Just So Stories

Penguin Australia

May 2026

• ISBN: 9781761349812
• Imprint: Penguin
• RRP: $17.99

It’s been a time of real anticipation waiting for this one to arrive. When Tristan first started to consider this and asking for input, it was a given for me that this sequel to Two Wolves should come from Olive’s PoV, given she was such a striking character, despite her tender years, in the first novel.

I could see Ben becoming a police officer and Olive’s sense of justice ,coupled with her almost frightening single-mindedness, being the focal point. And there is no doubt that Tristan has delivered both in an extraordinarily great follow-up to the first story.

Last one of Tristan’s I devoured in one sitting, but I was a little tired this week so I carried this one across two stints. Absolutely sensational pace and the development of tension is particularly noteworthy. (Perfect opportunity for your students to map the story arc!)

Olive, now 12, is still the quirky girl she was a little kid and, understandably, wary of people, relationships, has trust issues and definitely hyper-vigilance. When she sees her fugitive father loitering opposite her school, all her alert systems go into overdrive. She knows it’s a bad idea but she can’t help herself. There is still a part of her that wants to know if her father really did ever love her. So she follows him.

What ensues is nothing short of a dynamite rollercoaster of highs and lows, danger and near-death, as she – and then Ben- work together to bring their father to account at last.

There is an overall sense of redemption and setting to rights in the narrative that readers will find highly satisfactory. And, as a shared read, there is so much scope for some indepth conversations, Socratic circles or debates on topics such as: ethics, character, betrayal, forgiveness, regret, reforming and loyalty.

It is still a matter of real pride for me that a quote from my review of Two Wolves [now 12 years ago!] was used on the promotional material for that book and it’s been a pleasure to be connected with Tristan over the years. Having been in his company several times in that time, it’s honestly easy to say he’s a great human as well as a highly talented writer with an amazing work ethic.

He has really hit a winning streak with his thrillers, although there is also no denying his humourous books are big hits with readers as well. It really gives me the greatest pleasure to recommend this one to your readers – upper primary to secondary – with a 5 💰💰💰💰💰rating.