Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • The Bother with the Bonkillyknock Beast: Miss Mary-Kate Martin’s Guide to Monsters #3 – Karen Foxlee. Illustrated by Freda Chiu.

    Allen & Unwin January 2024 ISBN:9781761470226 RRP: $15.99 Imprint:A & U Children Awards: For one reason or another, I had not yet been introduced to Mary-Kate but that really didn’t preclude any enjoyment of this fun adventure. She comes from a long line of monster hunters – not the kind that want to get rid Read more

  • One Hungry Spider: 35th Anniversary edition – Jeannie Baker

    Scholastic Australia November 2023 ISBN: 9781760267001 RRP: $26.99 My Garden Path : Gardening Australia Series 30/Episode 05 March 2019 I first fell in love with Jeannie Baker‘s work with her very first book, Polar. It was released long before I became a teacher, and teacher-librarian, and I had bought it for my eldest, who was Read more

  • The Samosa Rebellion – Shanthi Sekaran

    Harper Collins AustraliaNovember 2023 This author is completely new to me, but by all accounts very well-known and highly thought of in America where she is a novelist and TV writer. This is her first middle-grade book and completely captivated me from the first page. Set in the fictional island nation of Mariposa, protagonist Muki Read more

  • Artichoke to Zucchini: an alphabet of delicious things from around the world – Alice Oehr

    Scribe Publications November 2023 Imprint: Scribble ISBN: 9781761380617 RRP: $24.99 Two things of which you can be guaranteed: 1) kiddos love vibrant picture books 2) kiddos love food. This gorgeous book, therefore, is guaranteed to be a hit. Alphabet books are eternally popular, both for teaching purposes and just for the fun of reading, but this Read more

  • The Peak: Spy Academy #1 – Jack Heath

    Scholastic Australia February 2024 ISBN: 9781761290473 ISBN-10: 1761290479 Series: Spy Academy RRP: $17.99 Way back in 2005, I went to the ASLA Conference in Canberra. What a fun three days that was: made new friends, fancy-pants dinner at Parliament House, late-night escapade to the casino, my first visit to Jackie French, and listening to the hottest new author Read more

  • Sensational Australian Animals – Stephanie Owen Reeder. Illustrated by Cher Hart.

    CSIRO Publishing  February 2024 | $ 29.99ISBN: 9781486316892 This new book from Stephanie Owen Reeder is every bit as sensational as the titular creatures! She has taken a very original approach to this factoid smorgasbord, by categorising animals aligned with each of the five (basic) senses. Check out the list of contents below to see Read more

Archived Reviews