"Once upon a time there was a tiny kingdom called Cornucopia, as rich in happiness as it was in gold, and famous for its food. From the delicate cream cheeses of Kurdsburg to the Hopes-of-Heaven pastries of Chouxville, each was so delicious that people wept with joy as they ate them.
But even in this happy kingdom, a monster lurks. Legend tells of a fearsome creature living far to the north in the Marshlands... the Ickabog. Some say it breathes fire, spits poison, and roars through the mist as it carries off wayward sheep and children alike. Some say it's just a myth...
And when that myth takes on a life of its own, casting a shadow over the kingdom, two children — best friends Bert and Daisy — embark on a great adventure to untangle the truth and find out where the real monster lies, bringing hope and happiness to Cornucopia once more.
Features full-colour illustrations by the young winners of The Ickabog competition."
A few years back I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Scholastic Insider program. They sent books to me that were on grade level with the students I was teaching. I got to read the books, review them, and of course share them with my students. I applied last year hoping I would get in again since I was at a new school, but was unfortunately not accepted. Then the pandemic happened and I was kind of glad I wasn't doing it, but at the same time what else was there to do but read during the quarantine. So when I saw the email from Scholastic a few months ago I jumped at the chance to apply again and guess what? I was accepted! The first book that was sent to me actually became a book thanks to the lockdown. I was reluctant at first because I'm still working my way through the Harry Potter series (very slowly) and they have a very unique writing style and language. I didn't know what to expect with this book, but guys I am VERY excited to share this review!
The Ickabog is the tale of many characters. There is the king of Cornucopia who is self-centered and greedy. The king has two right-hand men named Spittleworth and Flapoon. They are also greedy and decide to bamboozle everyone to make money and be in control. And there are best friends Daisy and Bert. Daisy's mom dies when she is younger and Bert's dad is killed by the supposed Ickabog. Which the most important character of the entire book is the Ickabog. For years parents have told their children to beware of the Ickabog. The entire story soon snowballs as lies build to tell the tale of the Ickabog that lives in the marshland. The entire story will leave you wondering if the Ickabog truly exists.
When I first started this book I struggled a little with it. I felt like it was all moving really slow because I just wanted to know if the Ickabog was real or not. But after I finished it I was beyond happy with the entire set up of the book. All of the chapters are extremely short and it keeps this pace where you could read this to a class or to your child at night and leave them in suspense of what was going to happen next. In the beginning, I really thought the story was going to follow the king, but it really shifted and followed Spittleworth, Daisy, and Bert. I loved that this was told in third person because we were able to jump around and get the FULL story instead of just the first-person view of one character. There was a time jump around the middle of the book and it was handled beautifully. There was a clear transition that years had passed and we were immediately caught up with where all of the main characters were after the time jump. As a teacher though, one of the biggest things I loved about this book was the entire "lying is wrong" theme that was present. Spittleworth kept lying and it kept snowballing because he had to tell more lies to cover the previous lies. I think it is a totally teachable moment in this book and something that could be discussed in a classroom. Many students think they can lie and get away with it because that's usually what they have seen and heard at home. I like that Spittleworth didn't get away with it in the end and that his peers who knew what was going on were also in trouble because they didn't report what was happening.
My big thing about this entire story was the tension between Mrs. Beamish and Mr. Dovetail. I hoped they would fall madly in love and get married. But on the flip side, I felt like Daisy and Bert should end up together because they had been friends for so long and had been through so much. I knew that Rowling wouldn't give us both because that's awkward. But I honestly think I would have rather seen Bert and Daisy get married than their parents. It felt like the two young people needed a chance to start over and fall in love. I was also frustrated with the narrator. The entire time I was hoping it would be the Ickabog that was telling the story or one of the characters, but the book just ended without any light shed on who was narrating the entire story.
This book was full of adventure, suspense, and drama. I would love to read a book that focuses on the life of Ickabogs. Maybe a book told from their point of view and their origin story. We kind of got that in this book, but they were such fascinating creatures that I would love for there to be a prequel of sorts to this book. I give this 5 stars. This is a book that would fit anyone of any age. It is a fun little story. As an added bonus there are illustrations throughout this book. J.K. Rowling released this book a chapter at a time online and asked students to illustrate pictures that went along with the book. All of this happened during the lockdown/quarantine/shutdown timeframe. It was a wonderful move on Rowling's part to keep students reading and engaged.
