Just So Stories

Bloomsbury

September 2025

Imprint: Oneworld

ISBN: 9780861549528

RRP: $16.99

Sometimes a debut novel comes along that completely blows you away, and this would be one of those. I’m not a fan of horror, but I don’t mind a bit of creepy – this was actually quite a lot of creepy! and an enormously good read.

Gwen is still dealing with her grief over her mother’s death when she then has her grandmother’s passing to mourn. Her stepfather brings her, and her younger siblings, to Gloam, their grandmother’s house and now theirs, and she is happy/sad. She remembers the visits to Gloam and her grandmother’s wisdom and gentle love, but there is no doubt that there is something just a bit off-kilter about the ancient house.

When her stepfather engages a local woman as sort of nanny/housekeeper, Gwen is not only affronted – after all, she’s been the one caring for her siblings, organising dinner etc while her mother was ill and afterwards – but agitated from the start. There is something sinister about Esme Laverne though, it would seem, that it is only Gwen who thinks so.

At the same time as Esme sets foot inside Gloam, the house itself appears to be poisoned with a menacing black mould appearing on the walls and spreading… rapidly. As Esme gains more and more of a hold over Gwen’s family, it is up to her to discover her grandmother’s secrets, and break the spell that the monster is casting over the house and its occupants.

It is a book that defies being set aside, even briefly. It is both gripping and intense, while at the same time completely and utterly captivating as Gwen subdues her own feelings, and works towards saving her family with the help of the better kind of magic. Esme’s power increases exponentially as she taps into the children’s nightmares and feeds on their fears. In that aspect, it is a great insight into how our minds work (and, perhaps particularly, children’s) amplifying our worries and frights until they seem insurmountable.

Your kiddos from around 9 upwards who don’t mind a bit of really nasty villainry and some completely menacing supernatural effects will likewise eat it up in short order. Think Coraline or The Mulberry Tree – along those lines and you’ll get some idea.

Even just mentally revisiting whilst typing this review gives me a shivery feeling. And that cover!! what an absolute cracker that is, along with the occasional internal illos, which are done by Ben Joel Price. Hands down a 5 😨😨😨😨😨rating for mid-primary upwards, early secondary kids would enjoy it equally.