So, you saw Wicked on the big screen and you loved it! The soaring vocals of the cast transported you to a land somewhere over the rainbow and you want more. But the next movie installment won't come out for another 365 days! What's a Munchkin like you to do until then?! Follow the yellow brick road to these reads to grant your wish of escaping into a wonderful world.
- Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Let's get the obvious choice out of the way. In case you didn't know the musical/movie was based on a book, here it is! There are many story elements that are different from the musical, with Maguire's text being darker and more adult than the stage show. And if you love the world, Maguire wrote three sequels!
- Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. In this Young Adult book, Dorothy is no longer the sweet girl from Kansas. She is a tyrant ruler who must be stopped. And Amy Gumm is just the person to do it. Read this fantastical and rebellious take on fairy tales with a twist. Especially if you liked Elphaba's storyline about helping the Animals.
- Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne. Maybe you love the visuals of Wicked and want more pretty pictures. Then pick up this graphic novel about two tween witches finding their way. Beetle the goblin is learning to be a witch while trying to figure out how to free her friend Blob Ghost from the local mall. All while navigating her friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-? relationship with fellow witch-in-training Kat. You will definitely want to pick up the sequel in April!
- Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan. If your favorite part of Wicked was the relationships between the characters, then this series might be for you. Julia, the main character, has a way of making herself unseen, but her powers are expanding out of her control. Throughout Julia's journey, readers meet and love characters like bad boy Wyn (Fieryo vibes anybody?), the mysterious Mrs. Och, and Pia the assassin.
- Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson. And now for something completely different! Wilkinson shares nearly 40 family recipes from her Appalachian ancestors, while sharing their stories. Despite what The Wizard might have us believe, keeping and sharing the truth about those who came before us is real history. And Wilkinson is generous enough to share her family with us in this captivating cookbook memoir.