'To Kill A Mockingbird' Author Announces Sequel To Her Iconic Novel

Harper Lee, the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," is coming out with her first novel in more than 50 years.

The now 88-year-old Lee won the Pulitzer Prize back in 1961 for her beloved book.

"Mockingbird" sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and was turned into an Oscar-winning film, starring Gregory Peck.

Lee's new book is called "Go Set a Watchman," and while it has never been released, it's not exactly new. Lee wrote the book in the 1950s, even before she wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird."

"Mockingbird" is actually a prequel to "Watchman." "Watchman" features a grown-up Scout as she returns to her hometown of Maycomb, Alabama to visit her father, Atticus Finch.

Lee said,

['Go Set a Watchman'] features the character known as Scout as an adult woman, and I thought it a pretty decent effort. My editor, who was taken by the flashbacks to Scout's childhood, persuaded me to write a novel (what became 'To Kill a Mockingbird') from the point of view of the young Scout. I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told. I hadn't realized it (the original book) had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it. After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years.

The new book is set 20 years after the events of "To Kill a Mockingbird," in the 1950s. The publisher's announcement goes into some of the plot details of the novel. It reads,

Scout (Jean Louise Finch) has returned to Maycomb from New York to visit her father, Atticus. She is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father's attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood.

I sure hope Boo Radley makes an appearance in the book. "Go Set a Watchman" will be released July 14.

Citations: New Harper Lee novel on the way (USA Today )