J.K. Rowling Publishes Her Unreleased Children's Book The Ickabog Online

J.K. Rowling has surprised Potter fans all over the world in posting her unreleased (until now) children's book, The Ickabog.

By Sophia Martini May 28, 2020

Luckily for the fans of Harry Potter who are hungry for more fantasy, J.K. Rowling began publishing her unreleased children's chapter book The Ickabog for free online for children in need of fun and engagement during the coronavirus. Rowling has since published the first eight chapters of the story for readers to enjoy on The Ickabog website. Moving forward, Rowling plans to release the story piece by piece over the next seven weeks, through Friday, July 10. Rowling will post one to three chapters every weekday.

Rowling began writing the first draft of The Ickabog, over a decade ago, between writing the Harry Potter books. The Ickabog has been hidden away in Rowling's attic for over ten years, being read only to her two young children. Recently, she used her time in quarantine as an opportunity to dig out the book, make a few adjustments, and release the story for free online for readers around the world. With that said, she has reiterated to her fans that the book is not in response to anything currently happening in the world. Rather, she mentions that the themes of the novel are "timeless and could apply to any era or country."

This story is Rowling's first book that is not directly linked to the Harry Potter series. The story, she said on Twitter, is much different than her previous novels and is not a Harry Potter spin-off. Rowling has not published a synopsis of the story, but based on the first few chapters, one may get the impression that the book has more to do with classic fairy tales, rather than a world of magic and wizardry.

In an effort to continue to engage Ickabog fans, Rowling is inviting children to help her illustrate the book. With the release of each chapter, Rowling will be making suggestions of what children might want to draw to illustrate the story as it progresses. If you are between the ages of 7-12, you can submit those drawings to the official competition for a chance to be featured in The Ickabog book, slated to be published in November. All ages are encouraged to post their pictures on social media using the hashtag #TheIckabog to potentially be recognized by Rowling herself.

Superb work, Phoebe, not just the illustration but the imagination that went into it! #TheIckabog https://t.co/NOJXqCIbz8
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 28, 2020

Terms and conditions of the official competition can be found here.

Rowling intends to donate all royalties from the published versions of The Ickabog to organizations working with those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Full details of these donations are slated to be made available later this year.