The Ickabog: What We Know About J. K. Rowling’s New Book

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling will publish The Ickabog, an original children’s fairytale, online for free for children in lockdown.

The Ickabog is a story written by Rowling over ten years ago, a story “about truth and the abuse of power”, written as a read-aloud book but suitable for children age 7-9 to read to themselves. The story is not part of Harry Potter’s Wizarding World, and will take place in an imaginary land.

The free serialisation of the book will be available online, and is summarized by Rowling in a post on JKRowling.com:

“The Ickabog is a story about truth and the abuse of power. To forestall one obvious question: the idea came to me well over a decade ago, so it isn’t intended to be read as a response to anything that’s happening in the world right now. The themes are timeless and could apply to any era or any country.”

Rowling said she intended to publish the book following the release of Deathly Hallows. She had written the story whilst also writing the Harry Potter series, but decided to take a break from publishing and work on The Casual Vacancy, and her Cormoran Strike series, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith:

“A few weeks ago at dinner, I tentatively mooted the idea of getting The Ickabog down from the attic and publishing it for free, for children in lockdown. My now teenagers were touchingly enthusiastic, so downstairs came the very dusty box, and for the last few weeks I’ve been immersed in a fictional world I thought I’d never enter again. As I worked to finish the book, I started reading chapters nightly to the family again. This was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my writing life, as The Ickabog’s first two readers told me what they remember from when they were tiny, and demanded the reinstatement of bits they’d particularly liked (I obeyed).”

After chapters are published free via The Ickabog website each weekday between May 26 and July 10, the story will publish traditionally in November via print, eBook and audiobook formats, with translations to follow.

In a thread on Twitter, Rowling shared that though she came to think of The Ickabog as a story for her family overtime, she decided recently to bring the materials down from her attic, edit the story, and publish for children and families to enjoy.

Rowling is also hosting an illustration competition for children to get involved in the published edition of the story in each territory, giving children a challenge during Covid-19 lockdown measures. Entries can be submitted via the official The Ickabog website, and winning entries from each territory will appear in the final publication of the story in November. Parents and guardians can also share their child’s art via Twitter, using the hashtag #TheIckabog. Images will also be posted via the gallery on the Ickabog website.

All author royalties from the publication of The Ickabog will go towards helping groups particularly impacted by Covid-19.

The announcement comes after Rowling shared the news that the first Harry Potter book would be made freely available in eBook and audiobook formats via the new Harry Potter at Home hub, along with a variety of resources and reading material. Free online chapter readings of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone are also releasing regularly on the hub, narrated by Wizarding World actors such as Daniel Radcliffe, Evanna Lynch and Bonnie Wright, as well as well-known faces in entertainment and sports. Rowling also previously announced an open licence for educators to read Harry Potter to their pupils online during the Covid-19 lockdown.