A Nice Pair: Wicked

It’s that time of the week again! Our Nice Pair this week is the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Macguire and the Wicked soundtrack.

While The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was all about Dorothy, Wicked is the first in a series about Elphaba, who came to be known as The Wicked Witch of the West. Gregory Macguire took the classic and dreamt up an entire backstory to this character. Years before Dorothy’s arrival, outsider Elphaba was born in Oz. The book explores her troubled childhood, political and moral struggles and reveals how societal prejudice and corrupt power structures shape her fate. The novel was the basis for both a Tony-winning hit musical and the smash hit movie series starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Wicked: The Soundtrack features music from the 2024 movie. With music and lyrics by multi-award winner Stephen Schwartz, it features the songs Defying Gravity and Popular performed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Can’t get enough Wicked? In addition to these featured items, we also have the Wicked: For Good Soundtrack (Limited Edition RSD Black Friday 2025 Release), the Wicked Live: One Wonderful Night (Limited Edition RSD 2026 Release) and a special Puffin in Bloom edition of the classic book The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum currently in stock.