J. K. Rowling

The Ickabog is coming... A mythical monster, a kingdom in peril, an adventure that will test two children's bravery to the limit. Discover a brilliantly original fairy tale about the power of hope and friendship to triumph against all odds, from one of the world's best storytellers. The kingdom of Cornucopia was once the happiest in the world. It had plenty of gold, a king with the finest moustaches you could possibly imagine, and butchers, bakers and cheesemongers whose exquisite foods made a person dance with delight when they ate them. Everything was perfect - except for the misty Marshlands to the north which, according to legend, were home to the monstrous Ickabog. Anyone sensible knew that the Ickabog was just a myth, to scare children into behaving. But the funny thing about myths is that sometimes they take on a life of their own. Could a myth unseat a beloved king? Could a myth bring a once happy country to its knees? Could a myth thrust two children into an adventure they didn't ask for and never expected? If you're feeling brave, step into the pages of this book to find out... A beautiful digital edition, brought to life with full-colour illustrations by the young winners of The Ickabog competition.

The Ickabog

La 4e de couverture indique : « As tall as two horses. Eyes like glowing balls of fire. Long, razor-sharph claws. The Ickabog is coming... »

Bilge Ince

Mark

Toni Marie McFadden 

** spoiler alert **
           Wow!! I read this out loud with my son inconsistently due to its size, my son being young and my lack of dedication but finally finished it!! Ickaboggles and ickers included everything was beautiful. Lord flapoon and spittleworth deserved a worse punishment but was very happy Bert and Daisy were reunited. Loved this book. Lady eslanda deserved a bigger role I think but she was kidnapped so I suppose that’s why but ugh she had so much potential. She did help at the end so well done. 

PS read some other reviews based on the author not the book. I’ll be honest I read books not the authors. No idea what has went down but JKs books are brilliant and that’s my honest review.

Sanjay Krishna 

Simple. Felt some similarities to Animal Farm.

Janna Niemi

This was a serious book and I rose a lot of emotions in me. I really quite despise the lords and the bad captain and even the king. 
As this is categorized as a children’s book, I feel like it’s super dark for that. But it does have important massages and it does highlight the issue of prejudice and judgment of anything and anyone who is different to you.

Sarah Ryan

Read to the kids. Very enjoyable family read for younger kids (mine are 5 and 7 1/2).

Stefanie Sugia

"They lived in the happiest kingdom in the world. What harm could the Ickabog do?"
This book was so much fun to read! I went into it with no expectation at all because I didn't read any reviews or anything like that (since some reviews ended up discussing about J.K. Rowling instead of the book itself 😅). I picked it up solely because it's written by J.K. Rowling. I remembered how I used to stay up past midnight just to finish a Harry Potter book; and so J.K. Rowling will always be an author who has a special place in my heart ♡. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much because I know this is a children's book, but I ended up enjoying it much more than I initially expected 😊.

The story is written from first person point of view with a tone that feels like a narrator reading a bedtime story—which definitely made me feel like a kid again 😆. The narrator sometimes teased us a little bit about what's going to happen next and that certainly made me eager to know how things are going to unfold. I also adore the world-building in this book. Cornucopia's capital city, Chouxville, is full of exceptional bakers who made delicious cakes and pastries that filled a grown man's eyes with tears as he ate. And then there's the twin cities of Kurdsburg and Baronstown; Kurdsburg famous for its cheeses, while Baronstown is celebrated for its smoked and honey-roasted hams, bacon, sausages, and melting beefsteaks. A few hours from the twin cities lies Jeroboam that's famous for its wines. All the detailed description makes me drool and dream of enjoying those delicacies, and J.K. Rowling successfully sucked me in to the land of Cornucopia."Oh, if there's one thing you learn at cookery school," said Mrs. Beamish, with a shrug, "burned crusts and soggy bases happen to the best of us. Roll up your sleeves and start something else, I say. No point moaning over what you can't fix!"Another thing that I love from this book is J.K. Rowling's ability to name the characters in this book. The best one of all is Tubby Tenderloin who lives in Baronstown, which was very fitting since he came from a town full of bacon and hams 🤣. Even though there are quite a lot of characters in this book, it wasn't difficult to remember all the names and their roles in the story. The villain of this book whose name is Spittleworth, definitely makes me want to spit in his face 🤣🤣. What surprised me the most was the fact that a children's book like this one have a lot of deaths in it 😱 I hope I'm not spoiling the story too much when I say that a lot of good people died because of Spittleworth's crazy schemes. I almost thought I was reading A Game of Thrones instead of The Ickabog 🤣.

I do have to admit that the characters are pretty two-dimensional: the good people are honest, honorable, and kind, while the villains are all greedy, corrupted, and malicious. But considering this is a children's book, I think it's quite understandable why the characters are created that way. And just like many children's book out there, this book offers some valuable lessons; one of them is about lying. Spittleworth's scheme begins with a lie and he needs to cover it up with more lies so that people will continue to believe him. I experienced it one time when I was still very young and it was a very tiring thing to do. I also love the life lessons that we learn from Daisy Dovetail. Even when she lost everything and almost without hope, she continue to extend kindness towards other people who needs it. King Fred is actually not a villain in this book; his consciousness was overshadowed pride and ego. So even when he wanted to do the right thing, King Fred decided against it. Lastly, Mrs. Beamish taught us that no matter how bad our circumstances may look, we can have a positive attitude and change things for the better 😊.
  "Lies upon lies upon lies. Once you started lying, you had to continue, and then it was like being captain of a leaky ship, always plugging holes in the side to stop yourself sinking."
Overall, I had a really good time reading this book. I was so immersed in the world of Cornucopia and dreamed of eating all the delicious pastries and hams. Throughout the whole book, I was surprised by various twists and how different parts of the story came together in the end. I'm glad I decided to pick this book up because it's a page-turner that didn't take too long to finish. Am excited to see what J.K. Rowling is going to write next! 😊

Read my full review here:
http://www.thebookielooker.com/2020/1...

Margaret Sh.

Okay for a children's book. JKR please stop your screenplay, adult contemporary fiction, and inserting your transphobe opinion, because in case if you can't see it, these ventures are all failing spectacularly, and go back to your roots as a children's book writer mmmmkay?

Mari-Anne Hughes

I really lovely story, about tolerance and acceptance. Well done JK Rowling - another masterpiece. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this to my son, who was gripped throughout.

Paola C

The Ickabog is a cute children's story. It has a valuable lesson at the end, basically be kind and don't tell lies, otherwise you're going to end up tangled in your own web of lies like Lord Spittleworth. 

I'm rating this 3.5 starts mostly because I felt like the story was dragged out. Some parts of the story felt unnecessary and the plot started to repeat itself. 

The edition of the book itself is pretty adorable having children's illustrations done by actual children.

Kika 4525

Cornucópia era o reino mais feliz e rico do mundo. Todas as suas cidades eram famosas por um certo produto, que era considerado “o melhor do mundo”: em Coalhada,eram os queijos; em Jerricã, era o vinho; em Vila Enchido, era o presunto e o pernil assado; e Pastélia, a capital, era conhecida pelos seus doces. 
Mas ainda existia uma outra cidade no reino, que, ao contrário do resto de Cornucópia que era rica e refinada, esta cidade era pobre em tudo, só existiam pântanos: eram os Terrenos Pantanosos.
Aí, segundo um mito, existia um monstro chamado Ickabog, que comia pessoas. Mas isso era apenas um mito...

Entretanto, o rei Fred, conhecido por “O Destemido”, era muito popular perante os seus súbditos.
Mas, quando começam a existir provas de que o Ickabog é real, Fred fica assustado, e não protege o seu reino, como devia fazer.

Será que o mito do Ickabog consegue levar ao declínio um reino que outrora fora tão feliz e próspero?
E será que pode fazer com que um rei adorado se torne odiado?
Que injustiças irão haver?

A minha irmã ofereceu-me este livro no Natal, e devo dizer que esta obra me surpreendeu: foi excelente, pois também revela a importância da amizade e da coragem.

Adoro os livros de J.K. Rowling, por isso, recomendo “O Ickabog”!

Marina McLain 

Eleanor Hoffmann 

Mina

Addy

Tathagat Ghosh

Erica Darcy

As the legend of the fearsome Ickabog spreads terror in the peaceful kingdom of Cornucopia, best friends Bert and Daisy set out to discover the truth and bring happiness back to the kingdom.

The Ickabog

Reviews