A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic
Written and Illustrated by Philip Stead
A Kids Indie Next Pick, A Common Sense Selection,
“Gleefully ignores all the storytelling rules. . . . [R]eaders who only recently learned the rules [will] take pleasure in watching them get blown to pieces. . . . I have to applaud the quality of the production. . . . My respect goes to any publisher willing to invest in creating an object that is pleasing to the hands as well as to the eyes. Books can still be a rich tactile experience for young readers who tire of swiping and tapping on glass.” — The New York Times
★"A . . . warmhearted middle grade debut, told via nonlinear chronology and tongue-in-cheek prose. . . . [A] whimsical adventure. . . . Stead employs delightfully absurd, intricately labyrinthine plotting to comedic and dramatic effect, wittily manipulating structure and narrative while using clever wordplay to weave an inspiring tale that intrigues from the jump. Finely lined grayscale artwork renders the ragtag cast with rich texture and fairy tale charm." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
★"Exuberant wordplay and a wryly witty narrative distinguish this broadly humorous and endearing fantasy . . . [with a] cleverly loopy structure. . . . Stead’s narrative voice is warm, intimate, and slightly goofy, enveloping the reader in the storytelling process. Running jokes invite giggles, homey adages are sandwiched between tiny goat silhouettes, and Latin phrases (many hilariously misused) and their translations pepper the text. Atmospheric, whimsical drawings enhance this story, which will please fans of Norton Juster and Terry Pratchett. [E]vokes medieval Europe. . . . A perfect amount of magic." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★"Playful is the first word that comes to mind . . . as much from the way he plays with form as from the whimsical and comical details he scatters about the tale. Strip all that away and you have a classic fantasy-adventure plot . . . Throughout this clever tale, Stead contributes finely lined and crosshatched illustrations that play to its humor and absurdities. These qualities will delight fans of Matt Phelan’s Knights Vs. books, while the underlying warmheartedness, sturdy as a goat, and Stead’s storytelling aplomb will resonate with Kate DiCamillo devotees." —Booklist, Starred Review
★"[A]n enchanting work of nonsense so grand it requires 24 morals. And 24 goats. . . . [B]rimming with clever wordplay, entertaining absurdity, and tremendous creativity. His narrator--both the author and a character in the book--tickles funny bones by bouncing back and forth through out-of-order chapters, misusing Latin phrases, and scrambling to finish the protagonist's story before readers can finish the book. (The 24 morals are inevitable truths that the author desperately tries to invent in real time). Stead's heavily cross-hatched black-and-white illustrations are both fabulously silly enhancements to the text and visual depictions of characters that can be dour, sweet, adorable, or scary. A Potion is unconventional and unrestrained as it tells an abiding, elegant fairytale (of sorts)." —Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
★"[A] playful, structurally mischievous fantasy anchored by an earnest heroine and a storyteller’s wink. . . . Stead leans into playful narrative disruption with wandering chapter headings, running wordplay, and structural loops that reward attentive readers without sacrificing warmth. Hilariously oft-misused Latin incantations (translated by Matt Newman) pepper the text, while textured grayscale illustrations extend the humor and deepen the worldbuilding. Though the plot sprawls by design, Bernadette’s steadfastness and the story’s gentle insistence that courage and compassion matter more than perfect magic provides a steady throughline. Readers familiar with the themes of friendship, acceptance, and the magic in ordinary things found in Stead’s picture books will feel right at home. Most characters are cued white. VERDICT A charmingly labyrinthine fantasy with broad appeal for those who enjoy clever narration and lightly chaotic quests; a strong addition to collections." —School Library Journal, Starred Review
★"[R]ollicking. . . . The story is told delightfully out-of-order, much like the tilting castle itself. . . . The gentleness and originality of this story recalls tales like The Princess Bride. . . . For sensitive story-loving kids, this will be a landmark fairytale. A Potion, a Powder, and a Bit of Magic offers giggle-worthy entertainment, lovely illustrations and a wholly unpredictable plot." —BookPage, Starred Review
"[S]kips gleefully forward and backward in time. . . . This intriguing setup makes for a promising start. The hardcover edition is also a thing of beauty, all gilded edges and embossed lettering, with charming interior sketches by Mr. Stead. Here are all the makings of a classic fantasy tale, with the bonus additions of Mr. Stead’s droll humor and eye for whimsical detail." —Wall Street Journal
"[A]n absurd little world like a sort of chaotic The Phantom Tollbooth . . ." —The Bulletin
"[J]okey and clever. . . . This is a story replete with high jinks. . . . [Bernadette] has agency, courage, strength, and purity of heart. For fans of goats, wordplay, and the absurd." —The Horn Book
"This is what I like to call a Big Swing Book. They’re the titles that decide to do something completely different from everybody else. Sometimes they pull it off. A lot of the time they do not. Stead? I’ll be damned, but he pulled it off. Now Philip’s the kind of writer can sometimes go a bit above the heads of his young readers. And you would think that in a book with as many Latin phrases as this one contains, he would fall into that trap. He doesn’t. He mucks with the narrative (placing the first chapter at the end where it explains everything), is self-referential, has an intrusive narrator, flirts with politics (but never so much so that he dates the book), and probably does some of the best art he’s ever done in a children’s book in his life. . . . I approve of this choice. This book is one of the very few that manages to feel like a future classic in the vein of The Phantom Tollbooth and all that, and it does so without getting all cute on us. Dang. This is good." —Betsy Bird, Fuse8, Newbery Prediction Edition