Have you read and reread all of the Harry Potter books?J.K. Rowling has just announced her new story, The Ickabog. A new chapter (or more) will be posted in installments from now until Jul. 10.
Rowling started writing The Ickabog while she was finishing the Wizarding World series with the intention of publishing it after the seventh Harry Potter book was released. Instead she decided to focus on adult novels and left her draft of The Ickabog in the attic where it remained for ten years.
On the website, Rowling says, “It isn’t Harry Potter and it doesn’t include magic. This is an entirely different story.”
Rowling said she read the chapters aloud to her two younger children while she was writing and after filing it away, it became a story just for them. During the pandemic she brought the book out again and reread it to her kids, adding bits that they liked when they were little.
The author is also inviting young readers to provide illustrations for the story. Rowling will offer suggestions, but she encourages children to let their imaginations go wild. Parents can share their child’s artwork on Twitter using the hashtag #TheIckabog. Rowling will not be judging the competition. Publishers around the world will be free to choose the illustrations they feel suit the book.
The Ickabog will be published in November. All proceeds will be donated to those affected by the coronavirus.
—Jennifer Swartvagher
Featured photo: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
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