On May 26th, J.K. Rowling announced on Twitter that she would be releasing an unpublished manuscript online, chapter by chapter, every weekday through July 10th. The Ickabog is a standalone fairy tale and has nothing to do with the Harry Potter universe, according to the bestselling author."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."
Not only that, The Ickabog will be traditionally published in November 2020, and Rowling is conducting an international competition for children to illustrate it.
"Having decided to publish, I thought how wonderful it would be if children in lockdown, or otherwise needing distraction during the strange and difficult time we're passing through, illustrated the story for me. There will be suggestions about the illustrations we might need for each chapter on The Ickabog website, but nobody should feel constrained by these ideas. I want to see imaginations run wild! Creativity, inventiveness and effort are the most important things: we aren't necessarily looking for the most technical skill!"
Royalties from the sold copies will go to organizations helping those impacted by COVID-19.
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