Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe



  • Star of Deltora- Emily Rodda

    Allen & Unwin ISBN:9781761182686 Imprint:A&U Children’s Sep 2026 RRP: $39.99 I’ll be honest – I had completely forgotten the original editions of this series and I’m thinking now that I must not have read them at the time. Quite likely because it came out at a time when I was working in purely secondary libraries… Read more

  • Witless Protection: Mega Rich Guinea Pigs #2 – Kate and Jol Temple

    Harper Collins Australia June 2026 They’re back! and it’s another hilarious ride with the loaded GPs as they find themselves, once again, in the throes of a dastardly plot to steal their fortune. Of course, we all know it’s going to be the ‘other’ side of the family who are behind it all. It all… Read more

  • Bravepaw and the Songstone of the Deep: A Tail of Adventure #4 – L. M. Wilkinson. Art by Lavanya Naidu.

    Allen & Unwin ISBN:9781761182167 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:Albert Street Books RRP: $16.99 It’s always a little bitter-sweet when a favourite series comes to a conclusion and this one with this mousekin hero and her companions is one of the best, and therefore one of the saddest to leave. Titch and Huckleberry are a long way from… Read more

  • Running late with the August wrap-up !

    It was quite busy last week what with the modelling weekend, the Quick Brown Fox bookish event (Zanni Louise, Allison Rocca, Samantha Wheeler, Matt Stanton and Andy Geppert as a bonus!) and Mr Surfer’s birthday plus two sets of teaching notes!! Read more

  • All the Blues in the Sky – Renée Watson

    Winner of the Newbery Medal Bloomsbury August 2026 ISBN 9781547605897 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $19.99 This is such a beautiful and poignant verse/prose novel that explores grief as it impacts on a young person. And yes, we know that happens often and even just this year, I’ve had several books in which a child… Read more

  • 2026 Father’s Day Special: The Thing About Dads – Deborah Frenkel.Daniel Gray-Barnett.

    Thames and Hudson August 2026 ISBN: 9781760765194 RRP: $24.99 And this one, dear readers, is my top pick of this year’s batch for Father’s Day. It is the pièce de résistance with absolutely perfect rhyme – the cadence and flow is just magical! – and stunning illustrations full of action and expression. Showing dads in… Read more