J.K. Rowling Released her Children’s Book for Free

We get excited about whatever J.K. Rowling publishes. Need an example? Just remember that her Harry Potter books have sold more than 500 million copies. We’re
still super impressed.

Now the British author is launching another fantasy book for children that could arguably become more popular than her other works of art. It’s called The Ickabog, and you can check out the first two chapters for free online.

Before you get too excited, note that it’s not a Harry Potter spin-off, but rather a stand alone book that aims to inspire kids.

“The idea for The Ickabog came to me while I was still writing Harry Potter,” the author shared on her website. “I wrote most of a first draft in fits and starts between Potter books, intending to publish it after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Hi @jk_rowling My daughter Amelie (12) loved reading #Ickabog and has a picture for you! thanks for cheering us all… https://t.co/EuOSErvTJP
— charlotte melford (@lulalondon)
1590681419.0

“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,” she continues. “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).”

Rowling will post a chapter (or sometimes many more) every weekday from May 26th to July 10th. It’s also important to note that the idea came to her well over a decade ago, and is not in response to anything that’s happening in the world right now.

In November, The Ickabog will be published in English in print, eBook and audiobook formats, shortly followed by other languages. Cheers to another awesome book for kids to dive into this summer, and ultimately give mamas a small break they deserve.