A tale of delectable food, incredible friendship, and golden hearts from one of the world's most beloved storytellers! In truth, I didn't expect to like The Ickabog at all: of course, I was ecstatic when DOGO Books sent the novel to me, but I didn't think it could ever be up to par with the Harry Potter series, of which I had fallen in love with. And when I started reading, my thoughts didn't change much at first—a stereotypical glorious kingdom, materialistic king, et cetera, et cetera—until the plot thickened and I could not stop reading. Everything I considered flighty and unimportant in the beginning served as a runway for all the problems that began snowballing, and once again, J. K. Rowling's plot twists, multiple storylines, character development, and emotional scenes absolutely blew me away. I actually starting tearing up a bit halfway through, so relieved was I to see that familiar syntax and offhand humor of hers, and of course, I couldn't withhold the waterworks when the emotional scenes in the book rolled around. The Ickabog concerns itself with the struggle of orphanhood, the influence of manipulation, and how much power and fear one can really wield. The kingdom of Cornucopia fascinates me and I stayed up until one in the morning to finish reading this wonderful new world J. K. Rowling had created. One thing's for sure, this stunning author is not a one-trick pony, and Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens) meets The Darkdeep (Ally Condie, Brendon Reichs) in this new children's book, perfect for all ages.