy into someone trapped by the very corruption he once hoped to escape. Likewise, Grandmama is the clear emotional center and grounding force with the family, stepping in to care for Galinda while simultaneously trying to shield the family from Highmuster’s recklessness. Her efforts basically go unnoticed by the very people who depend on her most, and it is feels unfair for her to be taken for granted only to up and die before the book is done.

Galinda’s father, Highmuster, gave off corrupt politician vibes, and he lived up to them through his actions as well. The way he skirted the law was deplorable, and the way it eventually caught up with him was unsatisfying. Larena is presented as a largely absent and emotionally distant mother, and she remains that way throughout the book. She is depicted as a former socialite who has fallen from grace after a natural disaster destroyed her home and much of her family wealth. But the way she abandons her role as a parent in her efforts to crawl back onto the pedestal is equally unsatisfying. I found the storyline with her brothers uninteresting and, aside from Ham’s ascent to the top of the family business, I was not sure why it was included. I also didn’t understand why there had to be a character who did not speak and otherwise had no personality (Bacon). And I didn’t connect with Ibbison (whose death also occurs in a throwaway sentence), Dora, or Angusta, and Pork was forgettable.

As for Galinda, well, she was grating, had an astounding lack of self-awareness, and was unlikeable overall. As a child, her perspective lacked the natural curiosity and innocence one would expect from an eight-year-old, and far too much of her parents’ fake and phony personas shone through despite the lack of actual time spent with them. She asks to go to school because she suspects that the girls she dislikes look down on her for being uneducated. And while it might ordinarily seem noble to depict a character asking for the chance to learn despite being largely ignored, her efforts are undermined by the fact that her motivations come across as insincere and self-serving. Much like her father, Galinda’s enemies are imaginary, and she endeavors to get ahead because she feels entitled, not because she is genuinely interested in learning.

From a very young age, the conceit and self-centeredness were so strong that they became difficult to tolerate at times. She thinks highly of herself and is convinced that her perspective is always correct. There is an undeniable sense that whenever Galinda engages with another character, it is for the sole purpose of manipulation. She learns to choose her words carefully early on, and though this may have been a survival skill, it mostly made her seem deceitful. During the chapters focused on her childhood, instead of being fascinated by a talking donkey, she is cruel to him despite the fact that he saves her, she feels contempt for a figment of her own imagination despite the fact that it apparently helped her through some difficult times, and she seems incapable of showing basic kindness though several characters demonstrate it to her clearly. Overall, the lack of empathy is so prevalent that it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile her with the character she eventually becomes.

But, maybe that was the point. One of the thoughts I kept returning to while reading this book was how profoundly unlikeable Galinda is. But then I realized that I felt much the same way while reading Elphie. Maybe these books are not actually interested in making us love these characters. Maybe the characters themselves are simply the vehicles through which the author tells a larger story about family, identity, morality, and values. Rather than romanticizing these iconic figures, both novels seem determined to lean into their flaws to an almost frustrating degree, perhaps in an effort to dismantle the audience’s instinct to glorify them in the first place.

Even so, that approach made for a tough reading experience for me. And then, just like in Elphie, we blink and suddenly she is off to Shiz. The final line — “Will I make a friend?” — felt strangely insincere after the book spent so much time portraying Galinda as emotionally detached, manipulative, and incurious about the people around her. It makes no sense that she has a pensive moment just because she saw an owl when she seemed utterly incapable of critical thinking in the preceding 260 pages. And so, just like in Elphie, I walked away feeling as though nothing had really happened and yet there was still so much left to say. I felt unfulfilled but could not decide if I wanted mroe or less. Even still, despite my own reading experience and what I've written, I didn't hate the writing style and there was a lot to parse through in trying to write this. So, I still feel comfortable giving this 3 stars.

Thank you so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Iris]

Looking for explicit confirmation that my girl G(a)linda is hella gay. That's all.

[Raymie]

I’m team Elphie through and through but I loved Glinda’s not so Charmed childhood.

I love Gregory Maguire’s writing when it comes to Oz as he gives the same amount of whimsy that L. Frank Baum did but in adult story telling. I could picture the characters and the world.

We got to see snippets of familiar characters and there were some good laughable moments.

I think if you’re not a Wicked the book fan, you might not be a fan of the writing of this book.

I do have to say looking at the audiobook why is there a man narrating a book about a child who is a girl….

Genre: Fiction
APK: Ebook
Pages: 272
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Prequel to Wicked

[Reading Rachel]

Amazing 😍. I loved Wicked and I enjoyed Son of a witch and then I started losing interest. I really loved Galinda from start to finish. This book is about Galinda's childhood up until she heads to Shiz. I very much enjoyed exploring the character Galinda. Her upbringing makes perfect sense and so many things fell into place. I want to start the series again.

[WednesdayWoah]

Oh, Gregory. This is exactly the book I wanted, after Wicked and Elphie.

I love the Wicked musical and I love the books that it was born from (however loosely, let’s be honest). Really, anything Gregory Maguire writes is very in my wheelhouse. Once Elphie came out promising and delivering a glimpse into these star crossed friends beginnings, I waited (im)patiently for the next one, sure to come, on our spoiled but ultimately sweet little pink confection, Galinda.

This book delivered. It was everything I wanted it to be. Of course, Galinda came from money, being the only girl and doted upon, but as expected, it goes deeper than that here. A family in ruin with more secrets than sense, a young girl who is the family princess but generally ignored, who learns to use her poise and attitude to her advantage, while also watching her family members use various means of power or threats and coercion to theirs. It shows very clearly how we end up with the Galinda that we meet in Wicked, but more importantly, makes you think about why women need to do these things in the first place.

If you love the Wicked universe, you will love this book. It is a fantastic addition to the world and an interesting read from start to finish.

[Alexa Blart, Library Cop]

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

In hindsight, I should have anticipated that this book was coming after last year's Elphie, but the reason I didn't anticipate it is probably the same as why I enjoyed it less: there's less of an existing foundation into what Galinda's childhood to build off of than we did Elphaba's. (Unless there was more material in other books in the Wicked Years cycle; I only ever read the first.) Many of the events in Elphie were alluded to in the later chapters of Wicked: her mother's death, the birth of her brother Shell, and the years the family spent doing missionary work in Quadling Country. Galinda's entire childhood isn't, to my memory, alluded to at all, and while arguably that gives Maguire more room to be creative, to me, I just cared slightly less. I did enjoy the hints as to how Galinda developed into her personality--her parents are reminiscent of Matilda Wormwood's, with a scheming, crooked businessman father and a socialite mother who's never at home, and neither of them are interested in cultivating her interest in learning and going to school. But the plot was less engaging to me than was Elphie--right up until the end, where the final line of the book made me burst into tears in a way previously not seen since Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande stood on opposite sides of a door.

Also, just as I loved that Elphie was dedicated to Cynthia Erivo and Idina Menzel, it made me smile to see this book dedicated to Ariana Grande and Kristin Chenoweth.

[Sarah E B ʚ♡ɞ]

I want to thank the publisher for the giveaway opportunity.

Just to note, I have not read the other prequel, Elphie. Anyways, I originally got into the books because of the musical back in the summer of 2010, so I was actually pleasantly surprised by how different the books were from the musical while still really loving what I read. S so I have a bit of history with this series. 😂

This wasn’t really a story where I thought, “I needed this until NOW" But it does fill in something that adds to the character and gives a little more to the overall Wicked series.

If you already like the book series, I think you’ll probably enjoy this. It feels like one of those stories that adds something to a character you already know rather than completely changing how you see them.

[Brian Stabler]

I really wanted Galinda to whisk me back into the world of Oz, but sadly it never quite captured the magic I was hoping for.

There are some interesting ideas here, particularly the glimpse into Galinda’s dysfunctional family and the contrast between their dwindling wealth and their determination to maintain appearances. The parallels with Elphaba are intriguing too, and I liked some of the unexpected directions the story took.

Unfortunately, it all feels rather scattered, with too many underdeveloped characters and storylines competing for attention. Galinda herself never quite became the character I wanted to follow, and the story increasingly lost me as it went on.

The writing is distinctive and often beautifully poetic, but much as I found with Elphie, I struggled to connect with either the writing or the characters. At least it’s a quick read, but ultimately this was another Oz story that just didn't quite work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Headline and the author for an advance copy.

[Ariel Frederickson]

I loved this book and was surprised that I actually preferred it over the Elphie prequel. It felt more cohesive to the original Wicked story and truly shows you how Galinda gets to that frame of mind and why she acts the way she does. While the Elphie book felt more tied into the Wicked musical, this felt like it truly was a part of the storyline for the series. It ties into the Wicked story and leaves off right before the book in a way the Elphie book does not. I loved learning more about Galinda’s backstory throughout the book and how her character develops as the book goes on.

[readwithmichele]

BOOK: Galinda
AUTHOR: Gregory McGuire
PUB DATE: September 29, 2026 by @williammorrow
PAGES: 272 pages
RATING: 3.5 stars
GENRE: Contemporary Fantasy

A big THANK YOU to @williammorrow, the author, and @netgalley for gifting me an advanced digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

QUICK SYNOPSIS: Galinda takes us back to Oz to meet Glinda the Good Witch long before Wicked, when she was still young Galinda, growing up in a once-prominent family that has fallen on hard times. Pampered but often overlooked, she dreams of standing out through dance while remaining mostly unaware of the growing trouble surrounding her family and her father’s business dealings. It’s a fun look at the childhood that helped shape the bubbly, ambitious girl who will eventually become one of Oz’s most famous witches.

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: As a huge fan of the Wicked movies, I always want to love Gregory Maguire’s books, but I often struggle with his writing style. Galinda was still a bit challenging for me at times, but I enjoyed it much more than Elphie and liked getting more of Galinda’s story and seeing the world of Oz through her perspective. There were definitely parts that dragged for me, but overall, I’m glad I read it and enjoyed spending a little more time in Oz.

[Isabella]

Thank you to NetGalley and Gregory Maguire for giving me an amazing opportunity to read an arc of this book! I will forever and always be a Galinda girl! I loved getting to read her childhood story! This book made me fall in love with her even more!!
Thank you again to NetGalley and Gregory for giving me an arc!!
Everyone needs to read this when it comes out on Tuesday September 29TH!!

[Whitney Beiler Dalton]

I feel like this was written specifically with Ariana Grande in mind. You get the Galinda feel and vibes the whole way. But you can also see how she still had such vulnerability. Don't get me wrong, it's still hard to read such made up language and texturing.

[Sharon]

I think I read wicked when it first came out which must be what at least 20 years ago? Anyhow, this was an enjoyable look back at Galinda‘s formative years.

[Ashley Schilling]

I received this as an ARC!

I love the whole Wicked story line from the moment I read the first book and this was such a fun introduction to young Galinda. You really get to see where she came from and why she was so desperate to be liked and “popular”. This Galinda is much truer to the book as opposed to the musical(both of which are fantastic) so be prepared if you’ve really only seen the musical. As always with a Gregory Maguire book, the writing was phenomenal and the story compelling. 10/10 would recommend!

[Karen]

GALINDA: A CHARMED CHILDHOOD
BY: GREGORY MAGUIRE

I thought this was a sad beginning to witness Galinda in the very beginning she is only eight years old. I felt very sad for her wanting to get to attend her dance classes which she keeps asking over and over only to be brushed off by her corrupt father doing shady business. It was a busy household, and the subtitle "A Charmed Childhood," is supposed to be ironic? Her life was pampered with being the only girl with all of her brothers. I met Gregory Maguire and this was after the Musical 'Wicked' and we went as a family. and he was charming, if I remember my kids were young and he was extremely personable. I think that this was a fast paced book that was already a small page count with tiny short Chapters that leave you wanting more. It feels like this heartwarming novel, called "Galinda," written by Gregory Maguire is very soothing to read for me because even though her parents leave you feeling like they are too busy with their own lives pursuing their Self absorbed separate interests. GALINDA is spunky, and seemed older so I liked her. I really needed this gem since Galinda is able to count on her Father's Mother Grandmama for helping her as a strong Female role model who I loved. She has great morals to have at times keep her son
from his dealings that she tries to remind him of what she knows is what is right and wrong. Her influence on Galinda is obvious. I really think that I don't think Galinda would be as outspoken which I thought her Grandmama was and if she is
you kind of can't blame her in certain situations. Her longing for her Mother to act more like one is sad, because even though
She has mixed feelings about the fact that the household is peaceful when her Mother's absence in terms of a young girl,
what feels like to me is the fact that she never feels sorry for herself. What is the sadder underlying message that she has
accepted the fact that her Mother is not going to choose being present for her, and she gave up on her as if it is normal.
She expects her mother is going to be going away from home for a week, two weeks at a time which as an eight year old
girl to feel as if her mother has chosen to prioritize these extended vacations without knowing where she is going or when
she comes home. This is just my own processing how it must feel to think your Mother is rather than spend her time with her
daughter that you don't miss your mother because that must have been the way things are. The book doesn't go deep, it leaves
it as an idea that is a thought that Galinda knows that her mother going away is going to be peaceful. Ham is her oldest brother who I loved, as well. He is only fifteen but has been bringing her to her dance lessons that she is happy about because their is another close family member who doesn't baby her, but this is actually full of warmth and humor that the author has packed in quite a bit about Galinda, and I think she had to create a tough exterior to which in order to survive among both disengaged, both physically, but always emotionally absent Mother. You know it is the first movie I ever watched as a toddler the original "WIZARD OF OZ." My parents had company, and the memory is so warm since I remember my own Mother trying to get me to watch :The Wizard Of Oz," and I remember the movie was playing in the background so that's probably one reason why I loved this book. I had that movie being watched with your Mom being attentive. I was too young to understand what was happening on the TV, but having that memory surface was how this book feels like a warm hug. The author had Galinda's roommate named "Elphie," that when it came out last year I didn't know about it. but I am definitely buying it since they eventually grow up and attend the same University at Shiz. I hope that proves to anybody who reads this that they are on the fence that this is so heartfelt that I loved this so much because of how it really is a feel good novel that is because the author blends some tiny bit of seriousness with a tiny bit of Magical Realism with a talking Donkey, but he brings out the kid in all of us in this one. I could go on and on about the writing being so Exquisite that I felt so amazed at how I had a signed copy of a couple of his books. That I remembered how he was so humble that he lives in my area, and I really liked him because here he has a World Famous Musical called "WICKED," and he was fun to talk to that anybody that grew up watching the WIZARD OF OZ, will love this. I need more FUN, LIGHTHEARTED, HOPEFUL & INSPIRATIONAL novels like this in my life. I have decided that I have two Pages left of ARCS that once I finish up those the most that I'll request is just one or two at a time. I want more of this type of heartfelt reading in the future. No more Horror, Thrillers, Just books like this one that reminds me of how this was as soon as I finished it, I felt like it brought out the kid in me that I might just buy "Elphie" and read it after I post this. I am hoping that I love it as much as this one because it was such a surprise that I have been doing this, and I don't mind having one or two that has me being carefree again, since I have felt that this was such a much needed balm for my soul, that I felt like starting it all over again because I have been too long trying to catch up that I have not been able to read any of my own books that I keep buying since that I just remembered I meant to buy a Good Reads Choice Award Nominee called "Burnout." that was on sale that I think that is how I feel. I will be recommending this to everyone since we all need to remember more how great it felt to be a kid without the kind of stress that comes with not feeling overwhelmed for as long as I have. My eldest son moved a 24 hour car ride that I didn't get a chance to see before he left. He was going to be back this month which now he isn't and I hope I see him at Christmas. Please Do Yourself a Favor and request this before it archives or buy it. I hope you love it. Enjoy!

Publication Date: September 29, 2026

A HUGE AMOUNT OF GRATITUDE TO NET GALLEY, GREGORY MAGUIRE, and WILLIAM MORROW for GENEROUSLY providing me with my ELECTRIFYING ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are entirely my own, as always.

#Galinda #GregoryMaguire #WilliamMorrow #NetGalley
....

[Chelsea Cauley]

My kids and I are big Wicked fans. They loved the movie so much that we are going to see the musical together this winter, so slipping into Galinda's story ahead of time felt like such a treat!

If you're a fan of Wicked and have ever wanted more insight into Galinda's backstory, this one is definitely worth picking up. It digs far deeper than her obvious wealth, popularity, and social status. Beneath the glitter and the pink is a family tangled in dysfunction, hidden truths, and complicated relationships. Much like Elphie's family, but where Elphie is pushed aside, Galinda is treated like a jewel, and yet she's still overlooked in the ways that matter most.

Maguire does a wonderful job showing how she develops the poise and confidence we come to know later in Wicked. This story not only added depth to a character I've loved since childhood, it also explores how power, privilege, and expectation shape who we become, and the particular roles and rules society hands to daughters.

Special thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the ARC!

[Zoe]

November 26, 2025

Marking as 'want to read' ... maybe
Elphie: A Wicked Childhood

[Anna Gibson]

[I was provided a review copy by the publisher via Netgalley.]

Galinda: A Charmed Childhood by Gregory Maguire is an almost-sort-of companion novel to Maguire's most recent foray into his The Wicked Years series, named "Elphie: A Wicked Childhood" after the titular green girl who would become Oz's most infamous witch.

Whereas a good 50% of Elphie existed within quasi-storytelling prose that felt more like the author talking on and on about his characters rather than any sort of traditional narrative, Galinda: A Charmed Childhood is mostly written as straightforward narrative prose.

Fans of Maguire's writing (or readers familiar with it, but who would not call themselves fans) should feel mostly at home. I say "mostly" because, as with the last entry in the "Another Day" series and some portions of "Elphie," there is something a bit off about Maguire's writing now and then.

There are times where it is lush and rich and memorable. I have plenty of highlights on this ARC Kindle edition that I will return to time and time again, like I do quotes from Maguire's other works.

And yet... at other times, it feels half-baked, like a draft was written and then never returned to for fleshing out and polishing. At one point, the phrase 'so, yay' is used to end a sentence, and it's not dialogue. It was very jarring.

There are quite a few moments where I had to stop and reread because it felt like I'd actually skipped a page, but no, the author simply chose to skim over what ought to have been fleshed out details, introspection, an interaction between characters, something.

The novel's title feels misleading in some ways because while Galinda is a central character, it does not really feel like her story in the same way that Elphie felt like Elphaba's. One of Galinda's brothers (all of whom are named for pork products for no particular reason) features far more inner and outer growth than the titular Galinda, and there is an even greater emphasis on the business dealings of Galinda's father, known as Highmuster.

We know far more about her brother Ham, her father Highmuster, even Galinda's tutor, than we do about her. The narrative often jumps and skips around and goes into detail about things like Highmuster's possibly shady business dealings around town... and then completely skips over what is supposed to be a pivotal moment for Galinda with a single sentence.

Some could argue it's an intentional choice. That Galinda is doomed not just to be seen by her family as surface-level, but readers as well. But it doesn't feel intentional, it feels like Maguire got lost in the details about certain characters, then simply never returned to flesh out the draft for Galinda.

What we do learn about Galinda, however, adds some intriguing layers to her character. There are a few moments in this novel that were quite wickedly interesting, to say the least, when it comes to presenting a young girl who will one day find herself in the midst of drama at Shiz and then smack dab in the center of political intrigue in the Wizard's (and beyond) greater Oz.

The choices Maguire makes here about Galinda's family (both their financial background and their complex, distant nature) almost make me wonder if he intentionally backtracked on the assumptions of Galinda's family background and history as a way to draw parallels between her and Elphaba. Although some of these choices contradict what was presented in the original "Wicked" novel, such as the origin of Ama Clutch, which is frustrating.

As a side note... I was a good chunk into this book when I realized that I had kept feeling like Galinda in the book didn't feel like she connected to the older Galinda/Glinda at all... until I realized I'd been thinking through the lens of the (please pardon the pun) Galindafied "Glinda" from the Broadway musical. Reframing myself to remember the differences between stage!Glinda and novel!Glinda was eye opening.

I won't say I adored this book, because I am left feeling like it should have focused far more on Galinda herself, who is often skated around in the book's narrative. But I do think if you are a fan of "The Wicked Years," you should at least give this one a try. It was enjoyable, there are some interesting "aha!!!" moments that tie into the later books, and while the writing was sometimes not up to Maguire's normal par, I did save a lot of them for reflection.

I'll end with one of the quotes from the book that stuck out--

"What a world of possibility existed in the margins of not knowing. Maybe that's where the whole world existed. What might be, what might yet be? Who knew? She supposed that was what university was for."

[Ray Palen]

On September 1, 1900, author L. Frank Baum released a novel that has not only stood the test of time but became one of the most beloved titles ever written --- THE WIZARD OF OZ. It was followed up in 1939 by a legendary film that featured, amongst its’ countless characters, Glinda the Good Witch as portrayed by actress Billie Burke.

Writer Gregory Maguire, himself a lifelong fan of L. Frank Baum’s novel, penned a classic in its’ own right that was inspired by THE WIZARD OF OZ called WICKED. That novel was turned into a world-famous Tony-Award Winning Musical which as since been followed up by a two-part film version. Adding to the Glinda roster or portrayals would be actresses Kristin Chenoweth and Ariana Grande. Since WICKED, Maguire has continued to bring us stories from the world of Oz that pay wonderful homage to the source material while also showing off his fertile imagination in building upon it.

His latest novel set in this world is GALINDA: A Charmed Childhood which provides us with the never-before-seen childhood under her birth name of Galinda, before eventually evolving into Glinda the Good Witch. At the beginning of the novel, we witness an 8-year-old Galinda living on a farm ranch with her father, grandmother, three brothers, a couple of members of house staff and an imaginary friend she calls Robbery. The only person absent is her mother, who spends more time on the road than at home for reasons that are mostly kept under wraps and the subject of much conjecture.
Papa is a well-known supplier of building materials who has recently been down on his luck and quickly accruing new enemies wanting to see him fail. Grandmama, her mother’s mother, rules with an iron fist and Galinda suspects she may be a witch. Her three older brothers, each of whom bears a nickname more akin to swine, mostly stay out of her hair --- although she has always been particularly close to her brother Ham who fills in with transportation duty, often taking her to her dance class. Galinda never really knew the full story about why her family was downgraded from their stately home Chrysanthemum Hall, other than the place was victimized by an earthquake.

Bad luck continues to follow the family when the family barn is set ablaze, most likely by enemies of Papa, and some of their animals perish. When Mama does show up, Galinda begins to push her towards allowing her to go to school. Her father will not have it, especially as he fears for her safety, so they agree to an in-home tutor. The first, a Miss Pennychick, did not last long and was quickly replaced by a male tutor named Pint Montaubade who stays with her into her mid-teens.

We watch as Galinda begins to show signs of the adult character we know so well. Along the way, she must deal not only with family hardship but also a mystery that is dropped in her lap just prior to her Grandmamma’s passing. She tells Galinda that she must make a pilgrimage back to their old home, now just a bunch of rubble, and search for no oversize amulet or totem in the form of a golden owl that may possess magical powers responsible for having cursed the family. This mission is one that will have quite an impact in shaping young Galinda and potentially leading her down the road to witchcraft.

GALINDA is a memorable read that provides more background detail to a beloved character who remains an important part in the minds of readers worldwide. This tale takes us directly up to a major step in her development that will thrill fans of the series, and the entire experience is an eye-opening delight.

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Ryan Lawler]

Galinda: A Charmed Childhood is the latest expansion of Gregory Maguire’s Wicked Years books. As the title suggests this book provides the backstory for “Glinda the Good”, giving a peek behind the curtains at the foundational childhood experiences that shaped the type of person Galinda was when she arrived at Shiz. For those readers who are looking for an engaging and compelling storytelling experience, this book may come up short on those expectations. But for those readers who are hungry for lore and backstory, this book is definitely going to scratch that itch.

The story dives deep on the Arduenna Upland family, introducing us to Galinda’s parents, brothers and grandmother as they try to make ends meet while living in a cramped and run down old mill. The family’s prosperity is in ruins after a natural disaster destroyed the Upland ancestral home, but the family patriarch Highmuster has a plan dig the family out of squalor and return them to heights of nobility. Eight year old Galinda isn’t part of these plans, her only care in the world is to win the local dance competition and gain an invitation to Shiz.

I don’t want to be too reductive, but I think the main thing anyone is going to get from this novel is lore. We learn a lot about Galinda’s sheltered and naive childhood, her family’s obsession with image and superficial trappings, her complicated history with education, and the terrible life lessons she receives from mediocre people. The book also explores a time of great change in Oz which means along with exploring Galinda’s childhood we get to see things like the development of the Great Gillikin Railway, the rural perspectives of Shiz and The Emerald City, and the limited role magic was playing in Oz at the time. There is a lot of content here for super fans to dig their teeth into.

But in my opinion when you look past all the lore what’s left is not much, and this is because eight year old Galinda is pretty much the Galinda we all get to know start of Wicked. This novel ends up being a story about awful people doing awful things with no signs of remorse or redemption, no real repercussions, and no real stakes. Galinda doesn’t have much development (positive or negative) because she does all of her development in Wicked. This story is basically Schitt’s Creek if the characters never stop being insufferable awful people who are mean and sad and uncaring, and incapable of learning lessons. Taking that into account, it was hard for me to find any joy in this book outside of the fan service, and it made me consider knocking it down to two stars.

In my opinion this a book for a very specific audience - those people who really want to know why Galinda is the way that she is at the start of Wicked. And Maguire hit that goal quite effectively. But in order to hit that goal Maguire had to write a story about miserable people being miserable, and that is a story I struggled to engage with.

[Ashley Cohoon]

⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5 stars)

Galinda by Gregory Maguire was an interesting look at the childhood of a character we already know so well, but I’m not sure the story ever became as compelling as the idea behind it.

What I liked most was seeing the pieces of Galinda’s personality begin to take shape. She isn’t the bubbly, polished version most people picture when they think of Glinda. She’s awkward, insecure, ambitious, and very aware of how other people see her. There’s something a little sad about watching a child slowly learn that being admired can feel easier than being truly known.

Her family plays a huge role in that. Her father, Highmuster, is constantly wrapped up in questionable business dealings, while her mother is emotionally and physically absent for much of the story. Galinda is surrounded by people, but she still feels incredibly lonely. I thought that was one of the stronger parts of the book because it helps explain why she becomes so focused on appearances, status, and presenting the “right” version of herself.

At the same time, the book spends a surprising amount of time on things that felt much less interesting than Galinda herself. There is a lot of attention given to her father’s business dealings, her brothers, and various family complications, while moments that seemed like they should have been important to Galinda’s own development were sometimes rushed through almost immediately.

That made the story feel uneven to me. I would get invested in something involving Galinda, only for the narrative to wander into another subplot that didn’t feel nearly as important. Even some of the dance competition buildup seemed much more significant than the actual payoff.

I also never fully connected with Galinda as a character. She could be frustrating, self-centered, and difficult to like, although I do think that may be part of the point. This isn’t really a story about making her more lovable. It’s more about showing the experiences and family dynamics that helped shape the person she eventually becomes.

Overall, Galinda gave me some interesting insight into a familiar character, and I appreciated the attempt to show the less glamorous pieces behind the polished image. I just wish the book had spent more time actually focused on her and less time on the complicated family and business drama happening around her. There were definitely moments that added depth to the Galinda we already know, but as a whole, the story felt a little scattered and underwhelming.

A big thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Crystal Allen]

Thank you to William Morrow for providing me with early access to this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The first movie I remember truly loving as a little girl was The Wizard of Oz. I shouted at the screen when Dorothy's neighbor tried to steal Toto, gasped as the world shifted from black and white to technicolor, and was completely entranced by Glinda floating down in that glittering bubble. I'm pretty sure my lifelong love of rainbows started right there.

As a young bookseller, I discovered Wicked by Gregory Maguire on the shelf before anyone was asking for it, before Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth made these characters legendary on Broadway. I read it, made it my bookseller's pick, and pressed it into the hands of everyone I knew. So when I spotted Galinda: A Charmed Childhood on NetGalley, it was an immediate, excited request. I squealed out loud when my approval came through.

I love that Maguire dedicated this book to Ariana Grande and Kristin Chenoweth. Sweet, fitting, and perfectly on brand for this world.
I really wanted to love this one. Truly. But I found it to be a slow and challenging read.

Galinda's childhood is painted as lonely and largely loveless. Her father is a swindler navigating shady business schemes, and her mother is both emotionally and physically absent, preferring to travel and visit friends from her more posh and affluent past rather than face the reality of where the family is now. Galinda herself is treated a bit like a porcelain doll on a shelf: pretty to look at occasionally, fragile, and mostly ignored. The story spends a lot of time on her father's dealings and in quiet reflection on how much the family once had compared to where they are now. There were moments that reminded me faintly of Matilda, but without the spark of magic that made that story come alive. Not a lot happens, and I found it difficult to stay engaged.

Galinda doesn't have much character development in this story, and I think that's true by design. Her real transformation belongs to Wicked. This is purely backstory, and it reads that way.

I think the perfect audience for this book is die-hard Wicked fans who want every thread of lore and world-building Maguire has to offer. But if you're hoping for magic, adventure, or a story that can stand on its own, you may find yourself wanting more.

As someone who has loved this world for decades, I was hoping for more for Galinda. I wish her origin story had a little more Glinda sparkle and magic sprinkled throughout.

[Homesick Martian]

I was **ridiculously excited** to be chosen for this ARC, especially after getting the ARC for Elphie: A Wicked Childhood. I've loved Gregory Maguire's version of Oz since I first discovered Wicked sometime around 2000 I think, so getting to return to this world again, and finally get Galinda's story, felt like a long-time coming!

I do think this is a book that may disappoint some readers, particularly anyone whose main experience with Wicked is the musical or the movies. Those adaptations are *very* loosely based on Maguire's books. The novels are darker, stranger, more political, and much less interested in making their characters uncomplicatedly lovable. This is Maguire's Oz, not the bright pink-and-green version, and I think knowing that going in makes a huge difference.

As someone who's read the books, though, I loved finally getting to see Galinda before Shiz.

Her beginnings weren't exactly surprising, but they felt *right*. Of course, Galinda would grow up privileged and acutely aware of status and appearances. Of course, she'd be a little girl working desperately to accomplish something impressive enough for her parents to actually *notice*. You can already see the beginnings of the woman she becomes: ambitious, image-conscious, cares too much to what other people think of her, and constantly adjusting herself to fit what she believes the world expects of her.

And I really appreciated that her privilege doesn't mean her childhood is portrayed as perfect. "Charmed" is doing some heavy lifting in that title. Having money and status doesn't automatically give a child affection, attention, or even security, and getting to see the family dynamics behind Galinda added so much context to a character we've mostly known through other people's eyes.

That's probably what I enjoyed most about this book. It doesn't reinvent Galinda or try to explain away every flaw she has later. It simply gives us more of her. It lets us see where some of those traits began and makes the character we've known for decades feel a little fuller.

For longtime readers of The Wicked Years, I think this is such a worthwhile return to Oz. If you only know Glinda from Ariana Grande, just be warned: you're about to meet the family she came from, and things are considerably less bubbly over here.

Now I have one extremely important problem: I own a limited-edition matching set of the other books, so I desperately need someone to make *Galinda* match them. 😂

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Randy]

Poor eight-year-old Galinda Upland: all she wants to do is dance, dance, dance. Galinda is determined to land a spot on the Tennery dance competition team and then advance all the way to the finals in Shiz, where she hopes to be crowned with the coveted Princess Tiara. She also dreams of attending school and making more friends beyond her fairweather imaginary companion, Robbery.
High aims for a small-fry who’s been poked by the fickle finger of fate. After a pair of catastrophic geologic events turned their glorious estate, Chrysanthemum Hall, into a hunka hunka burning rubble, the formerly well-off but now suddenly indigent Upland family relocated into an abandoned milltower. The emotionally distant Papa High has built a shady construction materials business; the literally distant Mama Larena is constantly away, visiting socially upscale friends; and Galinda’s three brothers—Ham, Pork, and Bacon—are busy learning their father’s trade; so it falls to Grandmama to become Galinda’s sole cheerleader (and Grandmama might have a little magic at her disposal).
After a solid setup, “Galinda” proceeds to pound sand, narratively speaking, with lots of attention paid to High’s business dealings with the community, Grandmama’s concerns about a buried owl totem at the demolished Chrysanthemum Hall, and the cultural customs of a faraway tribe called the Ugabu. Galinda almost becomes a bit player in her own story. Still, to its credit, the novel eventually gets back on track, becoming more interesting as Galinda’s path wends towards “Wicked.”
A follow-up to Maguire’s better “Elphie: A Wicked Childhood,” this second prequel in the “Wicked” universe suggests that maybe the juggernaut has finally run out of magical steam. But I wouldn’t necessarily bet on it: Maguire has built a fantastic revisionist fairy-tale empire with his Ozma series and the companion “Brides of Maracoor” trilogy. And he continues to dazzle with standalone fantasies inspired by other classics, including “After Alice,” “Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker,” and “The Wild Winter Swan.” Who knows what the next trick up his sleeve will be?
Bottom line: while not top-drawer Maguire, “Galinda” will surely still be…uh…popular with the legions of “Wicked” fans. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy.