J.K. Rowling’s 2020 children’s fantasy novel about an orphaned boy and a mythical monster is The Ickabog.
The Ickabog is set in the fictional kingdom of Cornucopia, a prosperous land whose rulers and citizens fear a legendary creature called the Ickabog. The story follows children who become involved in uncovering the truth behind the kingdom’s official version of events.
Rowling originally wrote the story for her own children and later revisited it during the COVID-19 pandemic. She published it online in installments in 2020, then released it as a printed book later that year. Children’s illustrations were selected through a competition connected with the digital publication.
The novel is separate from the Harry Potter books and from Fantastic Beasts, which began as a fictional textbook title and became a film series. The Christmas Pig is another Rowling children’s novel, but it was published in 2021 and has a different magical premise.