J.K. Rowling Publishes "The Ikabog" for Children on Lockdown

Readers who long imagined themselves in Harry Potter’s world have a chance to immerse themselves in another fictional universe created by J.K. Rowling. The author said Tuesday that she would release “The Ickabog,” a new story for young readers, for free online.

“The Ickabog” will be published in 34 installments starting on Tuesday, with one installment released every weekday until July 10. It will be targeted to readers ages 7 to 9 and published as a book in November.

In an announcement on her website, Rowling said she had started working on the book more than a decade ago, while she was still writing Harry Potter, and originally intended to publish it after she finished the last book in the beloved series. But she ended up keeping “The Ickabog,” which isn’t related to Harry Potter or any of Rowling’s other work, in her family, reading it to her young children and then putting it away in her attic until recently.