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Date(s): Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Time: 6:30pm-7:30pm
Venue: Literati Bookstore
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Literati is proud to welcome back Philip Stead to celebrate the release of his debut middle grade novel, A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic Or, Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm.
Each full priced ticket includes a copy of the book. Tickets cover 1 adult and 1 child over the age of 5, infants attend for free. For more than one child please purchase additional “Kid Tickets”.
About The Book: A plucky young goatkeeper sets out on a misadventurous rescue mission in this uproarious debut novel with premium hardcover features, perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Lemony Snicket.
In a kingdom ruled by a capricious king, the castle rests on the backs of twenty-four goats, and the welfare of those goats rests on the back of a girl called Bernadette. So when one goat escapes, it’s up to her—with the help of a very forgetful wizard and a Boat That Does Not Grant Wishes—to bring it back safely.
Her task may be straightforward, but this book is anything but. Like a swirling herd of restless goats, the chapters are all out of order. The ending may prove to have been the beginning all along. All the while, the author of Bernadette’s saga—a character himself—hurries to write her a resolution, with very mixed results. And if you’re feeling lost, don’t worry; the story has twenty-four morals, of varying advisability, to edify you along the way.
Award-winning picture book author and illustrator Philip Stead makes a confident debut as a novelist in this laugh-out-loud, one-of-a-kind illustrated tale, chock-full of running gags, broken fourth walls, and underdog triumph.
PHILIP STEAD is the author of the Caldecott Medal–winning book A Sick Day for Amos McGee. With his wife, illustrator Erin Stead, he also created Bear Has a Story to Tell, Lenny & Lucy, and The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, based on a previously-unpublished children’s story by Mark Twain. Philip has also written and illustrated his own books, including Hello, My Name Is Ruby; Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat; and A Home for Bird. Visit Philip online at philipstead.com.
- Date(s): Tuesday, April 14, 2026
- Time: 6:30pm-7:30pm
- Cost: $19.99/child & 1 adult (includes 1 copy of the book), $5/additional child (no additional book)
- Event Website
- Organizer: Literati Bookstore
- Organizer Phone: Not Provided
- Organizer Email: Not Provided
Venue: Literati Bookstore
Address: 124 E. Washington St, Ann Arbor
- Advance Registration
- Arbor Annie's Highlights
- Author Event
- Elementary
- Indoor Activities
- Middle Schoolers
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