Just So Stories

• Publisher: Riveted Press
• January , 2026
• ISBN13: 9781764007191
• LIST PRICE: AU$ 17.99 / NZ$ 19.99

I’ve quickly come to realise that Helen’s historical novels are impeccably researched and completely engrossing, so much so that it is not just your young readers who will enjoy them, but also adults.

As I have mentioned previously I, for one, didn’t know much about Adelaide’s or South Australia’s history, certainly not as a child, but now that I have such a wonderful cohort of creator friends in that state, and following my most recent visit taking The Kid with me, I have been able to explore and learn more, much to my delight. And don’t you find that lighthouses are just so interesting and exciting in their own right, as one imagines their histories?

In this latest, Helen takes us back to two different periods, a century apart, in the timeline of the Cape Jaffa lighthouse, pivoting between the tragic 1859 wreck of the SS Admella based on fact and the fictional tale of two ‘lighthouse’ kids spending the 1959 summer at the lighthouse with their Dad.

The two are linked through a thread of magic realism in which the two 20th century kids are told the story of the wreck by their father, but also experience visions of the past via ghostly apparitions.

The retelling of the tragedy is quite a harrowing tale but not so much that young readers will be adversely impacted. It is more that their empathy and concern for the characters will cushion the harsh reality of the numerous fatalities, and help them to understand the very real need for the establishment of such important lighthouses along much of Australia’s rugged and treacherous coastline.

14-year-old Daisy is on board the Admella heading to Melbourne with her parents and little sister when the ship founders off-shore and completely breaks apart. Only one small portion eventually remains with the last survivors clinging to it in desperation after many days. Daisy is a godsend to this small band of wrecked passengers and crew and despite her own anxieties and fears, keeps on giving – comfort to the smaller children, courage to her parents, all the while wondering desperately if they will make it out alive as they watch one rescue attempt after another fail in the wild and dangerous breakers.

The mystical link between the two time periods creates an eerie but evocative insight into both sets of circumstances. One particularly noteworthy aspect of the narrative is that once again Helen has chosen to give her main characters particular disabilities or chronic conditions – Daisy’s anxiety, Rosemary’s asthma and Maxwell’s dyslexia – drawing these out masterfully via ‘show don’t tell’. These alone make for a great focused teaching experience for your kiddos to aid their own creative writing, as well as those important connections to text/life/self to which we all aim.

I think, although I’ve loved her earlier books very much, this is my favourite so far. I literally had to tear myself away from my first reading (halfway through) and couldn’t wait to get back to it the following day. Huge congrats to Helen on another excellent MG novel that has so much to offer readers: mystery, ghosts, disaster, survival, history, adventure and, as well, special mention of yet another sensational cover from Tamlyn Teow.

Riveted Press is really gaining traction with these first-class titles and I am looking forward to more this year. The special fillip for me as well was the personal tie-in with the magazine article I wrote last year for the Caloundra Chronicle, regarding the historic lighthouse there (PDF is only proof so a typo in there somewhere), as well as happy memories of our trip to Tassie. It’s a stirring hope-filled 5 🪨🚢🚢🚢🌊rating from me for readers from around mid-primary to mid-secondary.

Bruny Island 2019 – a stunning lighthouse and fascinating history.