Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe


  • The Daredevil Princess and the Grumpy Giant – Belinda Murrell. Illustrated by Rebecca Crane

    Penguin Australia July 2024 There’s absolutely no doubt about it – Belinda Murrell has certainly hit the sweet spot s with this new series. Unicorns, goblins, and dragons have all delighted her fans so far, and now a seriously annoyed sleep-deprived giant will once again engage Smalls in the adventures of Princess Tillie and Honey…

  • ABC Disability – Sarah Rose and Alley Pascoe. Illustrated by Beck Feiner.

    Hachette JUN 26, 2024 | 9780734423023 | RRP $24.99 Obviously having the care of a child with a disability for years has made me even more aware of promoting both knowledge and understanding around this topic. With the Paralympics looming, there will be plenty of opportunities for discussions with your kiddos around various disabilities, how they are acquired, what…

  • Clarice Bean Smile – Lauren Child

    Harper Collins Australia April 2024 Yesterday was a very grumpy day. Although there was lots of good stuff in it, I was extremely annoyed to find out that someone has literally passed my own words off as their own, and, not for the first time, used my work to put focus on their own, without…

  • The House at the End of the World – Victoria M. Adams

    Walkers Books Australia July 2024 Imprint: Andersen Press ISBN13:9781839134234 Australia RRP:$17.99 New Zealand RRP:$19.99 Isn’t it exciting when you read an author’s debut novel and are just blown away? You know you can look forward to more and that’s always a thrill. Victoria M. Adams has woven a story of Fey and family, grief and…

  • Pirates of Darksea – Catherine Doyle

    Bloomsbury Australia June 2024 ISBN 9781526655103 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $16.99 I fell in love with Catherine Doyle’s writing with The Stormkeeper trilogy and when the ARC arrived for this – many months ago- I devoured it with just as much enthusiasm – and this review has been scheduled since then!! This is an…

  • Pox Romana: the Plague that Shook the Roman World – Colin Elliott

    New South Publishing Princeton University Press 9780691219158 / 1 May 2024  AUD$59.99, NZD$69.99 I have long had a fascination with Ancient Rome and the Romans (completely aside from any Monty Python references!) and this has been an ongoing read for the past month, as I dip in and out of what may very well be not only the…

  • Mawson in Antarctica: to the ends of the Earth – Joanna Grochowicz

    Allen & Unwin July 2024 ISBN:9781761180590 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $19.99 This is another in a fantastic series by this author, polar historian Joanna Grochowicz, and with the news about the recovery of Shackleton’s lost last ship in this past week turning the spotlight once again to those redoubtable adventurers of earlier…

  • The Miraculous Sweetmakers #1: The Frost Fair- Natasha Hastings. Illustrated by Alex T. Smith

    Harper Collins Australia April 2024 I had read about the Frost Fairs in London some time ago, after a mention of these in another book and they really must have been quite a spectacle. An authentic Frost Fair will never happen again – read here to find out why – but there is quite a…

  • One by One They Disappear – Mike Lucas

    Penguin Australia May 2024 Honestly, before you put this on your shelves for your kiddos, you need to read it first. Because once they get their hands on it and the word spreads, you will never get a look in! I was hooked from the very start and this is a whole package; supernatural, folktales,…

  • Eleanor Jones Can[‘t] Keep a Secret – Amy Doak

    Penguin Australia I absolutely adored the first Eleanor Jones book and as soon as this one arrived a few days ago, everything else got pushed aside while I binge-read it (which effectively means I’m now book-cheating on 3 different books 😳). I regret nothing! This is every bit as fabulous as the earlier book. It’s…