Book Club Guide for A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic

A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic
By Philip Stead

For Ages 8-12
Genre: Fantasy

When the castle’s 12-year-old goatkeeper, Bernadette, discovers her beloved turtle, Perseverance, has been turtle-napped to make soup, she sets out on a delightfully wild rescue mission. A whimsical cast of characters, including a forgetful magician, a tree that once granted wishes, the King’s bumbling court, 24 goats, and the author himself, will leave readers giggling and capture their hearts. Oh, and the book begins in chapter 13 and ends with chapter one. A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic by Philip Stead feels like a classic and explores themes of courage, friendship, and empathy. Use these discussion questions, activities, snacks, and read-alikes during your next book club for more engagement and fun.

Discussion Questions

Get participants talking with some of these discussion questions. Need more? See The Youth Desk’s Book Clubs page.

1. What did you think about the beginning, middle, and end being out of order? Did it make sense to start on Chapter 13?!
2. Do you agree with the author that the title of a story should be written before it is complete (p. 25 of the 2026 hard cover edition)? Why?
   • What do you think about this book’s title? What other title would you have given it?
3. What did you think of the illustrations?
4. Pop Quiz! Can you name at least 5 of the goats, NOT including Steve? (The goats are listed on p. 47).
5. If you had a goat, what would YOU name it?
6. Do you remember what Bernadette took along on her quest?
   • “An extra-large cauldron spoon (for an oar), a long satin cape and two cracked tent poles (for a sail), a spindly rocking chair (for comfort), several forsaken wishlists (for kindling), and a hunk of charcoal (for a fire).” (p. 160)
   • If you could choose 3 items to take along on a quest, what would they be?
7. Boat asks Bernadette if the king is “prone to fits of gratefulness” (p. 31). What does that mean? Are you prone to be grateful or something else?
8. On page 166, the author admits he doesn’t know how to save Perseverance the turtle and thus what to write. If you were the author, how would YOU have saved Perseverance?
9. What animal (besides goats and alligators) do you think would make a good base for a castle?
10. When Bernadette catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror near the end of the book, she thinks she looks much older and wiser than herself. Why do you think that was?
11. Did you learn any new words from this story? Do you remember what the following words mean?
    • Defenstration: One of the author’s favorite non-Latin words. It means: “to throw oneself (or someone else) out a window” (p. 91).
    • Catharsis: Another of the author’s favorite words, meaning “a thing you do in order to feel better.” For example, the king felt better watching people throw themselves out of the castle window, and those people felt better landing in the Net of Catharisis that Bernadatte hung up to catch them (p. 91).
    • Gravitas: The Tree says they need a quest with gravitas. For example, swapping the turtle in the story for something more heroic, like a dragon (p. 158).
12. What did you think of the morals, and did you have a favorite?
    • Some of the lines I found most meaningful from this book weren’t even morals! Mine are below. Did you have any favorite quotes or takeaways from the book?
      • “If you choose to be brave, you are brave” (p. 133).
      • “There are many ways, big and small, that life can hurt us. What matters is that we each have someone to help us when it does” (p. 206).
13. Did this story remind you of any other books you’ve read?

Snacks

Apples & Potion (aka Root Beer)

The author provides Bernadette with “a raggedy old apple tree” to feed herself and the goats (p. 73), and Adelbert brings “a deep brown liquid kept in a tiny blue bottle” on the quest (p. 246). Provide attendees with cups of root beer, but don’t tell them what it is, and challenge them to drink the potion!

Other foods from the story include:

• Turtle stew (p. 120)
• Bananas: The knight tosses a banana peel (and thus litters!) when approaching the tree (p. 45).
• Potatoes: Gold and potatoes are “the only two forms of currency in the kingdom” (p. 140), so serve your lucky attendees potato chips!
• Plums: Steve gives a plum to Bernadette when they first meet (p. 309).

Extension Activities

Morals Charades

This makes a great icebreaker! Choose a few of your favorite morals from the story and challenge attendees to act them out. Posting a list of the morals is helpful. The 24 morals found between goats in the story are:

1. It’s important not to be wasteful (p. 25)!
2. There is no use paddling in a river that cannot decide which way it is going (p. 30).
3. The unintended side effects of wish-granting rarely make the granting of wishes worthwhile (p. 37).
4. A thing stored in the brain is never as important as a thing kept in the heart (p. 40)!
5. Never hold your umbrella aloft in a lightning storm (p. 45).
6. It is easier to remember a thing if it is written down (p. 48).
7. Never underestimate the strength of a goat (p. 57).
8. Never underestimate the willingness of a fool to follow through on a bad idea (p. 57).
9. Grow a strong shell, and know when to hide in it (p. 71).
10. Have at least a slight idea of what you’re trying to do before you do it (p. 108).
11. Never stand up in a rowboat (p. 111).
12. Details matter (p. 130).
13. Even the lowly have their limits (p. 138).
14. Imprecise wishes lead to imprecise results (p. 157).
15. Sometimes you have to go forward to go backward (p. 165).
16. There’s always tomorrow (p. 199).
17. Uncareful stories bring trouble to your doorstep (p. 203).
18. It is better to do one thing well than two things poorly (p. 205).
19. Always wear a helmet when riding a bike (p. 205).
20. It is never lucky to be unkind (p. 221).
21. Sometimes you’ve got to get where you’re going before you can find out where you should’ve been all along (p. 222).
22. Sometimes you’ve got to leave the story you’re in and head out to look for a better one (p. 233).
23. It’s important to always be polite (p. 274).
24. You are who you choose to be (p. 309).

Alligator Hopscotch

Bernadette crosses the castle moat by hopscotching the sleeping alligators (p. 133). Use chalk to create an alligator obstacle course outside or print out alligator illustrations for attendees to hopscotch indoors.

Goat Stacking

Do your best to stack goats like Bernadette did to reach and save Perseverance! Provide a handful of toy goats and see which attendee can make the tallest stack! This pack of 24 mini goat figurines works well… and by well, I mean it’s super hard to stack them, which makes the activity even more fun.

Map Making

Like Clarence’s Sightseeing Map of the Entire Kingdom, create your own map! Locations from the story include the Mountain of Regrets, the Forest of Disappointment, the tollbooth, the Tree Who Grants Wishes, the River of Uncertainty, Skunk Territory, the Faraway Swamps, and the End. But if YOU were the author of your own magical kingdom, what locations would you create?

Read-Alikes

If your readers loved A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic, they’ll also enjoy:

What are your favorite book club questions and activities? Please share in the comments.