You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Una favoletta, ben scritta nel solito stile scorrevole della Rowling, con richiami al guardiacaccia di Biancaneve e alla vecchia di Hansel e Gretel, con una voce narrante che spiega l'ovvio e impartisce la lezioncina... solo una favoletta, senza infamia e senza lode.
Ancora non mi capacito della brutta abitudine di molti autori di spoilerare con i titoli dei capitoli...
Ancora non mi capacito della brutta abitudine di molti autori di spoilerare con i titoli dei capitoli...
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I know this is a book written for children, but it was so entirely surface level. The story was cute, but very nearly without purpose. Funnily enough, JKR’s naming conventions for people and places very nearly ruined it for me more than anything else.
I brought this home for my 13-year-old after he finished reading the entire Harry Potter series for probably the fourth time (not counting the time I read it to him).
His reaction halfway through:
And at the end:
So I was curious and he didn't want to discuss before I read it, because
So...The Ickabog, which Ms. Rowling apparently wrote before Harry Potter, but then polished up and released a chapter at a time during lockdown, starts off very cute, in a land called Cornucopia, where the towns are all food themed and everyone has alliterative names. The king is vain and stupid, easily persuaded by his lazy, selfish friends. You see where this is going, right?
It's a cautionary tale about totalitarian governments and collusion as the path of least resistance. While the tone and subject matter don't always match up, a 13 y.o. and a 44 y.o. both found it entertaining (albeit slightly predictable). I especially enjoy that the printed edition includes artwork by children (ages 7-12, some of it really impressive).
His reaction halfway through:
And at the end:
So I was curious and he didn't want to discuss before I read it, because
So...The Ickabog, which Ms. Rowling apparently wrote before Harry Potter, but then polished up and released a chapter at a time during lockdown, starts off very cute, in a land called Cornucopia, where the towns are all food themed and everyone has alliterative names. The king is vain and stupid, easily persuaded by his lazy, selfish friends. You see where this is going, right?
It's a cautionary tale about totalitarian governments and collusion as the path of least resistance. While the tone and subject matter don't always match up, a 13 y.o. and a 44 y.o. both found it entertaining (albeit slightly predictable). I especially enjoy that the printed edition includes artwork by children (ages 7-12, some of it really impressive).
I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, read (and loved) all of Ms. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike detective series, so picking up this book was a no-brainer for me. Personally, Ms. Rowling can be depended upon to build wonderful, endearing characters.
She didn’t disappoint on that count. So why the 3-star review? This book was 100% not my expectations, and some of that was incredibly frustrating.
I was expecting a children’s book. Though the story was easily relatable, for 4th and up -grade readers, the themes were inappropriately harsh IMO. I am not a prude by any means, but here are the topics you will have to consider when reading this book with your children (mild spoilers):
—Political maneuvering, government lies resulting in political prisoners tortured in cells for years without release or trial
—Extreme poverty and government cruelty
—Multiple parents who die, and the grief situations that result from the children and widowed parent coping with the loss
—Child abuse and neglect severe enough to result in the death of said children (literally described as a graveyard filling up)
—Parents at the brink of starvation having to give up their children because they cannot afford them
—Multiple people murdered and lives destroyed for the sake of the political lies
Did it end well? Um... if you’re willing to get through all of the above warnings and still say, “sign me up for this jolly good time!” then I won’t ruin the ending for you. Feel free to PM me if you want to know before you start. I will say it felt like a slog but we finished it.
She didn’t disappoint on that count. So why the 3-star review? This book was 100% not my expectations, and some of that was incredibly frustrating.
I was expecting a children’s book. Though the story was easily relatable, for 4th and up -grade readers, the themes were inappropriately harsh IMO. I am not a prude by any means, but here are the topics you will have to consider when reading this book with your children (mild spoilers):
—Political maneuvering, government lies resulting in political prisoners tortured in cells for years without release or trial
—Extreme poverty and government cruelty
—Multiple parents who die, and the grief situations that result from the children and widowed parent coping with the loss
—Child abuse and neglect severe enough to result in the death of said children (literally described as a graveyard filling up)
—Parents at the brink of starvation having to give up their children because they cannot afford them
—Multiple people murdered and lives destroyed for the sake of the political lies
Did it end well? Um... if you’re willing to get through all of the above warnings and still say, “sign me up for this jolly good time!” then I won’t ruin the ending for you. Feel free to PM me if you want to know before you start. I will say it felt like a slog but we finished it.
While this book tends to be a bit shallow with caricature characters, it redeems itself in the end with some interesting ideas and themes. It was a bit hard to keep reading in the beginning for me, but I was very motivated to find out how Rowling was going to clean up the mess of Spittleworth’s lies.
I love the idea of the Ickabog and their “bornding” process. That was fascinating. I just wish we would have learned more about them throughout the book instead of just in the end. But that did make for an interesting tension for you to find out the truth of the Ickabog and it kept me reading.
I love the idea of the Ickabog and their “bornding” process. That was fascinating. I just wish we would have learned more about them throughout the book instead of just in the end. But that did make for an interesting tension for you to find out the truth of the Ickabog and it kept me reading.
