Just So Stories

Penguin Australia

July 2025

• ISBN: 9781761350740
• Imprint: Penguin
• RRPP: $17.99

This beautiful new novel from former Laureaute and multi-award winner, Gabrielle Wang, is an absolutely outstanding, and almost mystical, exploration of East meets West.

It is not a time-slip but rather a shift in the universe, from Chongming Island in China to Melbourne, Australia, with two very different young people crossing an invisible border, and learning more about each other’s lives while growing into their own.

Moonie lives in Melbourne, in a busy, crowded house with a lively family – sister, brothers and granny too, but also faces some hard situations. Her mum is unwell and has gone away to get better. But their father won’t tell them where or how long she will be gone. To make matters worse, he brings a very nasty woman in as ‘housekeeper’ who proceeds to make Moonie’s siblings miserable and their home an alien space.

It’s the Depression and while they are not rich, their father manages well enough with his market. Moonie’s home is not just host to the horrible housekeeper though. Moonie is able to see the ghosts of children who used to live in the house. They are not frightening – they just are. So when she sees a strange apparition which could be a boy, she thinks it’s another ghost visiting.

Halfway across the world Little Dipper is the son in a desperately poor peasant family. He is most fond of his little sister who is always the wild child, and when Little Tian dies in a tragic accident, the boy is devastated. Among all his dreams, are that of learning English, in fact, learning everything he can, and sharing it with Little Tian. He wants to better himself.

He wants to rise above the grind of poverty that is wearing his parents down. Little Tian’s spirit visits Little Dipper, even as he tends the silkworms as they used to, and when she gives him a special cocoon, it causes a seismic shift that enables Little Dipper to ‘appear’ to Moonie.

The unfolding story of these two children is at times humorous, and often poignant. There is also much drama with the dreaded Miss Yip invading Moonie’s home and her aching longing for her Ma Mi, while Little Dipper battles roadside terrors and the weight of family expectations to learn English, and his consuming grief for Little Tian.

These two pair up to help each other, learning new customs and language, and offering support. It is a very unusual but also touching friendship that develops. This will have your adept readers fully engrossed. I know I read it in two sessions, it is so very engaging.

It is lightly illustrated by the author herself and there is a lovely bonus of paper dolls and outfits in the backmatter for readers to create their own Moonie and Little Dipper characters. I love that Gabrielle has referenced her own parents’ stories in this…her mother growing up in Melbourne and her father meeting her during his visit to that city as a soldier as the Second World War engulfed the globe.

It can’t be anything but a 5 🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛rating [just pretend it’s a silkworm ok?]. I think this is my new favourite of Gabrielle’s books and readers from around Year 4 upwards will love it too.