Just So Stories

Walker Books Australia

September 2025

ISBN13:9781760658649

Australia RRP:$17.99

New Zealand RRP:$19.99

This was absolutely a crackerjack read and I ate it up over two nights. Sue Whiting has such a deft hand with writing narratives that tackle difficult and emotive issues with grace and sensitivity, and this is a prime example.

You will all, I have no doubt, remember the horrendous infernos of 2019/202 and the drama that unfolded at Mallacoota, Victoria, when the town’s 400 inhabitants fled to the foreshore and water to escape the fiery holocaust approaching them.

This fictional account of the small township of Wangaroo Bay mirrors that event with a twist. One year after the fires that completely devastated their town, Fletch and his best friend, Immie, are both struggling to recover. Fletch’s family lost their house. They are temporarily living in friends’ holiday house. His dad heads up the volunteer firies, his mother and older brother are both members. Their trauma is still just below the surface as well.

Bestie Immie lost her dad in the fires, he was also a member of the firies squad. She is living with her grandparents, with her aunt and little boy in a van out the back. Half the town is living in temporary ‘pods’ due to Bayfire and there is a lot of unrest.

Immie’s grandparents have been agitating to have the investigation re-opened. There is a belief that the fires might have been deliberately lit and that Immie’s dad’s death could have been prevented.

While many are trying to put the tragedies behind them, things start to unravel when a local is suspected of arson. It’s not just tempers flaring, this is almost another inferno in itself as emotions run amok and neighbours turn against each other.

While Immie has her own battles trying to subdue the raging grief she has inside as the town begins to implode, Fletch knows his parents and older brother, Cooper, are keeping secrets from him. He knows that Cooper was not where he was meant to be on the day of the fire.

This is fast-paced and tautly thrilling throughout. The various threads all come together in a most unexpected way that will completely make readers jump. These are characters to become truly involved with, not just the main characters but also the secondary and even periphery personalities.

It so easily could be true which makes it even more gripping. And with the emphasis on truth-telling, relationships, community, and grief it will have a wide appeal. I particularly also enjoyed the references to climate change, and the fire prevention practices of our First Nations people.

Although suggested for 10 years upwards, I would suggest it is most suitable for your more mature readers who will be better equipped to absorb the themes and concepts. I do admire this writer’s work so much and this has been another excellent title to add to my list of those I’ve relished. I give a 5 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 rating.