J.K. Rowling Dusts Off an Old (non-Harry Potter) Story - Read It Online for Free!

Harry Potter fans everywhere are going to be thrilled when they hear about this. J.K. Rowling has resurfaced an old story of hers and is publishing it online for all her readers to enjoy during these turbulent times. Sadly, we won’t be seeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the new story, titled “The Ickabog”, but the first two chapters that Rowling has published online promise just as much excitement as the Harry Potter series.

The story takes place in the fictional country of Cornucopia where an urban legend about a creature called The Ickabog haunts the citizens. We’re not going to lie, The Ickabog sounds kind of creepy. Rowling describes the monster as being basically invincible with the ability to magically heal its own wounds. Or if it can’t heal itself, it just breaks into TWO Ickabogs. No big deal.

Rowling posted a statement on her website about the story and why she’s publishing it. We already knew she was a saint, but after reading this statement, you’ll really see just what an amazing person she is. 

According to her statement, she wrote “The Ickabog” in between Harry Potter books and would read it to her children at night. The story was then stored in the attic for nearly ten years, until now when she graces us with her magical writing abilities once again.

Now, someone as talented as Rowling could easily make a big profit off of this story, but instead she has decided to publish it for free online to give kids something to read during lockdown. On top of that, she’s holding an illustration competition for kids ages 7 to 12 to draw their ideas of the characters! The winning illustrations will be included in a print publication coming out in November of this year, and we are stoked to see the winning creations.

Rowling is a gift that keeps on giving. From the stories that define our childhood to the new tale of "The Ickabog" which has flashed a ray of sunshine on a global pandemic, we really owe a lot to Rowling. She’ll be posting a new chapter of her story every weekday until June 10th, so be sure to stay updated. You seriously do not want to miss out on this!