* Old Margaret is taken away and accused of witchcraft. Do you believe that witchcraft existed?
* The hamlet of Fair Maidens Lane put a man in charge, due to men saying that the women couldn’t thrive by themselves. Think about women who are in powerful positions in the world today. What skills do they have?
* Fortune’s mother encouraged her to pretend she was a boy so she could get a job more easily. Does the power of the world today still lie in the hands of men or are things more balanced?
* Do you think there are certain circumstances where it is acceptable for children to work or should they be in school?
* Fortune is employed by Mr Spicer at the hiring fair in order to make his son ‘more manly’. What do you think he meant by this?
* In the story, certain activities are considered suitable only for boys or girls. What do you think about this?
* Mr Spicer tries to hide his youngest daughter Bea away after his wife died in childbirth. Why do you think he did this?
* There is a big gap between the rich and the poor in this book. Do you think that only the rich people should be the ones making the decisions with the power in life just because they have lots of money?
* Fortune says: ‘But doesn’t everyone have a bit of strangeness in them?’ Is this true? If so, what is your bit of strangeness?
* There is a popular saying that ‘knowledge is power’. What does this mean? Why do you think some people afraid of knowledge?
* Travelling theatre troupes were a common form of entertainment at the time of the story. Can you think of anything similar that happens today? How has our entertainment changed over the years?
With thanks to Scott Evans (The Reader Teacher & #PrimarySchoolBookClub) for writing these questions and discussion points.
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