JK Rowling publishes first chapters of new story, ‘The Ickabog,’ online for free

Photo: www.jkrowling.com

The “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling has announced today that she is publishing her new story “The Ickabog,”online for free.It is to help delight children and families trapped at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the author the fairy tale was written over a decade ago for her children as bed time story. Set in an imaginary land, it is a stand-alone story “about truth and the abuse of power” for children from 7 to 9 years old and is independent and not connected to Rowling’s other books.

“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,” she said.

“’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).”

The first two chapters were posted online Tuesday, with daily instalments to follow until July 10.

The book will be published in print later this year, and Rowling said she will pledge royalties from its sales to projects helping those particularly affected by the pandemic. The AP reported.