The Ickabog

This was a gift

I read The Ickabog in a day... and I'm a working mother, so that's something! I can't stop thinking about it -- the characters, Rowling's signature whimsical writing style, the symbolism... All of it!In response to those who are saying it's too dark for children: the darkest part, I'd say, is the allusion to the cemetery of children behind Ma Grunter's house (we are told, not shown, about this; so there are no descriptions of dead bodies or anything like that). Is it dark? Yes. Is the concept of starving and dying children something youth have never been exposed to via mass media? No. I think we underestimate what our children can process and handle. However, if you think it's too much for your nine-year-old, the marvelous thing is that half of the good guys are adults, so you'll definitely feel included in the adventure if you want to read it to yourself. ;)Moving on: one of the coolest things about this book is that Rowling doesn't rely on modern storytelling structures to write this. In today's age, authors/agents/publishing companies usually have to stick to tried and true techniques in order to sell their books. For instance, all characters should be the same age to cater to a target audience, authors are told to "show" instead of "tell," chapters should be a certain length, etc... The list goes on. To me, it sometimes feels like every book is a bit rigid in structure and style.Rowling doesn't adhere (probably because she doesn't care about selling; all of her royalties are going to a children's charity, I believe). She employs a 3rd person omniscient POV, a really rare perspective that is usually looked down upon in the literary world, but somehow works in the Ickabog; it allows us to jump from character to character and understand what's going on in, not just the kids', but everyone's heads. She breaks the fourth wall repeatedly by showing us that she, Rowling, rather than a character, is the narrator. Lastly, she only "shows" when necessary, but the "telling" parts will sweep you away. The whole thing reads like an elaborate campfire story that you can't un-mesmerize yourself from. You can tell she had fun with it, and you can tell it's a story whose purpose is, not to sell itself, but to enchant and entertain.I'm a fan.

This was a birthday gift, my brother on loved it

Excellent value and great gift

I read this book when the chapters were released weekly last spring and bought the hardcover as soon as it came out. I loved the idea of having young readers illustrate the story and I wasn’t disappointed by the artwork. All the illustrations are fun and imaginative, and some of them are quite impressive for such young children!I really enjoyed the story as well and found myself waiting impatiently for new chapters every week. J.K. Rowling sure knows how to create a captivating, imaginative world, with so many fun details embedded throughout. The descriptions of each city of Cornucopia at the beginning are simply delightful, and each character is more colorful than the last. I found King Fred particularly entertaining and was glad to see him evolve throughout the story.There is a lot of humor in there as well—despite the rather dark theme of the story—and the mystery of the Ickabog is sure to keep young readers entertained. The plot is quite intricate and spans several years, but everything comes together quite nicely at the end.My only warning to readers is that it does get pretty dark in some places (the two main characters go through some terrible ordeals and a lot of people end up dead), and some of the themes may be a little complex and heavy for younger readers (political manipulations, tax policies, etc.).

Overall, this isn't really a book for small children; mostly older elementary school-aged as it turns violent pretty quickly but in the old Grimm's Fairy Tale sense.Loved the narrative of lying and how others become compliant and even murder for it, for their own self-interest. Lot's of political overtones to socialist dictators and authoritarian regimes that try to control and even fabricate events for their own gain. Social commentary for sure! But most young won't even know it.The ending takes a strange unexpected turn as if another book was suddenly being dropped in. Some of the resolves come too quickly and honestly, make no sense. One without spoiling it is the one that unknowingly let stuff happen.My daughter was disappointed as their was no romance in the story which left it flat and uninteresting in the build-up of certain characters.As for the illustrations - very cute to see interpretations. In my head, the visual is more of a Tim Burton movie with the king being Johnny Depp.If you're looking for Harry Potter - this is not it. If you're looking for a fun, interesting, read. I'd recommended it.

I'll start this review by saying I'm an adult and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Do I recommend it for kids? Not sure. There's a lot of murder and death, but also, Rowling's writing style is easy to digest for readers of younger ages while still being captivating for adults. I liked this book, thought it read like an elevated bedtime story with a compelling message and light tone. I find JK to be a masterful storyteller and really appreciate the way she reveals information. I am seldom disappointed with her work and I don't think you will be either. I'm glad she wrote this!P.s. I think it's high-time we normalize fairy tales being for more than just children. By forcing works like this into the realm of children's literature, it's reductive of the work's capacity to be equally important and relevant to adults. I believe this book is for everyone. Anyone who enjoys stories about perseverance, standing up against oppression, and even protecting our fellow creatures--themes present in much of JK's work. Read this if you like quaint stories that make you smile and reflect on the way humans reconcile fear, power, war, and kindness. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it, too.

Perfecto como todo lo que escribe la autora.

Goed geschreven sprookje met mooie illustraties die door jonge kinderen gemaakt zijn.

Livro perfeito! Recomendo muito a compra. As folhas são meio amareladas (diferente da edição nacional que são brancas) e as artes das crianças americanas também são muito lindas!

多読につまづきがちな中学年に、文字大きめ、Word Wise多めでkindle版を用意しところ、楽しんで読めているようです。「自分で読んだ方が早いから」と同時に再生していませんが、audible版も盛り上がります。

El libro es muy lindo, las ilustraciones son increíbles. La historia está muy bien escrita, es un libro para toda la familia. Si lo recomiendo